시적 자료를 활용한 영어 리듬 교수학습 모형 개발

Development of an Instruction Model for English Rhythm Using Poetic Materials

This paper examines the role of poetic language in language acquisition, discussing that poetic language is a useful material for enhancing listening and speaking skills since it has rhythmic qualities, and provides an instruction model for teaching and learning English rhythm using poetry. There are a variety of features of poetry as a genre, such as rhythm, imagery, narrative, etc. Among these features this study focuses on the rhythmic qualities of poetry. The rhythm instruction model this study provides targets college sophomores who major in English education. Following the model, students learn prosodic and metrical rules of poetry and practice analyzing the rhythmic patterns of diverse poems for one semester. Students have an opportunity of reciting these poems in front of their classmates in the end. The current goal of English education is mainly concerned with the enhancement of communicative competence, that is, the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The current curriculum, including materials and teaching methods, is organized around this goal. It is scarcely possible for literary works, such as poetry, to find a place in this rigid curriculum. There is a stereotyped view that poetry is too difficult and impractical to be used as a material. As for a teaching method, very little research has been done on the relevance of poetry teaching to the acquisition of the four skills. This study, however, suggests that a more effective way of improving communicative competence can be realized in the teaching of the rhythmic devices of poetry, like the pattern of stress and beat, and foot and meter. English is a stress-timed language in which a rhythmic pattern is formed by the alternation of a stressed syllable and an unstressed syllable. If we adjust the irregular stress patterns of everyday talk into regular ones, it can be a poem or a song. The students can improve their listening and speaking ability through getting used to the regular patterns of English rhythm through poetry. Considering the process of language acquisition, rhythm is acquired earlier than language itself. In this view, the learning of English rhythm should be preceded for the effective acquisition of listening and speaking. Poetic materials are such ideal materials that has the rhythmic qualities. Therefore, this rhythm instruction model using poetic materials will be of great help with the enhancement of communicative competence.