The authenticity of real texts

in advanced English language

textbooks
Begoa Clavel-Arroitia and Miguel Fuster-Mrquez

Introduction

Authenticity has been subject to different interpretations in the

research literature. For some second language acquisition (SLA) and
ESL scholars, this term may refer to texts and other materials used
in class; for others, it might also include the assignments given to
students and even different kinds of classroom interaction. This paper
is concerned with the first of these interpretations: the authenticity of
what are taken to be real texts1 in coursebooks for advanced learners
of English, that is, the B2 and C1 levels as defined in the Common
European Framework of Reference (CEFR).2 For this study, we have
selected a sample of 60 texts used in six English textbooks from
several prestigious publishing houses, drawing upon ten texts per
book. In this paper, we examine the extent to which the authenticity
of these texts has been preserved, the kind of changes they have
undergone when found in textbooks, and the rationale for these
choices. In the next section we will offer a review of the literature in
SLA/ESL concerning the introduction of authentic material. Then, we
will describe the methodology that we followed and discuss the results
which emerged from the parameters we used to evaluate the issue of
authenticity in the ESL context, and offer conclusions arising from
this study.

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The term authenticity has been variously interpreted by second language

acquisition and ESL scholars. It has been taken to refer to the materials
used in class, such as texts, but also to the type of tasks the students are
assigned, or even to the type of classroom interaction. Our contribution
is concerned with the first of these interpretations. We focus on the
authenticity of what are purported to be real texts included in textbooks
for advanced students of English at B2 and C1 levels, according to the
Common European Framework of Reference. This empirical study is based
on a series of parameters that have been established in order to examine
the extent to which the authenticity of real texts has been preserved and
to establish other related changes that such texts are subjected to when
included in textbooks.

Authenticity

Some scholars are concerned by the use of authentic materials in the

classroom. For example, Widdowson (2000: 7)objects to students
being exposed to the exploration of corpora by means of concordancers
because the authentic data accessed this way is decontextualized.
Furthermore, Widdowson (1998) argues that the classroom cannot
provide the conditions for authentic language data to remain authentic
when deployed in a learning context.
The issue of pragmatic or cultural decontextualization of real texts or
corpora in the classroom has been emphasized by various scholars (see
Hutchinson and Waters 1987: 15). On the other hand, some authors
(see Richards op.cit.) emphasize that the problems experienced by
learners may stem from an untimely exposure to complex structures,
unnecessary vocabulary, or to a careless selection of texts. For
Ommagio (2003), low learner competence in the target language
may be a good reason not to use authentic texts. We claim that most
of these drawbacks cannot be attributed to the presence of real texts,
but to the inappropriate choices of coursebooks by teachers. We agree
with Mishan (op.cit.: 219)that the introduction of authentic materials
may arouse learners interest, and be more motivating than ordinary
non-authentic texts encountered in textbooks (see also Guariento and
Morley op.cit.: 3489). However, the reality of TEFL is that, other things
being equal, L2 learners are exposed to authentic versus non-authentic
language samples of language in unequal proportions depending on the
textbook and the materials selected by teachers.

Research
on language
authenticity in
English textbooks

The aim of this research is to observe the extent to which authentic texts
are used by textbook writers at the B2 and C1 levels, to highlight some
features which inform their choices and, above all, to identify the nature
of the adaptations made by textbook writers. The linguistic and cultural
choices embodied in foreign language textbooks are central to the
teaching experience since, for a large number of L2 teachers, textbooks
are practically the only learning resource in the classroom (see Alcaraz
2011: 209). Therefore, the question is whether textbooks provide
relevant and genuine target language and cultural input regarding
the target language and culture. Our hypothesis is that texts in the

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A number of authors (Guariento and Morley 2001; Mishan 2004)

highlight the advantages of introducing learners to authentic texts. They
are thought to be pedagogically appropriate, interesting, and motivating
for advanced students. Nevertheless, there is no wide consensus in the
SLA literature as to what is meant by authenticity or how it should
be implemented. One of the first scholars to address this issue was
Widdowson (1978: 80). He distinguished between genuineness, an
inherent quality of text passages, and authenticity, that is, the readers
interpretation of text passages. Adifferent conception of authenticity
is that voiced by Wallace (1992: 145), for whom authentic texts are
[] real-life texts, not written for pedagogic purposes (see also Little,
Devitt, and Singleton 1989). For Richards (2001) and Tamo (2009),
texts, photographs, video selections, and teaching materials which are
not specifically prepared for pedagogical purposes are deemed to be
genuinely authentic materials.

textbooks examined in this research lack authenticity. It seems that the

danger of not using authentic texts is that students at higher levels may
be denied sufficient exposure to the kind of English they need to face in
the real world after years ofstudy.

