Abstract:

This paper analyzes grammar vocabulary in foreign language textbooks. It describes how metalinguistic terminology is presented in textbooks of Italian, German, English and Macedonian as a foreign language intended for students at level A1.

First it analyzes how grammatical terms and expressions are presented, which strategies are used to explain their meaning, whether attention is paid to the problems that may arise in mastering their meaning, and how much attention is given to these terms. The analysis includes terms and expressions that lexically identify the grammatical aspects of the foreign language in question. It is a very specific terminology (e.g., verb, article, singular, personal pronouns, etc.), but also a lexicon that does not have grammatical value, but in a metalinguistic context it acquires it (regular, irregular), as well as words used in grammatical explanations (sentence, word, syllable, etc.). The analysis comprises only the first two units of each textbook.

The analysis is divided according to the foreign language, and then a comparison is made between different textbooks for a foreign language.

The subject of our analysis is the grammatical terminology of foreign language textbooks that are most often used in the educational institutions in the Republic of North Macedonia and the Macedonian language textbook that is used in the Macedonian language courses for foreigners in the Republic of North Macedonia:
- Italian language textbooks: Nuovo Progetto Italiano 1, Corso multimediale di lingua e civiltà italiana, livello elementare A1-A2, T. Marin & S. Magnelli, Edilingua; Nuovo Espresso, Corso di italiano A1, L. Ziglio & G. Rizzo, Alma Edizioni;
- German language textbooks: Planet 1, Deutsch für Jugendliche, A1, G. Koop & S. Büttner Hueber Verlang: Paul, Lisa & Co, Deutsch für Kinder, A1.1, Bovermann M., Georgiakaki, M. & Zschärlich, R., Hueber Verlang;
- English language textbooks: Upstream Beginner A1+ Student’s Book, V. Evans & J. Dooley, Express Publishing; Solutions Elementary Student's Book A1-A2, T. Falla & P. A. Davies, Oxford University Press.
- Macedonian language textbooks: Зборувате ли македонски?, почетен курс, M. Кусевска и Л. Mитковска, Скопје: Просветно дело. (Do you speak Macedonian?, Elementary course, М. Kusevska & L. Mitkovska, Skopje: Prosvetno delo); Тешкото: МАКЕДОНСКИ ЈАЗИК ЗА СТРАНЦИ – почетно рамниште, С. Саздов, Скопје, Универзитет „Св.Кирил и Методиј“.

As authors and, above all, as foreign language teachers with many years of work experience, we give our own insight into how understandable and clear metalinguistic terminology can be understandable and clear for beginners.

Keywords:

Grammar vocabulary, language textbooks, metalinguistic, foreign language.