Ccher methods 79

The audio-lingual :ethod

This method was developed mainly in America in the sxties and
seventies. The AUDIO-LJINGUAL METIOD tricd to demonstrate the fact
that a language teaching method can be based on rigorous scientific
disciplines like linguistics and psychology.
The roots of the audio-lingual method can be traced back to
the language teaching programmes devised in America during the
Second World War. Its focus was on the learner's ability to gain
the communicative skills required in everyday discourse, particularly
the skills of listening and speaking in the target language.
William Moultonof Princeton University enumerated five slogans
which formed the basis of the audio-lingual method.
Language is speech, not writing.
wA language is a sei if babits.
Teach the language, not about the language.
Alanguage is what native speakers say, not what someone
ithinks they onght to say.
tanguages are different.
As you can see, these siogans are influenced by behaviourist
psychology and structural inguiscs."

Main features of the audio-lingual method

o The audio-lingual method treated each language skill separately:
listening, speaking, reading, writing.
This method focused primarily on' the skills of listening and
speaking, in accordance with Moulton's first slogan : language
1S speech, not writing.
o The skills of writing and reading were not neglected, but the
focus throughout remained on listening and speaking.
Dialogues were the main feature of the audio-lingual syllabus,
and they were the chief means of presenting language items.
They also provided learners an opportunity to practise, mimic
Note) * Structurai linguistics: This aoproach to linguistics sees language 0$
asystemof difrerentunts, 5Ounds, words, and sentences, within a
system. The tem'structuralinguistics' is usediodescribe the work
cíAmerican inguists like i:loornielcd carnd Fies.
commonspeaking
the useful Techniques
and The
reading
skills. 80
mastered thematerial reáding to about personalized pronunciationLearners
repetition,
Somedrills individual
learners.
compositions Phrases Language rigidly.avoid Liketeaching and The Pattern an and
structures
Writing, establish
in Reading
a and To features skills
were important Language Teaching
English
generalizations the consolidate vocabulary. ’
memorize the language memorize
mimicked th e
the introduced wasmaterial structures practised first and
structu°es
writing. were direct aid. drills
of was use
basedbasic andrelationship
earlythe between
by
by was the taught of It
technique were
writing application the method, of
language laboratory bits
was what sentences the introduced The gave
dialogues important spoken the used The the an of
structures,on orally,
they (not audio-lingual in
generally whole
the stages, was orally was teacher
dialogues in first the mother learners essential language.
first. practised. had
were rules) learnt, patterns.th e for
oral first to class, of target everyday following
few
learnt in or through audio-lingual was
language
s/he introduced the a tongue, an part
lessons. based were in presenting
dialogue stages
speechand learner's then language. were a opportunity introduced
earlier. chorus the tape, of
wasconfinedto communication dialogues order
method
on given dialogue smaller memorized concentrated teaching this
asked the in listening though
Once and
to own were the
Native listening : method method
writing.Aloral thadvanced e
lateradaptedandwas groups
finally
and model. to as
to
transcriptions situation.
These which perhaps mimic learning. /
the lesson next learnt carefully an
write speaker line too and
learner individually. as on-’ important
stage. contained speaking a
reports/ reading in learners
through by well listening nottried
sSO
model
used
order - to
had The like all line. as to as
of