To our knowledge, no research has been conducted on the type

and quality of real texts that are included in L2 language textbooks.
Meanwhile, opportunities to access authentic language materials
have risen exponentially thanks to the internet and the development
of communication technologies. However, we are still in the dark
as to how those genuine texts are actually handled by individual
teachers.

Methodology I:
objectives and
texts examined

We selected six textbooks which are sold internationally by wellestablished TEFL publishing houses: Cambridge University Press,
Macmillan, and Oxford University Press. These English textbooks are
sold and used worldwide although some of their features may vary to
target specific users or local markets (for example Spanish, Italian,
Asian, etc.). Such changes may affect the selection of activities, but not
the selection of so-called real texts or the way they are adapted in a
significant way. All these coursebooks make use of authentic texts but
these are subject to varying degrees of adaptation. The six textbooks
selected for our analysis represent levels B2 and C1 in CEFR, and were
published between 2008 and 2011. In the case of books published by
the same publisher (for instance Cambridge University Press), only
those with different authors were selected. All these books are intended
for adults, a fact that is reflected in the contents andtasks.
B2-level coursebooks

Global by Lindsay Clandfield and Rebecca Robb Benne (Macmillan

2011).
Complete First Certificate by Guy Brook-Hart with Debbie Owen
(Cambridge University Press 2008).
English Unlimited by Alex Tilbury and Leslie Anne Hendra with David
Rea, Theresa Clementson, and Vicente R.Sanchs Caparrs. Course
consultant: Adrian Doff (Cambridge University Press 2011).

C1-level coursebooks

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English Unlimited by Adrian Doff and Ben Goldstein with

M.A. Meroo (Cambridge University Press 2011).

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There has been considerable research in recent decades in the field

of corpus linguistics related to the language in textbooks. Much of
this research has dealt with the issue of authenticity. Meunier and
Gouverneur (2009: 183)review recent work which examines the
distance/closeness of textbook materials to the target language. To
summarize some of the issues raised, there seem to be significant
mismatches between native production and the language in texts and
dialogues in textbooks. Yet, most researchers advocate the inclusion
of authentic language by means of authentic texts or real collocational
patterns in constructedtexts.

New English File by Clive Oxenden and Christina Latham-Koenig

(Oxford University Press 2010).
Ready for CAE by Roy Norris with Amanda French (Macmillan
2008).

The aim of our study is to examine whether the authentic texts selected
in ELT textbooks meet a number of requirements in relation to their
authenticity. Acursory examination of the textbooks yields positive
results: real texts have certainly been used in all B2 and C1 textbooks.
However, as we will show, these texts have been changed by writers to
different degrees and the choice of texts is often restricted in terms of
variety, register, complexity, etc. In our research, it is precisely these
alterations that we find interesting.

Methodology II:
text selection and
parameters

Our study combines both quantitative and qualitative analysis.

We selected a total of 60 texts, ten from each of the six textbooks.
Research on the authenticity of textbooks has been performed on
larger and smaller samples than this. However, in our view, this
sample is sufficiently large to provide us with relevant insights. The
main principle for this selection was that every text should belong
to a different unit of each book. However, this could not be done
mechanically, because each textbook had a different number of
units, often larger than the number of texts selected. For instance,
Ready for CAE contains 14 units, whereas Complete First Certificate
has 16 units, etc. Therefore, in this case, the ten texts selected do not
represent all 14 units. Asecond restriction concerned the availability
of the authentic texts. Only those texts whose original could be found
were included in the analysis. When alterations were too significant,
to the point that no single original text could be contrasted with the
textbook example, it was automatically excluded. Thus, as a rule, only
a small percentage of texts in textbooks might be labelled as authentic.
The texts extracted from textbooks were analysed according to these
parameters:
1
2
3
4

text typology according to dominant text type

type/degree of adaptation
the variety of English represented
acknowledgement of authorship, date of publication, or source.

These parameters and the results of the examination of information

from the textbooks were entered into a database (Microsoft Access) and
subsequently transferred to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to make the
necessary calculations.

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B2 and C1 textbook writers explicitly acknowledge the inclusion of real

texts, obtained from real sources such as newspapers, web pages, books,
etc. Nevertheless, we claim that as soon as texts are separated from
their natural environment they lose authenticity, since they are made to
serve an alien pedagogical purpose. This process of de-authentication
is enhanced when textbook authors introduce new layouts or go as far
as to alter the wording of selected texts. This step constitutes further
de-authentication, which results in a greater gap between the text in
the textbook and the original format.

