European International Journal of Pedagogics
89
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
89-94
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
20 January 2025
ACCEPTED
21 February 2025
PUBLISHED
23 March 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue03 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Methods of Developing
Metalanguage Skills in
Foreign Language
Teaching
Valikulova D.A.
2nd-year master's student at TSPU, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
The development of metalinguistic skills plays
a crucial role in foreign language learning, enabling
students to analyze, reflect on, and manipulate
language structures beyond basic communication. This
paper explores various methods for fostering
metalinguistic awareness, emphasizing pragmatic,
sociolinguistic, phonological, syntactic, morphological,
and semantic knowledge. The study highlights the
significance of metalinguistic transfer, where learners
apply their understanding of linguistic concepts from
their native language to a foreign language.
Additionally, the role of audiovisual materials, practical
assignments, and interactive classroom strategies in
enhancing students' linguistic awareness is examined.
The findings suggest that integrating explicit language
reflection, comparative analysis, and communicative
tasks into language instruction contributes to more
effective foreign language acquisition.
Keywords:
Metalinguistic awareness, foreign language
learning, linguistic transfer, pragmatic knowledge,
sociolinguistic knowledge, language teaching methods,
communicative competence, audiovisual materials,
comparative analysis, linguistic reflection.
Introduction:
In the process of learning a foreign
language, students engage in linguistic and speech
creativity, as well as cognitive activities. Successful
communication in a non-native language requires not
only theoretical knowledge but also practical and
analytical skills that help understand and analyze one's
speech. The use of metalanguage skills in a foreign
language presents a certain difficulty for students, as
the foreign language significantly differs from their
native language. Therefore, the development of
metalanguage skills for communication in a foreign
language necessitates considering the phenomenon of
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bilingualism and the method of code-switching.
Metalanguage skills refer to the ability to think about
language and use it in various ways. These skills are
essential for academic success, as they enable students
to understand and use language in a more complex
manner.
According to foreign sources, metalanguage skills
consist of ten components. Considering the
appropriate educational level and examining this issue
in the context of foreign language learning, we have
identified the following components of metalanguage
skills [2].
Methods are generally categorized as active and
interactive. Interactive methods include "Quick
Survey," "Venn Diagram," "Categorization," "Cluster,"
and others. Numerous studies indicate the application
of interactive methods across various fields.
N.Zh. Isakulova described the advantages and use of
the "Venn Diagram" and "Quick Survey" methods. In
her view, the Venn Diagram is recommended for
teaching terms related to geography. This diagram has
several advantages: as a graphic organizer, it develops
systematic thinking skills, comparison, contrast, and
analysis. Another benefit is its time efficiency. As an
interactive method, the Venn-Euler Diagram makes the
learning process engaging and helps increase
motivation for language learning. By using this tool,
students can learn and retain material more quickly and
effectively. Venn-Euler Diagrams facilitate the
identification and synthesis of common features in
objects, ideas, and concepts [3].
The "Quick Survey" method enables students to
determine the correct sequence of actions, develop
logical thinking, and consider various ideas based on the
given subject matter and opinions of others. It is
designed to teach them how to plan their activities and
daily schedules. This method was developed based on
geographical terms, specifically "Earth
–
a planet in the
Solar System" [4].
Among the active methods, the exercise method is
particularly notable. The components of metalanguage
skills can be structured using the categorization method
(Table 1):
Table 1
Categorization Method
Linguistic
Awareness
Phonemic
awareness
Semantic knowledge
Syntactic
knowledge
It is the ability to
understand the
relationship
between language
and thought. This
skill helps
recognize that
words have
meaning and can be
used in different
ways.
It is the
ability to
hear and
distinguish
individual
sounds or
phonemes in
words.
This is the understanding of the meaning
of words, phrases, and sentences. Semantic
knowledge includes the meaning of words,
word compatibility, and the ability to use
language appropriately in various contexts.
This is the ability to
understand sentence
structure. It includes
knowledge of the
role of each word in
a sentence (noun,
verb, adjective,
etc.), the
arrangement of
words (subject-
verb-object,
adjective-noun,
etc.), and how a
sentence fits into a
larger structure—
such as a paragraph
or text.
Morphological
knowledge
Pragmatic
knowledge
Sociolinguistic knowledge
World knowledge
This is the ability to
recognize and
understand the
structure of words.
It includes the
ability to
distinguish roots,
This is the
ability to use
language
appropriately
according to
the situation.
This is the understanding of how language
varies across different social groups.
This is the
understanding of
how the world is
structured and how
its different parts
are interconnected.
It includes
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prefixes, suffixes,
and grammatical
patterns.
knowledge about
countries, cities,
languages, cultures,
and people.
