Pupils in schools will, however, be so diverse in their eventual use more accurate prediction is most typically achieved where languages i are learned outside the school system. Adult learners, for example, frequently have a clear purpose in learning a foreign language. In this case the teacher's approach can be close to that of the linguist who sets out to describe parole. He asks what notions this learner will have to express, what channel of communication he will employ, what restrictions are imposed on his choice of language by the topics and by features of the situation. When the aims of the learner have been defined, it will be seen that some parts of the language system are functionally more important than others. By referring to i the Amateur Amy's descriptions of parole, the teacher will be able to ensure that he is teaching those parts of the langue which have the greatest practical value for his pupils. What is more, instead of teaching the language in a situationally neutral context, he can present it in a i context which replicates as closely as possible the one for which the language is being learned. It is no longer necessary to teach the entire system. The priorities of a language course may be reversed and items of language may be included or excluded solely because the needs of the pupils, and not the overall structure of the language, have been taken as the starting-point. What is learned may be smaller in quantity and greater in relevance. 

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