Results and
discussion

An overview of the results revealed by the parameters we chose shows

that the average written text in our analysis exhibits the typological
characteristics listedhere:

it is mostly descriptive or expository;

it represents a native variety: British English (BrE);
it has undergone alterations, and one or more sections of text have
been trimmed to fit a pre-established size;
linguistic substitution regularly affects the title, which is either
modified or changed completely;
acknowledgements are included, but frequently in small print and
detached from the body of the textbook.

Text typology

Text typology is not directly related to authenticity. However, the fact

that textbook writers make, or fail to make, an appropriate choice of text
types has an effect on the exposure of learners to a rich variety of texts.
It is difficult to assign a particular text to a single mode of writing. This
is unsurprising as there are no pure modes of writing and it is often
difficult to decide whether a large number of texts conform to a single
mode. On the contrary, a particular genre may contain several modes
of writing. We decided to classify each text according to its dominant
mode, as shown in Figure1.
A careful selection of a variety of text types should be of primary
concern to textbook writers because, as already mentioned, the textbook
is often the only source of language the students have. The sample in
the figure below shows that learners are exposed mostly to descriptive
texts, followed by expository texts, while other categories rarely appear.
Particularly striking is the very low percentage of argumentative texts.

1
Results of types of
texts
figure

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In what follows we will discuss these findings in greater depth,

although in some cases it will be convenient to refer to the relationship
between the different parameters we have just mentioned.

Oddly enough, B2 and C1 textbooks regularly ask students to write

argumentative essays but hardly include any authentic texts to cater for
that need. It is difficult to decide what an ideal and balanced list of text
types should be like at these stages. There is nothing arguably wrong
with the low percentage of poetry and drama. It is also true that some
of the other text types are often hybrid and may include features of a
missing purer argumentative type. Nevertheless, it is still puzzling
that a dominant argumentative model is under-represented.

Adaptation

We compared the use of cropping and substitution by textbook authors at

levels B2 and C1. Quantitatively and qualitatively there are no significant
differences between the two levels with regards to cropping. There are,
however, differences in terms of substitution since it is more frequent in
C1 textbooks. Nevertheless, all the texts with no linguistic amendments
at B2 level come from a single textbook and basically involve creative
prose or even poetry, where it is understandable that the original wording
should be preserved. From a linguistic standpoint, the reason for the
cropping and substitution seems to be to simplify texts for students.
Textbook writers approached the task of text adaptation in somewhat
different ways. For instance, the authors of Cambridge ELT textbooks
(B2) have adapted texts more thoroughly than the authors of the
Macmillan textbook. On the other hand, another B2 textbook, Global
(Macmillan), contains texts by collaborators such as David Crystal.
These texts have been specially designed for this textbook and,

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Adaptation is a central issue in this research on authenticity. In general,

we claim that all the texts examined should be considered authentic,
since they are real texts imported from natural contexts, regardless of
the type or amount of modification they have undergone. However,
we think that the term adaptation, often mentioned in the textbooks
themselves, is too vague a term and does not provide relevant details of
textual or linguistic changes. In our analysis, we distinguished between
two basic types of adaptation. On the one hand, there is cropping, i.e.
the trimming of parts of text; and, on the other, linguistic substitution:
changes in the original language such as orthographic or lexicosyntactic rewordings. Cropping involves reducing the quantity of text
while linguistic substitution involves qualitative changes in the text.
Our analysis shows that 96.6 per cent of the texts in the corpus (that
is, 58 of a total of 60)have been adapted in quantity and/or quality. In
the case of these adapted texts, we found that all but two had undergone
some type of cropping at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end
of the text and in quite a number of cases cropping affected several
parts. The only two texts which were not cropped were a poem and a
literary review. The main reason for cropping long texts was simply to
give them an adequate size. However, it also served to simplify difficult
passages. In most cases, the discarded parts do not hinder basic
comprehension. Whatever the reason for their omission, the removal of
parts of the text certainly affects the original design. Equally significant
was the fact that most of the cropped texts (92.9 per cent) also exhibited
different degrees of qualitative changes.

consequently, do not represent genuine texts derived from native

contexts. Nevertheless, the authors of Global are more inclined to cut
out parts of the texts than to perform qualitative changes.
As a rule, the authentic texts in C1 textbooks are longer and exhibit
greater lexical richness than those found in B2-level books. The
alterations in the authentic texts at C1 level appear to be less significant
than those found at B2 level. However, adaptations are still quite
frequent in the C1 textbooks examined, a level at which students should
benefit from a greater authentic input.

