A Task-Based Road Map to Teaching Business Spanish with Word Combinations

Abstract

This research-informed pedagogical proposal makes the case for incorporating the teaching of word combinations—specifically, collocations—into a business Spanish course. It addresses how to choose specific lexical bundles for a given language for specific purposes (LSP) context as well as an appropriate methodology for teaching them to maximize student acquisition. The pedagogical proposal presents specific details of task didactic sequences that integrate explicit instruction in word combinations into a course-long business plan project such that it enhances word retention and facilitates production. This pedagogical layout is reinforced by the fact that lexical units that are related to specific topics in the field of business language are gradually introduced, and by the students’ need to reuse them in the final task. The current proposal encourages the integration of word combinations and phraseology through task sequences in other language courses for specific purposes, as these combinations reinforce and help students improve their vocabulary development.