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Authenticity in the Foreign Language Classroom

I. Authentic Materials:

 Nunan (1989): “any material which has not been specifically produced for the purpose of language teaching.” (as cited in acdonald! "adger #$hite! %&&&)

"acon # 'innemann (199&):  “authentic materials are tets produced by natie

spea*ers for a non+pedagogical purpose.”

II. Authentic Vs Non-authentic Materials:

Authentic Materials

• ,anguage data produced for real

life communication purposes.

• -hey may contain false starts! andincomplete sentences.

• -hey are useful for improing the

communicatie aspects of the

language.

Non-Authentic Materials

• -hey are specially designed for 

learning purposes.

•   -he language used in them isartificial. -hey contain well formed

sentences all the time.

• -hey are useful for teaching

grammar.

(dams! 199/0 iller! %&&)

III. Sources for Authentic Materials:  (iller! %&&)

 Newspapers and aga2ines.

3adio.

-eleision4 5ideo.

6nternet.

Example of Authentic Materials: (7edge! %&&&0 "aird! %&&)

Spoken:  -5 commercials! films! news items! weather forecasts! airport and station

announcement! radio tal*s! interiews! and debates.

Written:  recipes! articles! train timetables! adertisements! brochures! poems! application

forms! and instruction for use of euipment.

IV. Criteria for Selecting and Using Authentic Materials:

A. Important factors in selecting authentic materials:• -etual authenticity

• uitability of content

• ;ompatibility with course ob<ecties

• =ploitability

(,ee! 199/)

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-as* authenticity reflects the purpose to which language input is put. 6t means that the

chosen tas*s should inole the learners not only in authentic communication with tets

and others in the classroom! but also in learning and the purpose of learning.

. Authenticit# of the actual social situation of the languageclassroom:

-he authenticity of the classroom is a special social eent and enironment wherein people

share a primary communicatie purpose that is learning. -he authentic role of the language

classroom is the proision of those conditions in which the participants can publicly sharethe problems! achieements and oerall process of learning a language together as a social

actiity.

VI. &o! can spea,ing and !riting acti"ities $e authentic%7edge (%&&&) indicates that spea*ing and writing can be authentic if they reflect thereleant criteria for tas* design discussed earlier! and also mirror the real world purposes

and situations in which and for which language is used. =amples of such tas*s are:

note to a neighbor apologi2ing for a noisy party. letter of complaint about a product to the manufacturer.

VII. Arguments for against the Use of Authentic Materials:

Arguments for Using Authentic Materials:uthentic materials hae a positie effect on learner motiation.-hey proide authentic cultural information.

-hey proide eposure to real language.

-hey relate more closely to learners E needs and interests.-hey support a more creatie approach to teaching.

-hey proide a wide ariety of tet types! language styles not easily found in

conentional teaching materials.Fnli*e traditional teaching materials! authentic materials are continuously updated.

-hey hae a positie effect on comprehension and learner satisfaction.

  (>ilic*aya! %&&0 c*night! 199/0 $ong! >wo*! # ;hoi! 199/0 "erado! %&&G)

Arguments against Using Authentic Materials:uthentic materials often contain difficult language! unneeded ocabulary items

and comple language structures! which causes a burden for the teacher in lower+

leel classes and demotiate low leel students.uthentic materials may be too culturally biased.any structures are mied in such materials0 causing lower leels hae a hard time

decoding the tets.

-he use of authentic materials is time consuming for the teachers.uthentic materials may not epose students to comprehensible input at the earliest

stages of acuisition.

(Duariento # orley! %&&10 artine2! %&&%0 >im! %&&&)

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VIII. /hat Can e 0one to 1"ercome the 0i2culties !e 3ace inIntegrating Authentic Materials in the 4anguage Classroom%

implification of the tets.

Besign tas*s for partial comprehension.

