The GrammarTranslation Method

Principal Features: emphasizes the teaching of the second language grammar; its principal practice technique is translation from and into the target language.. Theoretical Assumptions:4[r]

Grammar-Translation Method

Contents:

Background

Principal Features & Theoretical Assumptions

Objectives, Syllabus, Teacher & Learner Roles

Key Features

Typical Techniques

Criticisms & Comments

References

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Background

Faculty Psychology, a core concept of education in Europe in 18-19th centuries: body & mind were separate; the mind consisted of three parts or faculties: the will, emotion, & intellect

the intellect could be sharpened enough to eventually control the will and emotion The way to do this was through learning classical literature of the Greeks and

Romans, as well as mathematics

As a result, textbooks were essentially copied for the language classroom & GTM,

or the Prussian Method as known in US, (Richards & Rogers 1986: 3) predominated

in language teaching from the mid 1840s to the mid 1940s

The Traditional Grammar lays emphasis on correctness, literary excellence, the use

of Latin models, and the priority (uu tien) of the written language

The text books take prominent (loi lac) writers as language models They

concentrate on detailed points and favor the formality of language

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Principal Features & Theoretical Assumptions

Principal Features: emphasizes the teaching of the second language grammar; its principal practice technique is translation from and into the target language

Theoretical Assumptions:

L2 primarily viewed as a system of rules to be observed in texts and sentences & to

be related to first language rules and meanings

Language learning regarded as intellectual activity which provides students with good mental exercises to develop their minds It consists of little more than

memorizing rules and facts by means of massive translation practice in order to understand and manipulate the morphology and syntax of the second language L1 is maintained as the reference system in the acquisition of L2

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Objectives, Syllabus, Roles

Objectives: Reading and writing are the major concern; little or no systematic

attention paid to speaking or listening

Syllabus: based on grammar & vocabulary Grammar rules presented, illustrated & practiced through translation exercises Vocabulary selection based solely on the reading texts used and a list of vocabulary items are presented with their L1

equivalents

Learner & Teacher Roles: Wholly teacher-centered The teacher is the authority of the classroom Learners viewed as passive receivers of knowledge They can learn only what the teacher knows

Roles of First Language: L1 is the medium of instruction; used to explain new items and to enable comparisons to be made between the foreign language and the

learner’s first language

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Key Features

L2 learning seen as an intellectual activity: deductive (pp dien dich) explanations of intricate grammar given and then practised through translation exercises

Strong emphasis on accuracy and form, fluency & meaning neglected

little interaction between the learners and the teacher; almost no interaction between students

Much vocabulary is taught in the form of lists of isolated words

Grammar provides the rules for putting words together, and instruction often focuses

on the form and inflection of words

Reading of difficult classical literary texts right in early stages

Common drills include exercises in translating disconnected sentences from L2 into L1

Little or no attention is given to pronunciation

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Typical Techniques

Translation of a Literary Passage (Translating target language to native language) Reading Comprehension Questions (Finding information in a passage, making inferences and relating to personal experience)

Antonyms/Synonyms (Finding antonyms and synonyms for words or sets of words) Cognates (Learning spelling/sound patterns that correspond between L1 and the target language)

Deductive Application of Rule (Understanding grammar rules and their exceptions, then applying them to new examples)

Fill-in-the-blanks (Filling in gaps in sentences with new words or items of a particular grammar type)

Memorization (Memorizing vocabulary lists, grammatical rules and grammatical paradigms-mo hinh, he bien hoa)

Use Words in Sentences (Students create sentences to illustrate they know the

meaning and use of new words)

Composition (Students write about a topic using the target language)

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Criticisms of GTM

Even if GTM trained mind in logical thought, there is little evidence that this faculty is transferable to other walks of life beyond the language

GTM gives the wrong idea of what language is and of the relationship between languages: Language seen as a collection or words which are isolated and

independent and there must be a corresponding word in the native tongue for each foreign word learned

GTM assumes that language is only acquired through translation skills, and this at the expense of oral skills

Low translation standard - caused by grammatical techniques which force learner to deduce L2 sentences by selecting from a multiplicity of rules and exceptions and individualized words

The average school child not mentally mature enough to cope with this method Learner motivation very low; this leads to frustration, boredom and indiscipline 8

General Comments

Though GTM has received fierce attacks, it has its own advantages

+ First, the use of first language facilitates learning, e.g in grammar

+ Secondly, the systematic learning of grammar is very important for those learners who want to understand the grammatical system of the language

+ Finally, the formal features of the second language and translation as a practice technique put the learner into an active problem-solving situation

The main weakness of GTM lies in its overemphasis on rules and its limitations of practice techniques which never free learners from the dominance of the first

language Besides, this method often creates frustration for learners since they tend

to forget lists of words and rules of grammar

Fails to develop communicative skills: very frustrating for learners when it comes to using it for real-life purposes

GTM is still common in many countries - even popular

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Opinions

“It is a method for which there is no theory There is no literature that offers a

rationale or justification for it that attempts to relate it to issues in linguistics,

psychology, or educational theory.”

Richards and Rodgers (1986:5)

“It requires few specialized skills on the part of teachers Tests of grammar rules and

of translations are easy to construct and can be objectively scored Many

standardized tests of foreign languages still do not attempt to tap into

communicative abilities, so students have little motivation to go beyond grammar analogies, translations, and rote exercises.”

Brown (2001:19)

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References

Brown, H Douglas, 2001: Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to

Language Pedagogy (2nd Edition), Pearson Longman

Larsen-Freeman, Dianne, 2000: Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (2nd Edition), New York: Oxford University Press

Prator, Clifford H & Celce-Murcia, Marianne, 1979: “An outline of language

teaching approaches.” In Celce-Murcia, Marianne & McIntosh, Lois (Ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, Newbury House

Richards, Jack & Rodgers, Theodore, 1986: Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, New York: Cambridge University Press