Harold E. Palmer : From Learner--Teacher to Legend

Contents: Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. In quest of a professional voice: 1902-1916. 2. London: 1916-1921, An outperforming outsider. 3. Palmer in Japan: 1922-1936, An overview. 4. Expounding a new theory, phase I: 1922-1926. 5. Responding to ground realities, phase II: 1926-1928. 6. Riding several horses, Phase III: 1928-1936. 7. The Felbridge years: 1936-1949, ELT's Elder Statesman. 8. Phonetic fanaticism. 9. Grammarian and pedagogue. 10. Vocabulary: Miologs to patterns. 11. The business of teaching. Concluding remarks. Bibliography. General bibliography. Harold E. Palmer's works. Author index. Index.

"Harold E. Palmer (1877-1949) stands out as a uniquely endowed bridge-builder between linguistic theory and classroom practice in applied linguistics and language education. A pre-eminent practitioner who began as an untrained and under qualified learner-teacher in a private school, he rose to become his generation's most sought after advisor on English teaching in the world. However, large parts of what he brought to both theory and practice remain unrecognised in the English-speaking world including the UK where he was born and laid the foundations of a scientific study of language and its acquisition and instruction.

This book views Palmer at work through the forty-seven years of his creative efforts--with their vast range and, for their day, amazing newness and depth. It also raises higher to unraised, partially raised or misrepresented issues that arise in looking for the sources and supports of his major discoveries and seeks to highlight the true nature of the additions and enhancements he made to each, to give it theoretical fecundity and, more significantly, practical power and prescience inside a fruitful linguistic pedagogy.

In two separate but inter-animating parts, the book first discusses the four major phases of his working life in a chronological order and next studies his contributions to English grammar--its theory and pedagogic practice; the sound system of English and its intonation; the study, selection and use of English vocabulary in language teaching and in learner-oriented lexicography and language curricula and language teaching methodology and materials." (jacket)