Emergent Language refers to what happens during unplanned conversations in the classroom. For example, in some lessons, trainers begin with a warm-up exercise, but they never actually get to the original lesson plan they had prepared. The students are often relieved about this, and they tell their trainers, “That was the best lesson I have ever had. Can we do another lesson like that again sometime?” Every trainer will have experienced this at some point. Either they will pretend that it never happened, or they will go with it.
Emergent language happens when learners want to express their ideas but lack the language resources and require a trainer’s support. This is very useful because it allows trainers to tailor feedback to individual students in real-time, making their instruction more adaptive. Trainers can respond to learner errors, extend conversations, answer questions, or incorporate new words that come up during activities. The outcome is that the learner has a unique learning experience that feels more personal and, ultimately, more engaging.
Origins of Emergent Language
The concept of emergent language is closely associated with Dogme ELT, a teaching methodology developed by Scott Thornbury and Luke Meddings. It is one of the ten key principles outlined in Thornbury’s 2005 essay “Dogme: Dancing in the Dark.” Thornbury writes: “emergent: the language focus should emerge from, and not determine, the communicative needs of the learners.” In other words, rather than following a predetermined lesson objective, teachers should prioritize the language that naturally occurs during classroom interactions. By responding to what learners “want to and attempt to express,” trainers help the learners to develop language that fits their individual needs. In other words, emergent language is an organic, student-centered, and democratic approach to language training. It reinforces the idea that language learning is most effective when it is contextual, need-driven, and interactive. Trainers do not deliver “content” but act as facilitators, guiding learners through the acquisition process.
Categories of Emergent Language
In a recent workshop for the Educast International Conference, Richard Chinn classified emergent language into several key areas:
- Errors or communication breakdowns that need teacher intervention.
- Extensions, where alternative expressions or different registers expand learners’ understanding.
- Interesting or useful language that students find engaging.
- Task-generated language, which emerges naturally during communicative activities.
- Learner questions, where students seek explanations or translations, guiding classroom discussion.
A good example of a trainer exploiting a learner question is, for example, when a learner in a higher-level class notices a phrase in a TED Talk, “push the envelope,” and asks about its meaning. Instead of simply explaining, the trainer turns it into a collaborative learning opportunity by asking the class, “Has anyone heard this phrase before? Can you guess what it might mean from the context?” This encourages students to share their interpretations. The trainer then guides the discussion by prompting, “Can anyone think of similar phrases that describe going beyond limits or taking risks?” Learners might suggest expressions like “think outside the box” or “break new ground.” The trainer facilitates further exploration by asking, “Do these phrases always mean the same thing? In what situations might you use them differently?” Through this approach, learners actively construct meaning together, collectively reinforcing their understanding and broadening their repertoire of expressions. Finally, the trainer could use an AI tool like Chat GPT to come up with a short list of phrases or even create a practice exercise.
Theoretical Foundations
Emergent language training is highly compatible with Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This theory emphasizes the importance of a trainer providing support at the precise moment the learner needs it. In the zone of proximal development, the learner is challenged to produce language just outside of their comfort zone. Trainers act as negotiators of meaning, adapting their lessons to fill these knowledge gaps and provide real-time assistance. Communicative methodologies, particularly task-based learning (TBL) or Dogme ELT, create natural opportunities for emergent language. Lessons focus on authentic communication, encouraging learners to interact in meaningful ways This positions the trainer as a “responsive resource” rather than a “rigid instructor.” Richard Chinn points out the advantages of AI-driven training in responding to emergent language spontaneously.
The Role of the Trainer
We have learned that emergent language challenges traditional lesson planning by shifting the focus from pre-determined objectives to student-driven learning. In his Educast talk, Scott Thornbury acknowledges the differences between experienced and inexperienced trainers in this regard. Experienced trainers tend to prioritize materials, content, and student interests over fixed lesson aims, while inexperienced trainers focus on predefined lesson outcomes. Scott Thornbury highlights three essential components of a lesson that the trainer has to bring to the table: (1) a plan, (2) student responses, and (3) teacher improvisation. Trainers must plan their lessons, but they are not constricted by that and should listen carefully to learner responses and creatively improvise with emergent language. According to Thornbury and Chinn, the key points are:
- Adaptive vs. routine expertise: Trainers must balance structured planning with the ability to adapt and respond in real time.
