LINGUOCREATIVE GAMES IN TEACHING ENGLISH: ENHANCING MEANING-MAKING, MOTIVATION, AND COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
Abstract
Linguocreative games—playful, rule-governed activities that invite learners to manipulate language inventively—offer a powerful pathway to develop communicative competence, vocabulary depth, grammatical noticing, and pragmatic flexibility in English language teaching (ELT). Unlike drills that prioritize accuracy through repetition, linguocreative games foreground meaning-making, imagination, and socially situated interaction, aligning with sociocultural and communicative traditions in applied linguistics. This article synthesizes major theoretical foundations (sociocultural learning, communicative competence, input–interaction–output perspectives, noticing, and motivational psychology) and proposes a practical framework for designing and assessing linguocreative games. It also outlines classroom-ready game types (wordplay, narrative, constraint-based speaking/writing, role-play, and multimodal challenges), provides implementation principles (scaffolding, differentiation, feedback, and assessment), and discusses limitations such as classroom management, unequal participation, and the risk of “fun without learning.” The article concludes that linguocreative games are most effective when integrated with clear language objectives, structured reflection, and measurable outcomes.
Keywords
linguocreativity; language play; gamified learning; communicative competence; interaction; noticing; task-based language teaching; motivation; vocabulary learning; ELT methodology
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