INTRODUCTION

This method of Language Learning is also called the Aural-Oral Method. This method is said

to result in rapid acquisition of speaking and listening skills. The audiolingual method drills

students in the use of grammatical sentence patterns. When this method was developed it

was thought that the way to acquire the sentence patterns of the second language was

through conditioning or helping learners to respond correctly to stimuli through shaping and

reinforcement. Mid 1960's - three new technological aids came into general use in the

classroom-language laboratory, portable tape-recorder and film-strip projector. All these

were greeted with euphoria in all modern language departments. Extensive use of tapes and

equipment was revolutionary for language teachers. Instead of buying sets of books to equip

a class, teachers were demanding most expensive boxes of film-strips and sets of tapes.

Blackout facilities and electric points had to be installed.

Potential offered to language teaching by tape-recorder was enormous - now possible to

bring native speaking voices into classroom. Editing and self-recording facilities now

available. Tapes could be used with tape recorder or in language laboratory. Early audio-

visual courses consisted of taped dialogues, accompanied by film -strips which were

designed to act as visual cues to elicit responses in the foreign language.

Most audio-lingual courses consisted of short dialogues and sets of recorded drills. Method

was based on a behaviourist approach, which held that language is acquired by habit

formation. Based on assumption that foreign language is basically a mechanical process and

it is more effective if spoken form precedes written form. The stress was on oral proficiency

and carefully- structured drill sequences (mimicry/memorisation) and the idea that quality

and permanence of learning are in direct proportion to amount of practice carried out.

But early enthusiasm for audio-visual materials and language laboratory soon cooled as

teachers gradually recognised limitations of this approach.

HISTORY

The Audio-lingual method is the product of three historical circumstances. For its views on

language, audiolingualism drew on the work of American linguists such as Leonard

Bloomfield. The prime concern of American Linguistics at the early decades of the 20th

century had been to document all the indigenous languages spoken in the USA. However,

because of the dearth of trained native teachers who would provide a theoretical

description of the native languages, linguists had to rely on observation. For the same

reason, a strong focus on oral language was developed. At the same

time, behaviourist psychologists such as B.F. Skinner were forming the belief that all

behaviour (including language) was learnt through repetition and positive or negative

reinforcement. The third factor that enabled the birth of the Audio-lingual method was the

outbreak of World War II, which created the need to post large number of American

servicemen all over the world. It was therefore necessary to provide these soldiers with at

least basic verbal communication skills. Unsurprisingly, the new method relied on the

prevailing scientific methods of the time, observation and repetition, which were also

admirably suited to teaching en masse. Because of the influence of the military, early

versions of the audio-lingualism came to be known as the “army method.”

WHEN IS IT POPULAR?

As mentioned, lessons in the classroom focus on the correct imitation of the teacher by the

students. Not only are the students expected to produce the correct output, but attention is

also paid to correct pronunciation. Although correct grammar is expected in usage, no

explicit grammatical instruction is given. Furthermore, the target language is the only

language to be used in the classroom. Modern day implementations are more lax on this last

requirement.

In the late 1950s, the theoretical underpinnings of the method were questioned by linguists

such as Noam Chomsky, who pointed out the limitations of structural linguistics. The

relevance of behaviorist psychology to language learning was also questioned, most

famously by Chomsky's review of B.F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior in 1959. The audio-lingual

method was thus deprived of its scientific credibility and it was only a matter of time before

the effectiveness of the method itself was questioned.

In 1964, Wilga Rivers released a critique of the method in her book, “The Psychologist and

the Foreign Language Teacher.“ Subsequent research by others, inspired by her book,

produced results which showed explicit grammatical instruction in the mother language to

be more productive. These developments, coupled with the emergence

of humanist pedagogy led to a rapid decline in the popularity of audiolingualism

Philip Smith's study from 1965-1969, termed the Pennsylvania Project, provided significant

proof that audio-lingual methods were less effective than a more traditional cognitive

approach involving the learner's first language.

