Abstract:
This paper examines a short bilingual episode observed in an English lesson conducted at a Thai university, and
documents that teacher's own view on his use of both Thai and English in the classroom. It was found that the
teacher employed considerable skill and creativity in making English accessible to this group of low-proficiency
learners. Data also highlight the role of the learner's first culture and language in learning a second language,
through which the meanings of the second language become embedded in those of the first. Following discussion
of this EFL episode, the paper returns to document some strategies for L1 use which have been found to be
successful in the Australian ESL context.
