The Spicer Library - Sam Spicer

Sam Spicer Sam Spicer, as Arthur Spicer was familiarly called, had a University career spanning nearly forty years. Although his name appears on few publications, he was a forceful organiser and persuasive speaker on behalf of applied linguistics and particularly language teaching and its methodology. He had a major role in the Nuffield Modern Languages Project, and co-authored a major report on the training of language teachers in colleges of education. But more importantly, he was an influential teacher.

Sam's major concern was the low standard of foreign language teaching and learning in Britain, and he worked hard to raise it. As Chairman of the British Association for Applied Linguistics from 1979 to 1982, he was influential within Britain, and during the same period he also served on the Executive Committee of the Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliqué.

Undoubtedly, Sam's most significant contribution to teaching was made as Professor in the Department of Language and Linguistics at Essex, where for several years he directed the MA course in Applied Linguistics. Many of his students have gone on to occupy leading positions in language teaching and applied linguistics.

Sam's students quickly became aware of the topics about which he felt most passionately: teacher training, foreign languages in the primary school, syllabus design, and "reasoned eclecticism" in language teaching methods. The last of these was perhaps closest to his heart. Given the state of flux in linguistics and psychology and the complexity of the human mind, he simply did not accept that any 'best' language teaching method could emerge. Rather, he believed one should examine the theoretical and practical issues and keep an open mind when choosing sources of language teaching techniques. Thanks to a general shift toward 'communicative' language teaching during the two decades that followed Sam's chairmanship of BAAL, his position may now seem little more than common sense, but Sam was defending it at a time when the search for the 'One best method' was a central preoccupation of applied linguists.

Sam's students and colleagues will remember him as fair, and above all, kind. He was not usually demonstrative. He was an autocrat, but a benign one, who was always ready to use his considerable authority to assist others. But he never once sacrificed his integrity in any of the high offices he held and always tenaciously pursued the ideals in which he believed.

Applied linguistics was only just beginning to establish itself as a serious discipline in Britain when Sam acceded to one of the very few chairs in the subject here. His tireless work, much of it behind the scenes, made a valuable and lasting contribution to the development of the field, and he must be counted among the pioneers in Britain.

It was Sam's donation of his books to the Department that started the Spicer Library. Since then Sam's wife, Heather, and children, Robert and Susan [pictured here], have continued to support the library generously [picture 2].

Appreciation written by Dr. John Roberts

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