According to our research, phonemic awareness in a
foreign language can be developed through the use of
tongue twisters, transcription exercises, and tasks
involving homophones in lessons. In English, there are
similar-sounding words that significantly hinder
students' comprehension. The use of tongue twisters
during foreign language pronunciation instruction
helps students distinguish sounds and convey their
thoughts more clearly to their interlocutors.
Peter Piper
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper
picked?
***
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair,
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t very fuzzy, was he [1]?
Pronunciation in the Russian language differs
significantly from that in English, where the same letter
can have multiple pronunciations depending on its
position. In this case, transcription exercises will help
students accurately recognize sounds in both written
and spoken speech.
Exercise 1.
Write the phonetic transcription of the
vowel sounds in the following words:
be, feel, we, me, see, meet
it, is, in, ill, sit, fill, live
bed, pen, ten, tell
tie, lie, my, pie, die, life
man, bad, hat, lamp, fat, cat
Exercise 2.
Write the phonetic transcription of the
consonant sounds in the following words:
think, thing, thin, thought, death, threat
sing, song, bang, long, something, going, hung, wrong
this, that, those, the, these, there, other, another [13].
To develop phonemic awareness, exercises involving
the use of homophones (words that sound the same
but are spelled differently and have different
meanings) can be applied.
Exercise 3.
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate
homophones:
a) (sealing, ceiling)
1. We had difficulty in .... the leak,
2. The spider made its web on the ….
3. The …. of the room is high.
b) (sole, soul)
1. My old boots need new ....
2. He was the …. executor named in
the will.
3. We had a nice ... for lunch.
4. He has a hard job to keep div and …. together.
5. He put his heart and …. into work.
c) (bare, bear)
1. In winter the garden looked ... .
2. The pain was almost more than he could ....
3. I can't ... that man.
4. He moved with the grace of a trained ....
5. The ice won't …. your weight [5].
Expanding semantic knowledge is crucial for developing
metalinguistic skills, as it provides the foundation for
understanding how language functions and how to use
it effectively. In our view, the most effective ways to
enhance semantic knowledge include exercises such as
crosswords, categories, synonym and antonym games,
and the "odd one out" task.
Crosswords are word puzzles that require solving words
based on given definitions. Studies have shown that
crosswords outperform other brain games in improving
memory [9].
The "categories" lexical game involves searching for and
grouping words based on categories (e.g., food, animals,
countries, clothing, etc.). The teacher may name any
letter of the alphabet, while students must find and
write words that start with this letter in each category.
Synonym and antonym (opposites) exercises can be
conducted both orally (through questioning) and in
writing (matching tasks, dictations, or tests).
"Odd one out" exercises present several rows of words,
each containing one word that does not belong to the
group. The students' task is to identify the odd word and
explain why it does not fit. Completing such exercises
helps students expand their vocabulary while also
developing logic and critical thinking skills [6] (see Table
2).
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Table 2
Exercise: "Odd one out"
Words
Possible answers
Thailand, Singapore, Tokyo, England,
Vietnam
Tokyo - city, not country
England - not in Asia
hotel, motel, town-house, condominium,
classroom
condominium - 5 syllables
classroom - not for residence
car, airplane, truck, bus, train
aeroplane - flies
truck - not for passengers
train - guided by rails
Syntactic knowledge is one of the key components of
metalinguistic skills. This is because understanding
sentence structure enables us to construct
grammatically correct sentences. Knowledge of syntax
also helps students use language effectively to convey
their ideas.
Joan Sedita, the founder of "Keys to Literacy", an
organization dedicated to training teachers in literacy
instruction, proposed two excellent exercises for
developing syntactic awareness.
In the "sentence scrambles" exercise, teachers provide
students with a sentence in which the words are in the
wrong order and ask them to arrange them correctly.
By properly organizing the words to create a sentence
with logical meaning, students reinforce their syntactic
understanding.
An additional challenge is to give students sentences
that can be rearranged in more than one way and ask
them to explain how different versions alter the
meaning.
Example: dog to he visit brought when man his came
The
Sentence 1: The man brought his dog when he came to
visit.
Sentence 2: The dog brought his man when he came to
visit.
The sentence expansion using “wh” questions exercise
helps students understand how more complex
sentence components, such as subordinate clauses
and prepositional phrases, function within a sentence
and contribute to its meaning.
In this exercise, students start with a simple subject,
such as "a balloon." Then, they are given each of the
five "wh" questions (and one "H" question) separately
to expand their sentence by adding more details.
These question words include: Who? What? Where?
When? Why? How?
By answering these questions, students learn to create
more complex and informative sentences, improving
their syntactic awareness and overall language
proficiency.
-
Simple subject?