TODAY

Despite being discredited as an effective teaching methodology in 1970, audio-lingualism

continues to be used today, although it is typically not used as the foundation of a course,

but rather, has been relegated to use in individual lessons. As it continues to be used, it also

continues to gain criticism, as Jeremy Harmer notes, “Audio-lingual methodology seems to

banish all forms of language processing that help students sort out new language

information in their own minds.” As this type of lesson is very teacher centered, it is a

popular methodology for both teachers and students, perhaps for several reasons but in

particular, because the input and output is restricted and both parties know what to expect.

Some hybrid approaches have been developed, as can be seen in the textbookJapanese: The

Spoken Language (1987–90), which uses repetition and drills extensively, but supplements

them with detailed grammar explanations in English.

Butzkamm & Caldwell have tried to revive traditional pattern practice in the form of bilingual

semi-communicative drills. For them, the theoretical basis, and sufficient justification, of

pattern drills is the generative principle, which refers to the human capacity to generate an

infinite number of sentences from a finite grammatical competence.

AUDIOLINGUAL PRINCIPLE

The Audiolingual Method is based on the following principles:

Speaking and listening competence preceded reading and writing competence.

Use of German is highly discouraged in the classroom.

The development of language skills is a matter of habit formulation.

Students practice particular patterns of language through structured dialogue and

drill until response is automatic.

Structured patterns in language are taught using repetitive drills.

The emphasis is on having students produce error free utterances.

This method of language learning supports kinesthetic learning styles.

Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught. Concrete vocabulary is taught

through demonstration, objects, and pictures. Abstract vocabulary is taught through

association of ideas.

The printed word must be kept away from the second language learner as long as

possible.

APPROACH,DESIGN AND PROCEDURE

Approach

Design

Theory of language

The Structural view of language is the view behind the audio-lingual method.

Particular emphasis was laid on mastering the building blocks of language and

learning the rules for combining them.

Theory of learning

Behaviorism, including the following principles:

language learning is habit-formation

mistakes are bad and should be avoided, as they make bad habits

language skills are learned more effectively if they are presented orally

first, then in written form

analogy is a better foundation for language learning than analysis

the meanings of words can be learned only in a linguistic and cultural

context

Procedure

Here is a typical procedure in an audio-lingual course

Students hear a model dialogue

Students repeat each line of the dialogue

Certain key words or phrases may be changed in the dialogue

Key structures from thedialogue serveas the basis for pattern drills of

different kinds.

The students practice substitutions in the pattern drills

Objectives

Here are some of the objectives of the audio-lingual method:

accurate pronunciation and grammar

ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations

knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use with grammar patterns.

The syllabus

Audiolingualism uses a structural syllabus

Types of learning techniques and activities

dialogues

drills

THE AUDIOLINGUAL METHOD

A. Important Concepts

1. Selection of materials -- contrastive analysis

a. Major advocates and researchers in contrastive analysis: C.C. Fries and Robert Lado

b. Major claims:

The transfer claim: "Individuals tend to transfer the forms and meanings, and the

distribution of forms and meanings of their native language and culture to the foreign

languague and culture-- both productively when attempting to speak the language and to act

in the culture, and receptively when attempting to grasp and understand the language and

the culture as practiced by natives." (Lado, 1957, p.2)

The difficulty claim: "We assume that the student who comes in contact with a foreign

language will find some features of it quite easy and others extremely difficult. Those

elements that are similar to his native language will be simple for him, and those elements

that are different will be difficult." (Lado, 1957, p. 2).

c. Method for doing contrastive analysis (steps involved in doing CA: a summary (from Ellis,

1994))

--description (a formal description of the two languages involved)

--selection (certain areas or items of the two languages were chosen)

--comparison (the identification of areas of difference and similarity)

--prediction (determining which areas where likely to cause errors)

2. Teaching Process: Presentation - Practice - Application (Production)

Presentation-- oral, dialogue, little explanation, L1 discouraged, errors corrected, accuracy

emphasized, accurate repetition and memorization of the dialogue as goal of this stage;

Practice--pattern drills, mastery of the structure, fluency emphasized;

Application--use of the structure in different contexts;

3. Categorization of Drills: Mechanical, Meaningful, and Communicative drills (from

Richards, Platt, and Weber, 1985)

A mechanical drill is one where there is complete control over the student's response, and

where comprehension is not required in order to produce a correct response.

