Cognate based Language Teaching and Material Development

AbstractIn order to investigate the role of cognates in language teaching and material writing for Turkish learners of L2 English, in the present study, we developed a cognate based unit consisting of English-Turkish cognates and a parallel non-cognate unit. The cognate unit was used for the experimental group (N=48), while the non-cognate unit was employed in the control group (N=48). Finally, we assessed the performances of both groups in terms of listening and reading comprehension, and language use. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of reading, listening and language use performances. The findings suggested that cognates could be helpful in developing materials for Turkish learners of L2 English