DELTA essential reading. Books wanted

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

I’m planning on doing the DELTA in March and would be grateful to hear from anyone who is also planning to do so or has done it already.

The essentila reading list is a bit scary, I was only able to cross out one from my list. Does anyone know where or how I could get these books without splashing out NT10K?

DELTA Essential Reading
About Language - Scott Thornbury (CUP)
ISBN: 0521427207
Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers - M.McCarthy (CUP)
ISBN: 0521367468
Language Teaching Methodology - D.Nunan (Phoenix)
ISBN: 0135214696
Use Your Head - Tony Buzman (BBC)
ISBN: 056337103X
Recommended Reading for the DELTA course
Approaches & Methodology in Language Teaching - Richards & Rogers (CUP) ISBN: 0521312558
Conversation - Nolasco & Arthur (CUP)
ISBN: 0194370968
Discover English - Bolitho & Tomlinson (Heinemann)
ISBN: 0435240617
The English Verb - M. Lewis (LTP)
ISBN: 090671740X
Explaining English Grammar - George Yale (CUP)
ISBN: 0194371727
Listening - Anderson & Lynch (OUP)
ISBN: 0194371352
Process Writing - White & Arntdt (Longman)
ISBN:0582024447
Sound Foundations - A. Underhill (Heinemann)
ISBN: 0435240919
Speaking - Bygate (OUP)
ISBN: 0194371344
Teaching English Pronunciation - J. Kenworthy (Longman)
ISBN: 0582746213 or
Teaching Reading Skills - C. Nuttall (Hienemann)
ISBN: 0435240579
Working With Words -R.Gairns & S.Redman (CUP)
ISBN: 0521317096

regards

2

It’s Tony Buzan on the Use Your Head title. I have a few of those at home (in the US) from when I was doing my TEFL training in my linguistics program, but I don’t have access to them for a few more months (plus I want to keep them, especially now that I know I can use them for the DELTA, thanks to you). I know I’ve seen a few of those books at Caves bookstore. Have you checked there already?

3

The simple answer is to buy alternatives to some of these. Cranes has a good selection of EFL texts. I bought mostly alternatives to the recommended reading for my TESOL Master’s.

But I have a feeling that Cambridge may enforce their DELTA reading list so as to line theirs and their author’s pockets. :unamused: For example, there are far better books on discourse analysis than the Mike McCarthy book. He is well known for his vocabulary work, but Fairclough or Schiffrin are very active in DA, and you can buy their books in Cranes.

British Council Taipei offers the DELTA by distance learning. Perhaps they can assist you.