languages.
grammar-translation
Application foreign somepractical learning. without
foreignof Comment text
The readingadvanced
JiAnne
m Jim Anne Jím Anne Though TheSpeaking Graded
audio-lingual and
:Hello, Phone
Call A of
:Im:Yes, : advertisement
air-conditioning.
calf-leather
video ? uphol
bullet-prOof
Stery.. glass, It'shand here :Well,
Mercedes. haven't.
:Sorry,
Why ?enoughafternoon.
?forHave free
Ilunch
withme Anne. and its technique
way burdening and
haven't
money!
enough Anne.
But
we And
discussed stage.
the was passages
sure it has got foI I've you second
features writing
has.
a a
I'veJim. audio-lingual of The
it secon got doing finally
it stereo, got got it method
got has,
got time It's languages method. the exercises.
questions
learnertrom
a
an a still used,
away recognized intellect
find showed Iiterary
tirst
method with of In
and
the a graded a
TASK 1 way, with an listened
place
worldtranslation answerS
as texts
failed easy
being problem
structural democratized it
in to
were
a over. way
b classrOom due orally. a
structure
identified have
in
a. to
Prepare What
structure
you dialogue ? primary taped methods Other
to in solving to introduced
Practise the
variouspractice learn Then
is
version
an used teaching
classroom. to the
the languages
language learning as they
exercise factors, was
in
main in of at
the this the did the an 81
of a
82 English Language Teaching Other methods 83
The Indian reaction, in West's centenary year was, however,
A: I'm sorry to hear different.
ITASK 2 a Prepare a one-page, that your mother's
thirty-minute lesson For ELT in India today, however West's work appears
ill. to have three lessons which we would like to draw in three
plan according to B: Thank you. I'mglad
the audio-lingual to say she's better brief statements. First, that good ELT must risk allowing
method, using the now.
theory to be judged in ordinary classroom. Secondly, that
conversation given. A: I'm glad to hear it. curriculum renewal is a problem in education as a whole and
not just language educationand it therefore has to be based
b How would you on neutral studies of the educational system in all its essentials.
personalize' the And lastly, that the four areas West singled out for deep
conversation ? study and analysis, namely, Indian multilingualism, reading
(Clue: look at the and its teaching, vocabulary studies and word teaching and
italicized parts of materials design and development, ought to be focused as
the conversation). much today as they were by him in his day ; in this centenary
year of West's birth there is once again the need to address
the priorities in English Language Teaching.
(Tickoo 1988)
The objective of the reading method was to make learners fluent
The reading method readers. Comprehension andnot reproduction was the aim.

The READING METHOD developed entirely for pragmatic reasons. Syllabus and methodology
Michael West, who taught in India, argued that for Indians, the Ina reading method class, the first few weeks were spent in oralwork
ability toread fluently in English was more important than speaking so that a strong bond between sound and print could be created to
in English. To this end, he developed the reading method. facilitate inner speech.
After studying the American High Schoo! scene, Coleman Then the reading text was introduced. Oral work of some sort
decided that the only practical way to teach a language was to continued, for the teacher or learners would often read aloud from
concentrate on the reading skills. texts in the class.
It is interesting to note here, that whereas West's ideas contínue
to find a place in our language policies (English as a library Texts
language,), they were thrown out quite early in America, before
the World War. The criticism of the reading method below sums The reading texts were graded in terms of vocabulary. The texts were
divided into two kinds.
up the reaction in America:
It is very doubtful whether students of short courses in high Intensive Reading Texts b Extensive Reading Texts.
schools were ever able to read ungraded material with ease The texts were taught and Here speed and overall
and direct comprehension at the end of the course. As soon practised through strategies such comprehension was the
as they encountered ungraded material they were forced back as inferring meaning from the
aim. Learners read these
into deciphering with the aid of a dictionary, and valuable context, anaphora,etc,and texts at their own pace.
raining in the reading skill was wasted. As a justification grammatical points were
for short language courses, the reading aim was thus discussed. Comprehension was
spurious The reading method for the most part produced checked mainly through
students who were unable to comprehend and speak questions and answers.
the
language beyond the very simplest of exchanges. Note)* Michael West produced aseries of books, the New Method Readers,
for use in the classroom, based on the principles he advocated.
84 English Language Teaching
Asin the direct method,
encouraged to infertranslation
wasnot
Was
the meaning from encouraged. Thelearner
contextual clues.
Features of the reading method
The development of the
reading method introduced some new
features into the English language teaching field:
the notion of vocabulary grading,
of graded readers which is even today the basis
the creation in a
produced publishing companies.
by
systematic way of
the concept of extensive or 'rapid' graded readers.
guage. reading in a foreign lan
the idea that techniques to
teach one skill of language
could be developed (reading)
comprehensively. Also, that such courses
could be taught.

Application

TASK Find four passages of 150 words each to

teach
intensive reading. Say hovw you will grade them.
Prepare questions to test the learner's comprehen
sion of these
passages. Or
Find four passages (folk tales,
tions, etc) of 250 wordseach foranecdotes, descrip
Grade the passages. Prepare extensiveto reading.
questions test the
Jearner's understanding of the gist of the
passage.

The biingual method

THE BILINGUAL METHOD proposed by C.J.Dodson

aspects of the direct method and the triedto
grammar- incorporate
different
method toevolve an effective second translation
language teaching method.