The AudioLingual Method Content Background l Principles Main

The Audio-Lingual Method Content Background l Principles - Main Features - Objectives l Techniques l Advantages and Disadvantages l

Background l Founded around 1950’s and 1960’s, A-L was based on and : the way to acquire the sentence patterns of the target language is repetition of dialogues of every day situations that are imitated and drilled to make the response automatic.

Structural Linguistics l Language is a system of structural, related elements like phonological units, grammatical units, and lexical items, for the transmission of meaning. Thus, to learn the target language is to master the elements of the target language system. l Charles Fries led the way by applying principles from structural linguistics in developing the method (Language consists of phonetic, lexical, syntactic levels).

Behavioural Psychology l Language learning is habit-formation. l Mistakes, bad habits, should be avoided.

The view of language l l l The view of language → influenced by descriptive linguists. Everyday speech is emphasized. The level of complexity of the speech is graded.

What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are emphasized? l Vocabulary is kept to a minimum while the students are practising the sound system and grammatical patterns. l The natural order of skills presentation is adhered to : listening, speaking, reading, and writing. l The oral/aural skills receive most of the attention.

The role of native language l The habits of the students’ native language are thought to interfere with the students’ attempts to master the target language. l In the classroom, the target language is used instead of the native language.

Principles of the Audio-lingual method l The purpose of language learning is to learn how to use the L 2 to communicate. L 1 & L 2 have separate linguistic systems. They should be kept apart so that the students' native language interferes as little as possible with the use of the target language. l One of the teacher's major roles is that of a model of the target language. Teachers should provide students with a native-speaker-like model. By listening, students should be able to mimic the model. l Language learning is a process of habit-formation. The more something is repeated, the stronger the habit and the greater the learning.

Principles (2) l Positive reinforcement helps the students to develop correct habits. l It is important to prevent learners from making errors. Errors lead to the formation of bad habits. When errors occur, they should be immediately corrected by the teacher. l The major challenge FL teaching is getting students to overcome the habits of their native language. A comparison between the native and target language will tell the teacher in what areas students will probably experience difficulty. l Each language has a finite number of patterns. Pattern practice helps students to form habits.

Principles (3) l Students should "overlearn" i. e. , learn to answer automatically without stopping to think. l Students should acquire the structural patterns. New vocabulary is introduced through lines of the dialogue; vocabulary is limited. l Students should learn to respond to both verbal and nonverbal stimuli (The teacher uses spoken cues and picture cues). l Limited written work = like natural order of learning native language: listening, speaking, reading, writing.

Principles (4) l Grammar rules not taught directly = We do not need to memorize rules in order to use our native language. l Language cannot be separated from culture. Culture is not only literature and the arts, but also the everyday behaviours of users of the target language.

Objectives l Accurate pronunciation and grammar l Knowledge of vocabulary l The responding ability l The development of L 2 habits

Techniques of the Audio. Lingual Method l l l Dialogue Memorization Backward Build-up (Expansion) Drill Repetition Drill Chain Drill Transformation Drill Single-slot Substitution Drill Multiple-slot Substitution Drill Question-and-answer Drill Use of Minimal Pairs Dialogue Completion Grammar Game

Techniques of AL Backward-up drill e. g. , I’m going to the post office. T: Repeat after me: post office. S: Post office. T: To the post office. S: To the post office. T: Going to the post office. S: Going to the post office. T: I’m going to the post office. S: I’m going to the post office.

Techniques of AL – Repetition Drill

Techniques of AL – Chain Drill l To make students ask and answer questions with each other. l It allows some controlled communication among students and gives the teacher an opportunity to check students’ speech.

Techniques of AL – Single/Multiple-slot Substitution Drill l Giving cue phrases…Making other changes…Fitting a cue phrase into a line. ‘I’m going to the post office. ’ 1. single-slot substitution drill: S: ‘I’m going to …………. ’ the bank 2. multiple-slot substitution drill: S: ‘………. is going to ……………. . ’ She the park S: ‘She is going to the park. ’

Techniques of AL – Transformation Drill To change a certain kind of sentence pattern to another form. Statement Question Active Passive Affirmative Negative

Teacher’s Role/Student’s Role l l Audio-Lingualism is a teacher-dominated method; the teacher's role is central and active. The teacher is like an orchestra leader. Providing students with a good model for imitation. Students are imitators.

Characteristics of the teaching/learning process l l New vocabulary and structural patterns are presented through dialogues. Dialogues– learning through imitation and repetition. Positive reinforcement. Grammar is induced from the examples.

Interaction l Interaction is teacher-directed. l Student-student interaction →Chain drills and dialogues.

Advantages l Effective with beginners l Listening and speaking skills l Vocabulary learning

Disadvantages l Make advanced students bored

Disadvantage Students were often found to be unable to transfer skills acquired through Audiolingualism to real communication outside the classroom, and many found the experience of studying through audio-lingual procedures to be boring and unsatisfying.

Disadvantage Nature of evaluation: discrete-point →Each question on the test would focus on only one point of the language at a time. e. g. , Students might be asked to distinguish between words in a minimal pair. l

To summarize l l Grammar is not the main focus of the direct method; vocabulary is. However, the audio lingual method makes grammar primary and only uses vocabulary to provide numerous examples of a particular grammatical form. Self-correction in DM; in AL, T does the correction. T/S are partners in DM; in AL, T is the leader.

l Textbook: Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. (2 th ed. ). Oxford University Press.

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