Variety of English
represented

While Figure2 shows that 20 per cent of texts represent a different

variety, the fact is that whenever these other varieties are introduced,
some of their salient varietal features have been minimized. Texts
which were apparently composed by non-native speakers were included
in order to give a cosmopolitan appearance to the textbook. Although we
do not have any concrete evidence, the lack of mistakes or transfers in
these texts leads us to suspect that they have been altered.
At the same time, American English (AmE) texts are quite systematically
made to conform to the BrE variety. American English spelling
conventions are almost invariably changed to BrE equivalents by the
textbook writers. This is strengthened by the observation that most
authentic texts in our corpus have British newspapers or magazines as
their sources. Other varieties of English are under-represented: 7 per cent
for AmE and 3 per cent or less for any other variety.

2
Results of
varieties of
English
figure

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A second compelling reason for some of the changes described above is

to make the text conform to Standard BrE. Indeed, the vast majority of the
texts we have analysed represent a single variety, BrE; only a few represent
any other variety. In itself, this constitutes a poor attempt to expose
advanced learners to mainstream varieties. As we can see in Figure2,
there is an overwhelming tendency for authentic texts to have a BrE
source. This strong preference is often specified in the introductory pages,
although the textbooks under scrutiny have an international outlook.

We will now examine some examples of qualitative alterations and offer an

interpretation; the section in which the changes occur has been underlined:
Extract1
Weve all been interviewed for jobs. And, weve all spent most of those interviews thinking
about what not to do. Dont bite your nails. Dont fidget. Dont interrupt. But some job
applicants go a long way beyond this. We surveyed the top personnel executives of a hundred
major corporations and asked for stories of unusual behaviour by job applicants.
(Hendra, Tilbury, Clementson, and Rea English Unlimited for Spanish Speakers Upper
Intermediate Coursebook with e-Portfolio 2011, p. 90, Cambridge University Press,
reproduced with permission.)

(Levey, B. Going light years beyond belches, The Washington Post 1989.)

There is no absolute certainty about the source of the original text

from which Extract 1 is taken, since this is not mentioned in the
textbook itself. However, versions of it appear to be freely accessible
on the internet on a number of different websites, for example this
one above from The Washington Post, September 1989 (which appears
to be the original text). What becomes apparent is that this is an
American text. Apart from the change in spelling, from AmE behavior
to BrE behaviour, the word American before major corporations
has been eliminated, which widens its referential potential. This
removal of spatial and temporal references is common practice and
certainly contributes to greater decontextualization. It is also worth
mentioning that the original text shows real situations that are comical
or unrealistic. However, this reference has been removed by the author.
Thus, the learner cannot recover an essential contextual feature that
might have contributed to a fuller understanding of the text and its
purpose in its real context. Other deletions, such as the expression
Dont belch or the sentence that follows, are made perhaps because
they are thought inappropriate for a textbook. Colloquial language
structures (for example the donts) are removed and the original
expression go light years beyond this is changed to go a long way
beyond this. While the goal of simplifying language is achieved, it
comes at the cost of removing a number of connotations from the text,
thus exacerbating its linguistic and cultural estrangement.
Another striking case is provided by a text intended for C1 learners (see
Extract 2). It may be catalogued as AmE but of a specially challenging
kind. The author is a US citizen of Spanish-Mexican descent. It
appeared in a blog called LA Weekly. It consists of the comments made
by a Spanish-speaking blogger living in the US who is discussing the
quality of food in Mexican restaurants in the part of the country he has
recently moved to. We reproduce just a fragment of it:

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Weve all been interviewed for jobs. And, weve all spent most of those interviews thinking
about what not to do. Dont bite your nails. Dont fidget. Dont interrupt. Dont belch. If we did
any of the donts, we knew wed disqualify ourselves instantly. But some job applicants go light
years beyond this. We surveyed top personnel executives of 100 major American corporations
and asked for stories of unusual behavior by applicants.

Extract2

Extract3

Parts of the beginning, middle, and end have also been cropped.
Spanish expressions like vale madre or S, como dulce have been
removed. The second technique is translation, thus mesero becomes
waiter, salsa de tomate is rendered as tomato ketchup, or cebolla
as onion, etc. The reference to that outlet known as Taco Bell
is turned into the harmless and vague expression outlets you get
everywhere. After this heavy textual intervention, the learner has
the impression that the text has been written by an educated English
speaker who speaks a mainstream variety of English.

