Latin
and Ancient Greek are known as "dead" languages, based on the fact
that people no longer speak them for the purpose of interactive communication.
Yet, they are still acknowledged as important languages to learn (especially
Latin) for the purpose of gaining access to classical literature, and up until
fairly recently, for the kinds of grammar training that led to the mental
dexterity considered so important in any higher education study stream. Latin
has been studied for centuries, with the prime objectives of learning how to
read classical Latin texts, understanding the fundamentals of grammar and
translation, and gaining insights into some important foreign influences Latin
has had on the development of other European languages. The method used to teach
it overwhelmingly bore those objectives in mind, and came to be known as the
Classical Method. It is now more commonly known in Foreign Language Teaching
circles as the Grammar Translation Method. It is hard to decide which is more
surprising - the fact that this method has survived right up until today
(alongside a host of more modern and more "enlightened" methods), or
the fact that what was essentially a method developed for the study of
"dead" languages involving little or no spoken communication or
listening comprehension is still used for the study of languages that are very
much alive and require competence not only in terms of reading, writing and
structure, but also speaking, listening and interactive communication. How has
such an archaic method, "remembered with distaste by thousands of school
learners" (Richards and Rodgers, 1986:4) persevered? It is worth looking
at the objectives, features and typical techniques commonly associated with the
Grammar Translation Method, in order to both understand how it works and why it
has shown such tenacity as an acceptable language teaching philosophy in many
countries and institutions around the world. Objectives most teachers who
employ the Grammar Translation Method to teach English would probably tell you
that the most fundamental reason for
learning the language is give learners access to English literature, develop
their minds "mentally" through foreign language learning, and to
build in them the kinds of grammar, reading, vocabulary and translation skills necessary to pass any one
of a variety of mandatory written tests required at High School or Tertiary
level. Some teachers, who use the method might also tell you that it is the
most effective way to prepare students for "global communication" by
beginning with the key skills of reading and grammar. Others may even say it is
the "least stressful" for students because almost all the teaching
occurs in L1 and students are rarely called upon to speak the language in any
communicative fashion. More conservative teachers from more conservative
countries are even likely to be put out by anyone merely questioning the
method, and a typical response could be "because that's the way it's
always been done - it's the way I learned and look; now I'm a professor".
The point being, the method is institutionalized and considered fundamental.
Such teachers are probably even unaware that the method has a name and can be
compared alongside other methods. Key Features According to Prator and
Celce-Murcia (1979:3), the key features of the Grammar Translation Method are
as follows:
(1)
Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with little active use of the target
language.
(2)
Much vocabulary is taught in the form of lists of isolated words.
(3)
Long elaborate explanations of the intricacies of grammar are given.
(4) Grammar provides the rules for putting
words together, and instruction often focuses on the form and inflection of
words.
(5)
Reading of difficult classical texts is begun early.
(6)
Little attention is paid to the content of texts, which are treated as
exercises in in grammatical analysis.
(7)
Often the only drills are exercises in translating disconnected sentences from
the target language into the mother tongue.
(8) Little or no attention is given to
pronunciation.
Typical
Techniques Diane Larsen-Freeman, in her book Techniques and Principles in
Language Teaching (1986:13) provides expanded descriptions of some
common/typical techniques closely associated with the Grammar Translation
Method. The listing here is in summary form only.
(1)
Translation of a Literary Passage (Translating target language to native
language)
(2)
Reading Comprehension Questions (Finding information in a passage, making
inferences and relating to personal experience)
(3)
Antonyms/Synonyms (Finding antonyms and synonyms for words or sets of words).
(4)
Cognates (Learning spelling/sound patterns that correspond between L1 and the
target language)
(5)
Deductive Application of Rule (Understanding grammar rules and their
exceptions, then applying them to new examples)
(6)
Fill-in-the-blanks (Filling in gaps in sentences with new words or items of a particular
grammar type). (7) Memorization (Memorizing vocabulary lists, grammatical rules
and grammatical paradigms)
(8)
Use Words in Sentences (Students create sentences to illustrate they know the
meaning and use of new words)
(9)
Composition (Students write about a topic using the target language)
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