Characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching

Long 1985: 89 in Nunan 1989: 5 states that a task is a piece of work undertaken for oneself or for others, freely or for some reward. According to Hornby 1987: 885, a task is a piece of work to be done. However, these are non-linguistic definitions of a task. Richard, Platt, and Webber 1986: 289 in Nunan 1989: 6 state that a task is an activity or action which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding language as a response, for example, drawing a map while listening to a tape, listening to an instruction, and performing a command. The value of tasks is that they provide a purpose for the activity which goes beyond the practice of language for its own sake. Meanwhile, Breen 9187: 23 in Nunan 1989: 11 states that a task is any structured language learning effort which has a particular purpose, an appropriate content, a specified working procedure, and a range of the outcomes for those who undertake the task. Therefore, task is assumed to refer to a range of work plans which has important purpose in facilitating language learning; from the simple and brief exercise type to more complex activities, such as group problem-solving or simulations and decision making. Those definitions suggest that a task for language learning has a particular purpose, involves a meaning focused activity, has clear instructions, and engages the learners in using the target language actively. Based on the statements, relates to language learning, it can be concluded that a task is a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language. Nunan 1989: 10 defines communicative task as a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing, or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form. The task also should have sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right. Estaire and zanon 1994: 13 state that a communicative task is a piece of classroom work, which as far as possible resembles activities which our students or other people carry out in everyday life, thus reproducing processes of everyday communication. They also consider that communicative tasks as communicative activities, real-world tasks or real-world connection. Based on the theories above, it can be concluded that communicative tasks have an important purpose that is to stimulate the real communication in the target language. The tasks also should enables learners arrange what they want to say and express what they think. It means that a good task provides the learners big opportunities to use the language for its purpose to communicate in the real daily life. 2 Components of Communicative Tasks