ASSIGNMENT

METHOD OF ENGLISH TEACHING

Nama : Monalisa S. Onibala NIM : 1009 12 101 Semester : IV

SAM RATULANGI UNIVERSITY MANADO

The Grammar - Translation Method

A number of methods and techniques have evolved for the teaching of English and also other foreign languages in the recent past, yet this method is still in use in many parts of India. It maintains the first language of the learner as the reference particularly in the process of learning the second/foreign languages. The main principles on which the Grammar Translation Method is based are the following: 1. Translation interprets the words and phrases of the foreign languages in the best possible manner. 2. The phraseology and the idiom of the target language can best be assimilated in the process of interpretation. 3. The structures of the foreign languages are best learned when compared and contrast with those of first language. In this method, while teaching the text book the teacher translates every word and phrase from English into the learners' first language. Further, students are required to translate sentences from their first language into the target language. These exercises in translation are based on various items covering the grammar of the target language. The method emphasizes the study of grammar through deduction that is through the study of the rules of grammar. A contrastive study of the target language with the first language gives an insight into the structure not only of the foreign language but also of the first language. a) English words that look like Spanish words are called cognates . For example : The English -ty often corresponds to the Spanish endings

dad and tad. The word possibility is the same as the Spanish posibilidad. b) The rule for use of a direct object with two-words ( phrasal verbs ) : If the two-words verb is separable, the direct object may come between the verb and its particle. However, separation is necessary when the direct object is pronoun. If the verb is inseparable, then there is no separation of the verb and particle by the object. For example : John put away his book. or John put his book away / John put it away. but not John put away it. (because put away is a separable two-word verb). The teacher went over the homework. but not The teacher went the homework over. (because go over is an inseparable two-word verb). English into Spanish. Principle => It is possible to find native language equivalents for all target language words.

REVIEWING THE PRINCIPLES 1) The goals of teachers who use the Grammar-Translation Method are : - A fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read literature written in the target language. Before that, students need to learn about the grammar rules and vocabulary of the target language. - It is believed that studying a foreign language provides students with good mental exercise which helps developed their minds. 2) The roles are very traditional. The teacher is the authority in the classroom. The students do as she says so they can learn what she knows. 3) Some characteristics of the teaching / learning process are: Students are taught to translate from one language to another. Often what they translate are readings in the target language about some aspect of the culture of the target language community. Students study grammar deductively, they are given the grammar rules and examples, are told to memorize them, and then are asked to apply the rules to other examples. They also learn grammatical paradigms such as verb conjugations. They memorize native-language equivalents for target-language vocabulary words. 4) Most of the interaction in the classroom is from the teacher to the students. There is little student initiation and little student-student interaction.

5) The feelings of the students dealt with by There are no principles of the method which relate to this area. 6) Literary language is considered superior to spoken language and is therefore the language that students study. Culture is viewed as consisting of literature and the fine arts. 7) Vocabulary and grammar are emphasized. Reading and writing are the primary skills that the students work on. There is much less attention given to speaking and listening. Pronunciation receives little, if any, attention. 8) The role of the students native language is : The meaning of the target language is made clear by translating it into the students native language. The language that is used in class is mostly the students native language. 9) Evaluation accomplished by : Written tests in which students are asked to translate from their native language to the target language or vice versa are often used. Questions about the target culture or questions that ask students to apply grammar rules are also common. 10) The teacher respond to student errors by : Having the students get the correct answer is considered very important. If students make errors or do not know an answer, the teacher supplies them with the correct answer.

REVIEWING THE TECHNIQUES - Translation of a literary passage Students translate a reading passage from the target language into their native language that provides the focus for several classes : vocabulary and grammatical structures in the passages are studied in subsequent lessons. It may be excerpted from some work from the target language literature, or teacher may write a passage carefully designed to include particular grammar rules and vocabulary. The translation may be written or spoken or both. Students should not translate idioms and the like literally, but rather in a way that shows that they understand their meaning. - Reading comprehension questions Students answer questions in the target language based on their understanding of the reading passage. Often the questions are sequenced so that the first group of questions asks for information contained within the reading passage. In order to answer the second group of questions, students will have to make inferences based on their understanding of the passage. This means they will have to answer questions about the passage even though the answers are not contained in the passage itself. The third group of questions requires students to relate the passage to their own experience. - Antonym / synonyms Students are given one set of words and are asked to find antonyms in the reading passage. A similar exercise could be done by asking students to find synonyms for a particular set of words. Or students might be asked to define a set of words based on their understanding of them as they occur in the

