Learning how to think like a linguist: Linguistic reasoning as a focal point in L1 grammar education

Abstract

In recent years, the gap between academic linguistics and language education has become increasingly apparent, hindering the effective transmission of linguistic knowledge to students. This paper presents an overview of recent empirical research (mostly originating in the Netherlands) that seeks to bridge this gap by teaching students how to think like linguists within the context of L1 grammar education. The paper takes Dielemans' and Coppen's pedagogical framework for linguistic reasoning as its starting point, relates this framework to comparable initiatives and shows how recent studies have empirically examined different aspects of linguistic reasoning, including general linguistic reasoning ability, the role of linguistic metaconcepts and developing an appropriate epistemic attitude. The paper concludes with some desiderata for future research into this emerging research field.