LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND LIFE: CONTENT, CONTEXT AND COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Literature is the replica of life and also the live example of language in use. Studying the language of literary text as discourse can enable learners to develop the knowledge of linguistic rules, the knowledge of how to use these rules for effective communication and the knowledge of how to motivate and mentor life. The Structural and Functional approaches in ELT during the 1940s to 1960s saw the virtual disappearance of literature. The growth of CLT from the 1970s through the 1990s brought literature back into the curricula and methodologies of language teaching. In the 21st century, ELT has acquired another function, that of imparting soft skills or life skills. This paper attempts to demonstrate that literature is necessary to acquire expression and authenticity of communication since contextual content is enrooted in it. Specific examples from literature are taken up and explored from those purposeful perspectives to analyse how language and life skills can be acquired through literature