-
The balloon.
-
What about it?
-
The balloon floated away.
-
What color was it?
-
The yellow balloon floated away.
-
Why did it float away?
-
The yellow balloon floated away because it was
let go.
-
Who let it go?
-
The yellow balloon floated away because the
little girl let it go.
-
Where was this?
-
The yellow balloon floated away in the park
because the little girl let it go.
-
When did it happen?
-
This morning, the yellow balloon floated away
in the park because the little girl let it go [10].
To this set of syntactic exercises, we propose an exercise
on identifying the functions of sentence components,
which helps students understand and analyze sentence
structure.
Exercise: Define the syntactic function of each part of
the sentence.
1.
I saw the men two hours ago.
2.
I have never seen a better house.
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Possible answers:
1.
I - subject, saw - predicate, the men - object,
two hours ago - adverbial modifier.
2.
I - subject, have seen - predicate, better -
attribute, house - object.
Morphological Knowledge and Word Structure
Morphological knowledge, or the ability to understand
word structure, can help learners grasp word
meanings, improve spelling, and enhance their ability
to use words correctly in sentences. To develop this
skill, we propose using exercises in English lessons that
focus on word part differentiation and word formation
from given morphemes.
Exercise 1:
Add the following prefixes to make the
opposites of the words.
Complete the following words with the correct prefix
to form their opposites:
Prefixes: il-, un-, dis-, im-, in-, ir-.
Words: literate, relevant, polite, obedient, correct,
rational, kind, mortal.
Exercise 2.
Make a morphological analysis of words:
Unreliability,
undeniable,
specify,
agreement,
strengthen, careless, attention, majority, weakness,
darkness, clarify.
For the successful application of metalinguistic skills in
learning a foreign language, students need to expand
their pragmatic knowledge, which is crucial for
effective communication. Knowledge of language
pragmatics includes understanding how and when to
use different language forms (formal and informal), as
well as knowing how to use language in various social
contexts. Pragmatic thinking will help students quickly
determine the speaker’s communi
cative intent and
even infer hidden messages. The task provided below
is based on identifying hidden messages in the text.
Turner almost wished that he hadn’t listened to the
radio. He went to the closet and grabbed his umbrella.
He would feel silly carrying it to the bus stop on such a
sunny morning.
1. Which probably happened?
a. Turner realized that he had an unnatural fear of
falling radio parts.
b. Turner had promised himself to do something silly
that morning.
c. Turner had heard a weather forecast that predicted
rain.
d. Turner planned to trade his umbrella for a bus ride.
“Larry, as your boss, I must say it’s been very
interesting working with you,” Miss Valdez said.
“However, it seems that our company’s needs and your
performance style are not well matched. Therefore, it
makes me very sad to have to ask you to resign your
position effective today”.
2. What was Miss Valdez telling Larry?
a. She would feel really bad if he decided to quit.
b. He was being fired.
c. He was getting a raise in pay.
d. She really enjoyed having him in the office [7].
Sociolinguistic knowledge is also essential for
metalinguistic awareness, as it helps students
understand how a foreign language is used in different
social contexts. To acquire sociolinguistic knowledge,
students can engage in various practical activities. For
example, they can research how the English language is
used in relatively unfamiliar situations:
1.
Formal and professional settings
: attending a
court session;
2.
Religious contexts
: how a clergy member
expresses themselves during a religious service,
observing the same phenomenon in different religious
traditions;
3.
Academic settings
: how lecturers express
themselves, how students communicate in various
situations (e.g., presentations);
4.
Political
discourse
:
political
speeches,
manifestos, etc. [8].
World knowledge enables students to understand the
connection between language and the surrounding
world. In this regard, foreign language teachers can
utilize various audiovisual materials to enhance
students' interest in current events and phenomena and
their possible relationship with the language being
studied.
Researchers in foreign language teaching methodology,
such as E. B. Bystray, L. A. Belova, A. V. Slabysheva, and
T. V. Shtykova, argue that fostering and developing
interest in foreign languages is a complex process.
Therefore, in foreign language lessons, special attention
should be paid to technologies that stimulate speech
communication and encourage students' desire to learn
a foreign language [11].
V. Unarova, considering the complexity of speech
formation in both the native and foreign languages,
proposed the method of metalinguistic transfer. This
method involves the transfer of cross-linguistic
metalinguistic concepts, notions, and skills formed
through the study of two or more languages [12].
Thus, the formation of metalinguistic skills in a foreign
language among students is a rather complex process
that requires expanding knowledge in various linguistic
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European International Journal of Pedagogics
and non-linguistic areas, including phonemic,
semantic,
syntactic,
morphological,
pragmatic,
sociolinguistic awareness, and world knowledge.
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