通过学习，我们了解了任务型语言教学的理论来源。它实际是交际教学的一种。20世纪50年代，任务型语言教学就在西方的职业教育中开始出现了。但到了80年代中期才出现了系统的任务型语言教学理论。较早提出该理论的是M.Long。他认为：A Task is a piece of work undertaken for oneself or for others，freely or for some reward.Thus examples of tasks include painting a fence，dressing a child...In other words，by “task”is meant the hundred and one things people do in everyday life，at work，at play and in between.（Long，1985）。其实，这时Long的定义只是指人们日常生活中的任务，并没有将任务与课堂教学联系起来。
而在1986年Crookes 阐述的任务则具有了目标，并用于教学的任务。他所说的任务是：A piece of work or an activity，usually with a specified objective，undertaken as part of an educational course，at work，or used to elicit data for research.（Crookes，1986）。应该说，是Crookes首次将任务与课堂教学联系了起来。
尽管在印度庞蔗葡邦进行的TBL实验没有实现他的假设，但prabhu出版了著名的Second Language pedagogy。在书中，他给任务下的定义是这样的：An activity which required learners to arrive at an outcome from given information through some process of thought and which allowed teachers to control and regulate that process was regarded as a “task”.（prabhu，1987）。他认为任务应该是一种让学习者做成事情的活动。任务必须是通过教师对教学的掌控而获得的成果。在他以后又有不少学者对任务都有一些阐述，但基本意思大致相同。如：
1989年Breen给任务下了这样的定义：Any structured language learning endeavor which has a particular objective，appropriate content，a specified working procedure，and a range of outcomes for those who undertake the task.“Task”is therefore assumed to refer to a range of work plans which have the overall purpose of facilitating language learning from the simple and brief exercise type，to more complex and lengthy activities such as group problem solving or stimulations and decision making.（Breen，1989）
David Nunan在1989年专门出书系统论述了任务型教学：A piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending，manipulating，producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than on form.
Carroll则在1993年对任务作了如下阐述：A task （is）any activity in which a person engages，given an appropriate setting，in order to achieve a specifiable class of objectives.
1996年Bachman和palmer对任务作了这样的定义：...We define a language use task as an activity that involves individuals in using language for the purpose of achieving a particular goal or objective in a particular situation.
而在1996年Jane Willis则建立了任务型从理论到教学的系统框架，出版了A Framework for Task based Learning一书，她归纳了所有上述学者们所提到的任务的特性：
A task is an activity in which：
Meaning is primary.
Learners are not given other people's meaning to regurgitate.
There is some sort of relationship to comparable real world activities.
Task completion has some priority.
The assessment of the task is in terms of outcomes.
综合以上学者对任务的定义，我们可以了解到，多数学者倡导的任务的定义也就是Jane Willis所归纳的那样，具有以下特点：任务是教学过程中有非常明确目的的活动；交际型任务是一种涉及到学习者理解、运用所学语言进行交流的课堂活动；任务与人们日常活动有相似之处，它是人们日常交际过程的再现；任务是学习者为了做成某件事情用目的语进行的有交际目的的活动；任务应是一个完整的交际活动；任务往往有一个非语言的结果，因此，衡量一个任务是否成功，要看这个任务有没有一个结果。
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