("erardo! %&&G0 Duariento # orley! %&&1)

I5. Authenticit# in the Saudi Context:

Attitudes to!ards authenticit# among English teachers:6nteriews with some teachers who teach =nglish as a foreign language in audi

rabia hae been conducted. 6 as*ed them about their attitudes toward the use of authentic materials in their classes. ome of their responses are:

Br. N ( (teaches =', at >ing aud Fniersity)“I am with the use of authentic materials in the Saudi context, actually in anycontext in the world. But we have to take some points in consideration such as the

 students level. !herefore, I "elieve that such materials must "e implemented 

 #radually in order not to cause a shock for the students.$

rs. ay (a superisor of the =nglish department at a priate school in 3iyadh)

“I wish that authentic materials can "e used in our schools since they connect the students with the real lan#ua#e. %owever, I suspect that the students can handle

 such materials "ecause of their low &n#lish level. I think that we first need some

improvements in our forei#n lan#ua#e teachin# plans, and then we can think of 

 such an excellent techni'ue.$

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6eferences:dams! -. (199/). What akes aterials )uthentic*  (=36; Bocument 3eproduction

erice No. =B 9189).

"acon! .! # 'inneman! . (199&). study of attitudes! moties! and strategies of uniersity foreign language students and their disposition to authentic oral and

written input. odern +an#ua#e ournal, -()! /9+H."aird! >.! # 3edmond! ! (=ds.). (%&&). !he use of authentic materials in the /012

 french pro#ram. $inston+alem! N;: $a*e 'orest Fniersity! Bepartment of =ducation.

"erardo! . (%&&G). -he use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading. !he 3eadin# 

 atrix, 4 (25, G&+G9."reen! . (198/). uthenticity in the language classroom. )pplied +in#uistics 4, G&+H&.

Duariento! $.! # orley. (%&&1). -et and tas* authenticity in the =', classroom.  &+! 

 ournal, 66 (5, H + /.7edge! -. (%&&&). !eachin# and +earnin# in the lan#ua#e 7lassroom . ?ford: ?ford

Fniersity Cress.

Aacobson! =.! Begener! .! # Curcell+Dates! 5. (%&&). 7reatin# )uthentic aterials and  )ctivities for the )dult +iteracy 7lassroom: a hand"ook for 8ractitioners. N;,,.

>ilic*aya. '. (%&&). uthentic materials and cultural content in =', classrooms. !he

 Internet !&S+ ournal, 19 (-5.  3etrieed Noember 1! %&&G from

http:44itesl<.org4-echniues4>ilic*aya+utenticaterial.html >im! B. (%&&&). ualitatie approach to the authenticity in the foreign language

classroom: a study of uniersity students learning =nglish in >orea. !exas 8apers in

 orei#n +an#ua#e &ducation, 6 (15, 189+%&/.,ee! $. (199/). uthenticity reisited: tet authenticity and learner authenticity.  &+! 

 ournal, ; (5, %+%8.

acdonald! .! "adger! 3.! # $hite! D. (%&&&). -he real thingI: authenticity and

academic listening. &n#lish for Specific 8urposes, 1;! %/+%GH.artine2! . (%&&%).  )uthentic materials: )n overview. /aren<s +in#uistic Issues. 

3etrieed ?ctober %/! %&&G from

http:44www.telus.net4linguisticsissues4authenticmaterials.htmlc*night! . (199/). Cragmatics and -=?,: Fsing uthentic ,anguage Bata. Caper 

 presented at the "iennial eeting of the =,- 6nternational ;onferencein

6nnoations in pproaches to the -eaching and ,earning of =nglish! >uala ,umpur!alaysia.

cNeill! . (199). What akes )uthentic aterials =ifferent* !he 7ase of &n#lish

 +an#ua#e aterials for &ducational !elevision. Capers presented at the nnual6nternational ,anguage in =ducation ;onference! 7ong >ong.

iller! ,. (%&&). Beeloping listening s*ills with authentic materials.  &S+ a#a>ine, 4 (15, 1G+19.

iller! . (%&&/).  Improvin# aural comprehension skills in &+, usin# authenticmaterials: an experiment with university students in ?i#ata, apan . Fnpublished

master@s thesis! Fniersity of urrey! ustralia.

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-aylor! B. (199). 6nauthentic authenticity or authentic inauthenticityI !&S+0&, 1(25.

3etrieed Noember 1! %&&G from http:44www+writing.ber*eley.edu4-=,+

=A4e<&%4a.1.html$ong! 5.! >wo*! C.! # ;hoi! N. (199/). -he use of authentic materials at tertiary leel.

 &+ ournal, ; (5. 18+%%.

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