2.

THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD

The grammar translation method emerged when people of the Western world wanted to learn such foreign languages as Latin and Greek. The focus was on learning grammatical rules and memorising vocabulary and language declensions and conjugations. It was hoped that, through the study of the grammar of the target language, the students would become more familiar with the grammar of their native tongue. Finally, it was thought that foreign language learning would help students grow intellectually; it was recognized that students would probably never use the target language, but the mental exercise of learning would be beneficial anyway. Typical classroom activities and homework include text translations and written exercises. Its leading exponents were: Johann Seidenstucker, Karl Plotz, H.S.Ollendorf, and Johann Meidinger. As their names suggest they were representatives of the German School as in some parts of the world (in the USA for example) the Grammar Translation Method was known as the Prussian Method (Kelly,1969) . As its later critics put it, the methods objective was :to know everything about something, rather than the thing itself.(W.H.D. Rouse, quoted in Kelly 1969:53). The principle characteristics of the grammar translation method were the following: 1. The goal of the foreign language was to read its literature or to benefit from the intellectual development that resulted from foreign language study. The first language is maintained as the reference system in the acquisition of the second language.(Stern 1983:455) 2. Reading and writing were the main focus; little or no attention was paid to listening or speaking. 3. The vocabulary selection was based only on the reading texts used and words were taught through bilingual word lists. 4. The sentence was the basic unit of teaching and language practice. Much of the lesson was devoted to translating sentences into and out of the target language. 5. Accuracy was emphasized and the students were expected to attain high standards in translation. 6. Grammar was taught deductively, by presentation and study of the grammar rule. 7. The students native tongue was always used to explain new items or present comparisons with the studied language. In a grammar translation class the teacher presents the lesson in the students native tongue, and students are not actively encouraged to use the target language in class. The teacher provides elaborate explanations of the grammatical rules of the target language, and often focuses on the form and inflection of words. Accuracy receives a great deal of stress. Vocabulary study takes the form of learning lists of often isolated words, and the rules of grammar provide the blueprint for putting words together. Students begin early to read classical texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical analysis. There is little stress on the content of those texts. Some other techniques that are used beside the translation of the text are the following: reading comprehension questions, antonyms/synonyms, cognates, deductive application of rules, fill in the blanks, memorization, words used in sentences, compositions. Grammar translation dominated European and foreign language teaching until the 1940s and in modified forms it continues to be widely used in some parts of the world today. In

the mid and late 19th century opposition to this method gradually developed in Europe. This Reform Movement as it was referred to, laid the foundations for the development of new ways of teaching languages and raised controversies that have continued to the present day. Educators started to realize the need for speaking proficiency rather than reading comprehension, grammar or literary appreciation as the goal of the foreign language. Language teaching specialists such as Marcel, Prendergast and Gouin had done much in promoting alternative approaches, but their ideas failed to receive widespread attention and support. From the 1880s, however, practical-minded linguists such as Henry Sweet in England, Wilhelm Victor in Germany and Paul Passy in France began to provide the intellectual leadership needed to give reformist ideas greater credibility and acceptance. Phonetics- the scientific analysis and description of the sound systems of languages was established, giving new insights to the speech process. Controversies emerged about the best way to teach foreign languages and ideas appeared in books, articles and pamphlets. The principles of teaching were the following: -the spoken language is primary -learners should hear the language first, before seeing it in written form -words should be presented in sentences, and sentences should be practiced in meaningful context -rules of grammar should only be taught after practicing them in context inductively -translation should be avoided. This led to what has been termed natural method and ultimately led to the development of what came to be known the Direct Method.