An ELT Glossary : Notional Syllabuses

A notional syllabus (also called a notional/functional syllabus)  is one whose language content is organised according to meanings which the learner needs to express. These may be functions (or illocutionary acts) such as making requests, apologising, giving directions, or conceptual categories (notions) such as place, time and emotions,  and the exponents which are used to communicate them. For example, for the function Making Requests, possible functional exponents would be :

Can/Could you + infinitive  (Can  you open the window?)
Would you mind + Ving (Would you mind opening the window)
I wonder if you could/would mind  (I wonder if you'd mind opening the window.)
etc

For Describing Location, notional exponents would include such grammatical categories as prepositions of place (on, in, under, in front of etc)

Notional/functional syllabuses were the basis of the early communicative approach, and are associated with the work of the Council of Europe in the early 70s, led by Wilkins, van Ek, Richterich and Trim.


Further reading

Wilkins, D.A (1972) Grammatical, Situational and Notional Syllabuses, Council of Europe

Nunan, D. Syllabus Design, OUP

An ELT Glossary : A-Priori Syllabus / A-Posteriori Syllabus

An a-priori syllabus is one which is designed before the course is taught, and uses selected materials and activities  achieve the previously determined objectives. Any course following a coursebook will have an a-priori syllabus.

An a-posteriori syllabus is one which is not predetermined but emerges from the course itself - as the course progresses the teacher will note what has been covered and, at the end of the course, could use this as a record of what has been achieved, or if necessary to design an end of course test.  A course following the principles of Community Language Learning or Dogme could have an a-posteriori syllabus.


Further Reading

Nation and Macalister, Language Curriculum Design, Routledge

An ELT Glossary : A Functional-Notional Syllabus

• Definition : A syllabus which groups items dependent on communicative use (functions or illocutionary acts) and semantic categories (notions) rather than by grammatical class or structure. 

• Example : Grouping by communicative use (functions) leads to units on eg Making suggestions; Making offers. Grouping by semantic category (notions) leads to units on eg Describing location, Talking about the past 

• Arose from the work of the Council of Europe in the early 1970s

• Was the syllabus type which underpinned the early Communicative Approach

Related Terms :  Function,   Notion


Related Reading 


Finocchiaro and Brumfit, The Functional- Notional Approach, OUP