A Taxonomy for Teaching Second Language Listening

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article describes a taxonomy of real‐world listening tasks as a conceptual framework for teaching listening. The key elements of the taxonomy are listener function and listener response. In listening, function is defined as “the aspects of the message the listener attempts to process.” The six functions significant to second language teaching are identification, orientation, main idea comprehension, detail comprehension, full comprehension, and replication. Listener response is also a key feature of any listening task. Nine categories are described. Function and response can be selected independently of each other, as suggested by the function‐response matrix, allowing for wide variation in task difficulty for any given text. The implications of the taxonomy for the design of listening instruction and the selection of authentic texts are discussed. The taxonomy suggests that growth in listening proficiency is a process of expanding to new function and response categories in familiar contexts. The many options in the taxonomy enable one to structure effective listening tasks involving authentic texts at even novice levels.

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