THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS

OF LANGUAGE AND
LITERATURE, AND LANGUAGE
AND LITERATURE ASSESSMENT
DR. VERONICA M. BITO, LPT
 LET US STUDY THESE.
Non-English Speaker: I am awfully sorry at the
terrible state of my English abilities, as for the
English language is not my mother tongue. I hope
you forgive me for every foolish mistake I make.
English as a First Language: lol it okei
 UNKNOWN ANIMAL: Your retardation is
disadvantageous. I propound you all vamoose
with great importunity.

MAN: Oh goodness! It’s a Thesaurus!

 Thomas de Mahy’s last words upon reading
his death sentence: I see that you have made
three spelling mistakes.
 HIS ENGLISH
His English is perfect.
He speaks very well.
His accent is wonderful, people just can’t
tell…that he isn’t
a native of the USA.
The problem is that he has nothing to say.
Relax. The role of a language
teacher is not to identify the
error but to find out,
understand, and explain where
the error is coming from.
We define. We create.
We humanize.
THEORIES
Why do we say flip-flop, tick-
tock, and King-Kong, but not
flop-flip, tock-tick, and Kong-
King?
 Ablaut Reduplication
-The rule that says that if there are
three words, then the order has to go
I,A,O. This rule was first spotted by
Mark Forsynth. (The Language
Nerds)
 (Philippine Star)
The third and current edition of the
Oxford English Dictionary sees the
addition of a number of words
originating from the Filipino language.
1. Bongga-extravagant or flamboyant
2. Despedida-a social event honoring
someone who is about to depart on a
journey or leave an organization; a going-
away party
3. Gimmick-a trick or device intended to
attract attention, publicity, or trade.
4. Kikay Kit-a soft case in which a woman’s
toiletries and cosmetics are stored.
5. Trapo-a politician perceived as belonging
to a conventional and corrupt ruling class.
6. Kilig-causing or characterized by a
feeling of exhilaration or elation.
7. OFW-a person from the Philippines who
is living and working in another country
(temporary)
8. Pandesal-a yeast-raised bread roll made of
flour, eggs, sugar and salt, widely consumed in
the Philippines, especially for breakfast
9. Halo-halo-a Filipino dessert made with
mixed fruits, boiled sweetened white beans,
milk, and flavored crushed ice, typically topped
with purple yam, crème caramel, and ice
cream.
BANKER’S WIFE’S BLUES (Carolyn Graham)
Where does John live?
He lives near the bank.
Where does he work?
He works at the bank.
When does he work?
He works all day
And he works all night,
At the bank, at the bank,
At the great big, bank.
 Where does he study?
He studies at the bank.
Where does he sleep?
He sleeps at the bank.
Why does he spend all day, all night,
All day, all night,
At the bank, at the bank?
Because he loves his bank
More than his wife,
And he loves his money
More than his life.
 NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION’S TYPES
1. Facial expressions-look on a person’s face can
manifest several emotions like happiness, sadness,
anger, and fear.
2. Gestures-gestures like waving, pointing, or
using fingers to indicate numeric amounts
3. Paralinguistics- pertains to vocal
communication that is different from the actual
spoken language
4. Body language and posture-suggests a person’s
attitude and social conditions
5. Proxemics-concept of “personal space” plays a vital
role in proxemics as a form of nonverbal communication
6. Haptics-”touching” is another form. Your touch has
the ability to communicate meanings
7. Appearance-clothing style and choice of overall
physical appearance can help in expressing your mood
or emotional state
THE IMPORTANCE OF NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION (Edward Wertheim)
1. Repetition-reinforce what is being said
2. Contradiction-contradict the message and make the
speaker seem untruthful
3. Substitution-can take the place of words
4. Complementing-complement the verbal message, such as
patting someone’s back when trying to comfort him/her
5. Accenting-underline or emphasize a certain point in the
message
 LITERARY THEORIES
1. Appleman defines literary theories as a means to
understand the various ways people read texts.
2. Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism mentions
that it acts as different lenses critics use to view and
talk about art, literature, and even culture.
1. Feminism-this is concerned with the
ways in which literature (and other
cultural productions) reinforce or
undermine the economic, political, social,
and psychological oppression of women
(Tyson).
2. Marxism-based on the theory of Karl
Marx (and so influenced by philosopher
Georg Hegel), this school concerns itself
with class differences, economic and
otherwise, as well as the implications and
complications of the capitalist system
3. Cultural Poetics or New Historicism
This school, influenced by structuralist and
post-structuralist theories, seeks to reconnect
a work with the time period in which it was
produced and identify it with the cultural and
political movements of the time.
4. Gender Studies
Gender studies and queer theory explore issues of
sexuality, power, and marginalized populations in
literature and culture.
DISCLAIMER:
Next ten slides…CTTO
Insult + injury
SGEG
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JANOB
LANGUAGE
ASSESSMENT

