Research and Teaching: The Star-Cross'd Lovers

Abstract

Language research and language teaching can and should enjoy a relationship of cooperation and respect that is, in fact, often lacking. A survey of the literature reveals how much of the friction stems from exaggerations or misunderstandings, not from any essential disaccord between the two domains. Still, that a moderate and eclectic outlook is necessary to restore harmony is far from a flaccid truism: it is a challenging requirement that entails a flexible and realistic intellectual approach to defining the learner's tasks, and a thoughtful, temperate attitude to the work of professional colleagues in related fields.