- Teaching off the students: Some of the most successful lessons emerge from spontaneous learner contributions.
- Research shows that experienced teachers prioritize student engagement over rigid objectives. This implies that the better a trainer gets, the more likely they are to employ such techniques.
- Flexibility in lesson planning: While novice teachers often over-plan, experienced educators embrace improvisation and learner-driven interactions.
- Improvisation as a teaching skill: Teaching is a creative process where trainers must react to classroom dynamics rather than rigidly follow a script.
- Using routines effectively: Experienced teachers develop adaptable routines, such as dialogue-building exercises, that provide structure while allowing room for emergent language. Repeating effective teaching techniques provides confidence in deviating from structured plans.
- Trusting learners: Encouraging students to take risks and contribute actively enhances their engagement and confidence.
- Recording and recycling language: Teachers should document emergent language to reinforce learning, viewing the syllabus as an evolving framework rather than a fixed structure.
- Power of AI as teaching assistant: Trainers can use tools like Chat GPT to rapidly respond to emergent language, exploring structures in more depth.
Implications for Material Writing
Emergent language has significant implications for ELT material development, emphasizing flexibility and responsiveness. This can be quite alien to material writers who often focus on reliable strategies like Present – Practice – Produce (PPP). Some points to consider when it comes to writing materials are:
- Materials should serve as a resource, not a script: Writers should create content that allows for deviation and adaptation.
- Lesson planning should be flexible and responsive to learners’ needs. This requires warm-up questions and adaptable role-plays that allow learners to personalize the content to their context.
- Provide support for reactive teaching: Trainer’s notes should provide guidance on handling emergent language and equip teachers with prompts and strategies.
- Reacting to student language is a crucial skill: Effective teaching involves recognizing and shaping language use in real-time. Material writers should offer guidance in the trainer’s notes.
- Encourage space for language emergence: Open-ended discussions, debates, and problem-solving tasks create the necessary space in a syllabus for spontaneous language use.
- Build-in flexibility: Including alternative activities and extension tasks accommodates diverse learner needs.
- Provide a real-world communication focus: Activities should mirror authentic conversations and interactions.
- Integrate AI responsibly into classroom practice: Material writers can suggest AI strategies for exploring collocations, alternative expressions, and pragmatic usage.
- Reduce dependence on PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production): Task-based methodologies often facilitate emergent language better than rigid PPP structures.
Challenges of Emergent Language
Despite its benefits, emergent language presents certain challenges to educators:
- Risk of unstructured lessons: Some educators argue that excessive reliance on emergent language can lead to a lack of coherence.
- Increased cognitive load for lower-level learners: Spontaneous language input may overwhelm students with limited proficiency. This implies that the techniques are likely to work better with higher-level students.
- The need for effective scaffolding: Teachers must strike a balance between responding to emergent language and offering pedagogically sound learning experiences that are scaffolded with guided practice, independent practice, and free production tasks.
- Not effective for exam courses: The technique is less relevant for exam-based courses, as these are usually designed to prepare a fixed syllabus that will be tested in an assessment.
Conclusion
Emergent language represents a responsive, student-centered approach to language teaching. That means balancing structured planning with flexibility. If done correctly, trainers enhance learner engagement by helping them learn language structures when they need them. This helps learners build mental connections between language structures and context, increasing their chance of retaining them over a longer period. Working with emergent language encourages dynamic, interactive lessons that prioritize learner needs over rigid syllabi. As the debate continues, one thing remains clear: good language training is not just about a plan but how we respond to what emerges. A good trainer will balance both.
To read more about Dogme or listen to the presentations I mention in the text, follow these links.
Wikipedia article on Dogme: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogme_language_teaching#cite_note-Thornbury2005-5
Scott Thornbury: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GsLypISLZA&ab_channel=EducastInternational
Richard Chinn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag7uYDltJB8&ab_channel=EducastInternational
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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