MAIN GOAL

LITERATURE
LANGUAGE: system of arbitrary symbols well-chosen
and arranged by and for a group of people for the purpose of
communication

LITERATURE: mirror of life

ASSESSMENT: act of collecting information and making

judgment about the learner’s knowledge of language and the
ability to use it
 SOME STRATEGIES IN
LANGUAGE and
LITERATURE TEACHING
1. Palindromes-words or phrases that
read the same in both directions
Examples: eye, racecar, Madam I’m
Adam

Others:
Some men interpret nine memos.
Never odd or even.
2. SPOONERISMS-words or phrases in which
letters or syllables get swapped. This often
happens accidentally in slips of the tongue.
Examples: Tease my ears (Ease my tears.)
A lack of pies (A pack of lies)
It’s roaring with pain. (It’s pouring with
rain.)
Wave the sails. (Save the whales.)
Bad salad (sad ballad)
3. Pangrams-sentences that use every
letter of the alphabet
a. The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy
dog.
b. Pack my box with five dozen liquor
jugs.
c. How quickly daft jumping zebras vex.
4. Malapropisms-verbal slips, incorrect
word used accidentally in place of another
word with a similar sound.
a. Oh! I will dissolve my mystery. (resolve)
b. It’s an anonymous decision. (unanimous)
c. Having one wife is called monotony.
(monogamy)
LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT
For: ELL and test-takers
By: test designers, publishers, teachers, and
researchers
From: concepts of Applied Linguistics (Canale and
Swain, 1980)
Foci: what is at stake and important to the field
the shift from a focus on testing to a focus on
assessment
(TAYLOR AND NOREN, 2008)

“The 4 Fundamental Aspects to

Language Classroom Assessment)
1. ASSESSMENT EVENTS

-CAN SUPPORT STUDENTS WHEN EVENTS OCCUR

WITH ENOUGH FREQUENCY THAT THE TEACHER
KNOWS WHETHER INSTRUCTION IS SUCCESSFUL
AND WHICH STUDENT OR GROUP OF STUDENTS MAY
NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
2. ASSESSMENT TOOLS

-CAN SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING WHEN THE

TOOLS GIVE STUDENTS CLEAR IDEAS ABOUT WHAT
IS IMPORTANT TO LEARN AND THE CRITERIA OR
EXPECTATIOSN FRO GOOD WORK, AND WHEN
ASSESSMENT MATCHES WITH INSTRUCTION
3. ASSESSMENT PROCESSES

-CAN SUPPORT STUDENTS, IN THAT STUDENTS SEE

TEACHERS AS ALLIES TO THEIR EDUCATION;
FEEDBACK CAN HELP STUDENTS FOCUS AND BETTER
UNDERSTAND REQUIREMENTS
4. ASSESSMENT DECISIONS

-CAN SUPPORT STUDENTS WHEN GRADES

ACCURATELY REFLECT WHAT STUDENTS LEARN
THE EXPERIENCES
1. NEGATIVE TEST-TAKING EXPERIENCE
2. POSITIVE TEST-TAKING EXPERIENCE
 LITERATURE
ASSESSMENT
 KEY CONCEPTS
1. Construct-the skill or proficiency an assessment is intended
to measure
2. ELL-English language learner
3. Response-any kind of performance to be evaluated as part
of an assessment, including multiple-choice answers, short
answers, extended answers, essays, presentations, demos,
portfolios
 KEY CONCEPTS

4. Rubric- the scoring criteria, scoring guide,

rating scale, and descriptors
5. Task-a specific test item, topic, problem,
question, prompt or assignment
TYPES OF LITERARY CRITICISM
-the art or practice of judging and
commenting on the qualities and
character of literary works
1. Sociological Criticism-examines literature in
the cultural, economic, and political context in
which it is written or received.
(implicit/explicit)
2. Reader-response Criticism-attempts to
describe what happens in the reader’s mind
while interpreting
3. Gender Criticism-examines how sexual
identity influences the creation and reception
of literary works.
4. Mythological Criticism-explores the
universal patterns underlying a written work
5. Biographical Criticism-explores how
understanding an author’s life can help readers
more thoroughly comprehend the literary work.
6. New Historicism-looks at the impact of the
politics, ideologies, and social customs of the
author’s world on the themes, images, and
characterizations of a text.
7. Psychoanalytic Criticism-views the themes,
conflicts, and characterizations of a work
primarily a reflection of the needs, emotions,
states of mind, or subconscious desires of the
author.
8. Formalist Criticism-looks closely at the work
itself, analyzing the various elements of the
work as a way of explicating or interpreting a
text.
 Assessment AS Learning

It is about reflecting the evidence of learning. This is

the part of the cycle of assessment where pupils
and staff set learning goals, share learning
intentions and success criteria, and evaluate the
learning through dialogue and self and peer
assessment.
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
This involves working with the range of
available evidence that enables staff and the
wider assessment community to check on
students’ progress and using this information
in a number of ways.