grammar translation

1
Grammar-Translation Method
Grammar-Translation Method
Contents:
1. Background
2. Principal Features & Theoretical Assumptions
3. Objectives, Syllabus, Teacher & Learner Roles
4. Key Features
5. Typical Techniques
6. Criticisms & Comments
7. References

2
Background

Faculty Psychology, a core concept of education in Europe in 18-19
th

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.

3
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.

4
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.

5
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.

6
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.

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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.