Acknowledgements

It is quite clear that the parameters we have examined in this discussion

are interrelated. Additionally, references to the original author are
kept whenever those texts correspond to well-known English writers
or scientists whose work is reported. However, those references are
systematically eliminated when the authors are journalists. Thus,
while the name of the newspaper may be reproduced in the textbook,
the author is not. Acknowledgements normally take the form of small
print at the beginning or at the end of the textbook, at a distance from

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It is apparent that the text contains Spanish words and expressions

which are perhaps not uncommon in the southern AmE of the blogs
author. In the adapted text (Extract 3), the double strategy of the ELT
textbook writer consists of (1) removing passages and (2) translating the
Spanish parts into English:

the corresponding text. Probably the main reason for this is not to
infringe copyright regulations. In fact, our results show that proper
acknowledgement of sources has been provided for only 22 of the texts
analysed (that is, 36.6 per cent of the cases). This appears to go against
the general trend elsewhere of acknowledging sources and copyright in a
much more visible way. Lack of proper acknowledgement of authorship
is yet another way of making a text less authentic. In this line, while the
authors name is regularly removed from newspaper articles, the titles
themselves are also frequently altered. This adds further to the loss of
identity and greater decontextualization of these texts.

Conclusions

Our empirical observations are in line with the well-known view of

textbooks held by Sinclair (2004: 216), expressedhere:
the texts chosen for classinput are often adjusted in order to
facilitate learners processing, or shortened to a more desirable
length. When this happens, we may argue that the model of language
presented to the learners may be different from language as it is used
in real communication.
This empirical study has shown that recently published textbooks, even
at higher levels, are not as authentic as some researchers argue they
should be. Further research should include more in-depth qualitative
analysis of those texts catalogued as authentic. Also, a pedagogical
discussion is needed to establish what adaptations might be justifiable
or beneficial for learners at these stages in the light of the evidence
presented in this study. The drawback is that many of the original
texts cannot be accessed unless the textbook offers clear and reliable
references. In this respect, we believe that teachers who regularly use
these textbooks should be given the opportunity to know in greater
detail how the texts have been modified and what informed the
choices made. Further insightful evaluations could emerge when the
proportions of authentic versus contrived texts are contrasted in the
light of their pedagogical function in the text.
Final version received July 2013

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Authenticity is a key issue in SLA and language teaching. Within the

context of our discussion, authenticity is first and foremost related to
texts which are imported from a natural context of language use; that
is, texts that have not been produced with the purpose of teaching
a language. The balance of authentic and non-authentic texts is of
interest in the context of language teaching. Ageneral outcome of our
analysis is that the real texts incorporated in the B2 and C1 textbooks
selected have been systematically modified to a lesser or greater extent.
More often than not the goals of adaptation are to reduce a longer text
to a more manageable size by removing parts of it and simplifying
complex language. Also, the preferred variety is unquestionably
BrE which is why texts belonging to other varieties are consistently
altered to make them look more British. This analysis also reveals the
dearth of argumentative texts. Finally, the lack of adequate ways to
directly acknowledge sources and authorship are sufficient evidence of
decontextualization or estrangement.

Notes
1 To clarify, we use the term real or authentic
when referring to texts imported from a
natural context of language use, i.e. that have
not been produced for a pedagogical purpose.
2 CEFR (2001) Common European Framework
of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching,
Assessment. Strasbourg: Language Policy
Division of the Council of Europe. Available at
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Cadre1_
en.asp (last accessed 10 January 2013).

134

The authors
Begoa Clavel-Arroitia is an Assistant Lecturer
of English at the Universitat de Valncia where
she teaches SLA and TEFL modules at both
undergraduate and postgraduate level. She is a
member of IULMA-UV (Interuniversity Institute
of Applied Modern Languages, Universitat de
Valncia) and carries out research in the field of
corpus linguistics and its applications to teaching,
the implementation of ICT resources in language
teaching, and the study of gender and language.
She is a member of the research groups Gentext
and CASTLE.
Email: begona.clavel@uv.es
Miguel Fuster-Mrquez is Senior Lecturer of
English at the Universitat de Valncia and a
member of IULMA-UV. His research interests
include corpus linguistics and its applications to
research and teaching, lexicology, variation and
historical linguistics. He is currently a member
of the research group COMETVAL where he
participates in the project Lexical analysis and
discursive parallel and comparable corpora of
Spanish-English-French websites which promote
tourism.
Email: miguel.fuster@uv.es

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