reading passage. Other exercises that ask students to work with the vocabulary of the passage are also possible. - Cognates Students are taught to recognize cognates by learning the spelling or sound patterns that correspond between the languages. Students are also asked to memorize words that look like cognates but have meanings in the target language that are different from those in the native language. This technique would only be useful in languages that share cognates. - Deductive application of rule Grammar rules are presented with examples. Exceptions to each rule are also noted. Once students understand a rule, they are asked to apply it to some different examples. - Fill-in-the-blanks Students are given a series of sentences with words missing. They fill in the blanks with new vocabulary items or with items of a particular grammar type, such as prepositions or verbs with different tenses. - Memorization Students are given lists of target language vocabulary words and their native language equivalents and are asked to memorize them. Students are also required to memorize grammatical rules and grammatical paradigms such as verb conjugations. - Use words in sentences In order to show that students understand the meaning and use of a new vocabulary item, they make up sentences in

which they use the new words. - Composition The teacher gives the students a topic to write about in the target language. The topic is based upon some aspect of the reading passage of the lesson. Sometimes, instead of creating a composition, students are asked to prepare a precis of the reading passage.

Advantages The grammar translation method has two main advantages. 1. The phraseology of the target language is quickly explained. Translation is the easiest way of explaining meanings or words and phrases from one language into another. Any other method of explaining vocabulary items in the second language is found time consuming. A lot of time is wasted if the meanings of lexical items are explained through definitions and illustrations in the second language. Further, learners acquire some sort of accuracy in understanding synonyms in the source language and the target language. 2. Teachers labor is saved. Since the textbooks are taught through the medium of the first language, the teacher may ask comprehension questions on the text taught in the first language. Pupils will not have much difficulty in responding to questions in the first language. So, the teacher can easily assess whether the students have learned what he has taught them. Communication between the teacher and the learner does not cause linguistic problems. Even teachers who are not fluent in the target language can teach it using this method. That is

perhaps the reason why this method has been practiced so widely and has survived so long. Disadvantages Along with its advantages, the grammar translation method comes with many disadvantages. 1. It is an unnatural method[2]. The natural order of learning a language is listening, speaking, reading and writing [[3]]. That is the way a child learns his first language in natural surroundings; but, in the Grammar Translation Method the teaching of the second language starts with the teaching of reading. Thus, the learning process is reversed. This poses problems [4]. 2. Speech is neglected. The Grammar Translation Method places emphasis on reading and writing. It neglects speech. Thus, the students who are taught through this method fail to express themselves adequately in spoken English[5]. Even at the undergraduate stage they feel shy of communicating using English. It has been observed that in a class[6], which is taught English through this method, learners listen to the first language more than that to the second/foreign language. Since language learning involves habit formation such students fail to acquire a habit of speaking English. Therefore, they have to pay a heavy price for being taught through this method. 3. Exact translation is not possible. Translation is, indeed, a difficult task and exact translation from one language to another is not always possible. A language is the result of various customs, traditions, and modes of behavior of a speech community and these traditions differ from community to community. There are several lexical

items in one language, which have no synonyms/equivalents in another language. For example, the meaning of the English word table does not fit in such expressions as 'table of contents, table of figures, multiplication table, time table and table the resolution, etc. English prepositions are also difficult to translate. Consider sentences such as We see with our eyes, Bombay is far from Delhi, He died of cholera, 'He succeeded through hard work. In these sentences with, from, of, and through can be translated into the Hindi preposition se and vice versa. Each language has its own structure, idiom and usage, which do not have their exact counterparts in another language. Thus, translation should be considered an index of ones proficiency in a language. 4. It does not give pattern practice. A person can learn a language only when he internalizes its patterns to the extent that they form his habit. But the Grammar Translation Method does not provide any such practice to the learner of a language. It rather attempts to teach language through rules and not by use. Researchers in linguistics have proved that to speak any language, whether native or foreign, entirely by rule is quite impossible. Language learning means acquiring certain skills, which can be learned through practice and not by just memorizing rules. The persons who have learned a foreign or second language through this method find it difficult to give up the habit of first thinking in their first language and then translating their ideas into the second language. They, therefore, fail to get proficiency in the second language approximating that in the first language. The method, therefore, suffers from certain weaknesses for which there is no remedy.

 Conclusion The grammar translation method stayed in schools until the 1960s, when a complete foreign language pedagogy evaluation was taking place. In the meantime, teachers experimented with approaches like the direct method in postwar and Depression era classrooms, but without much structure to follow. The trusty grammar translation method set the pace for many classrooms for many decades.