Linguistics and the Second Language Teacher
There are two methods or ways of applying linguistics to learning or teaching.
1 A Linguistic Method:
You, actually,study linguistics and use your proper linguistic knowledge in teaching .For example , if you want to teach grammar properly, you have to study syntax to know the structures of sentences and words. If you want to teach pronounciati9on properly, you have to study phonetics and phonology.
2 A Hypothetical non Linguistics Method:
We say that it is hypothetical because it is really difficult to teach something ''espically language'' without finding linguistic knowledge .When you deal with the linguistic or non-linguistic approach you have to keep in mind that linguistic and teaching are very different because linguistics is a science that stand alone.
Primacy of Speech:
For linguistics, speech is more important , they focus on speech . Remember when we talked about the question whether we should learn speaking first and then writing or vice versa .Some people say that we have to teach language in its spoken form first and then move to teaching it in its written form.
Written English:
The author says that teachers focus mostly on the written form in a very strict manner .That means that they tell their students to follow thje grammatical rules to the letter. This does not mean that this is right because there are many things in English that no one use anymore .Take who & whom as an example ,in many caes whom must be used according to the rules of grammar ,yet most people use who when speaking.It is a wrong way to teach student in that way because you limit yourself as well as your students by doing this .
The Application of Linguistics on Teaching:
The author says that one of these application is learning phonetics .You learn phonetics in order to learn pronounciationin its proper way. You study syntax to teach grammar .You study semantics and pragmatics to teach vocabulary. So, these are rules that are related to each other .These are called linguistic approach.
The Use of Mother Tongue in Teaching:
It is not recommended to use your mother tongue to explain ,for example , the present tense . It is not helopfol to the students .But if you are teaching translation ,you need your mother tongue to translate texts.
The Idea Of Form & Meaning
There are two examples by Chomsky:
John is easy to please .
John is eager to please.
اChomsky says that these two examoles are structurally the same , but their meaning is different. It is related to the idea of structuralism. If you change the structure then the meaning will not be the same. You have to make sure that when you teach grammar ,you have to tell your student that grammar is not everything . If the sentences are grammatical , that does not mean that they are right. By this , we refer to the idea of intelligibility and unintelligibility.
Bloomfield Regarding Teaching:
He says that language or teaching is amatter of stimilus .Language is a response to something else ; that means it is mechanical . He says that there are four stages regarding language teaching Stimulus , Production , Reinforcement , and Learning . Stimulus is the keyword for him, because if there is no stimulus then their will be no other stages. After Bloomfield, there is Morton and Wilkins, Morton talks about ''Structural Drill or Pattern Practice''.
Practice or pattern means ''To focus on the Form more than Meaning''
Chomsky: Competence & Performance:
When teaching , if you focus on competence , then you are following a descriptive approach, while if you focus on performance , then your approach is more analytical.
Vocabulary : Very Important:
When you teach vocabulary , there are two things to focus on:
1 Equivalence : It means that you have to make sure to tell your students that not every word in the source language has the exact meaning in the target language .
2 Vocabulary Should Not bBe Learnt in the MT: So , if you want to teach vocabulary it is better to use them in context,instead of giving your students a list of words and their equivalents or meaning.
Behaviorism & Mentalism
They are schools of thout about language learning. Behaviorism illuminates a reference to a particular subject. It is related to behaviour. It is similar to what Bloomfield says ''Language is amatter of stimulus''' These schools of thought started in psychology first , and then they were applied to linguistics. While Metalism is like Chomsky's ''Universal Grammar''. It is another name for Universal Grammar. It says that languageis a metal structure. you are born with it ,you have it from the very beginning,it is not a reaction or behaviour.