Example: book --> this is a book. pen --> this is a pen.

A meaningful drill is one in which there is still control over the response, but understanding

is required in order for the student to produce a correct response.

Example:

 Teacher reads a sentence  Student choose a response

 I'm hot.I'm cold.I'm thirsty.

 I'll get you something to eat.I'll turn on the air conditioning.I'll get you something to drink.

I'm hungry. I'll turn on the heater.

A communicative drill is one in which the type of response is controlled but the student provides

his or her own content or information.

 Teacher Student completes cues

 What time did you get up on Sunday?What did you have for breakfast?

 I got up _____ .I had _____ .

B. Hands-on Activity

Dialogues are the basic form of instructional materials in the Audiolingual method. The

dialogue serves three functions: a) illustrates the target structure; b) illustrates the situation

the structure may be used; and c) provides cultural information for language use wherever

possible.

Write a dialogue of ten to fifteen exchanges that meets the following criteria:

1. It has a clear focus on an English sentence pattern you are trying to teach and the same

sentence pattern is repeated several times in the dialogue.

2. It uses everyday vocabulary that is appropriate for beginning to intermediate level

students.

3. There is no other sentence pattern or grammatical phenomenon that is new to students

or more complicated than the sentence pattern you are trying to teach.

Then design three drills, one for each type discussed above, based on this dialogue for

practicing the structure.

The following is an example:

-- Hello Joy.

-- Hello Daddy.

-- How was your school today?

-- It was all right.

-- Do you have any homework today?

-- Yes, the teacher asked us to copy some new words.

-- Did she ask you to do any reading?

-- No, she didn't ask us to do any reading. But she told us to write a story.

-- Did she ask you to turn in the story tomorrow?

-- No, she wanted us to turn in the story on Friday.

-- What else did she want you to do?

-- Nothing else. She wanted us to have fun.

-- Do you want me to close the door.

-- Yes, please.

A Mechanical drill

1. Substitution/Replacement

HeTheyShe WeI

 wantedaskedtold

 mehimthemusher

 to open the window.to write a letter.to go home.to shut the door.to return the book.

2. Transformation

 He wanted me to open the window. -->He asked me to return the book.They wanted me to write a story.We told him to buy a watch.I asked her to visit me.

 Did he want me to open the window?He didn't want me to open the window.

B. Meaningful Drill

Cues Student

 After I finished writing the letter, When I got home,

 I asked my mom to mail it.my dad asked me to have a snack.

C. Communicative drill

Students answer the following questions based on real situations:

-- What did your math teacher ask you to do this morning?

-- What did I tell you to do before we began the new lesson?

-- What do your parents often ask you to do on weekends?

Here is a list of structures you may use:

1. passive voice: The dog bit the child. The child was bitten by the dog.

2. relative clause: The man who is talking with my dad is my uncle.

3. present continuous tense: I am cleaning the window.

4. simple future tense: I will visit New York next summer.

5. be going to: I am going to play ping-pong tonight.

6. plural form: There are two books on the table.

7. third person singular: My dad goes to school everyday.

8. present participle phrase modifying a noun: Do you like the picture hanging on the wall?

9. simple past tense: I watched the game on Saturday.

10. Adjective phrase used as adverbial of place: I play volleyball near CDV every Friday.

Disadvantages of Audio-Visual/Audio-Lingual Method

1. Basic method of teaching is repetition, speech is standardised and pupils turn into parrots

who can reproduce many things but never create anything new or spontaneous.

Pupils became better and better at pattern practice but were unable to use the patterns

fluently in natural speech situations.

2. Mechanical drills of early Audio-Visual approach criticised as being not only boring and

mindless but also counter-productive, if used beyond initial introduction to new structure.

3. Audio-Visual materials were open to same sort of misuse. Tendency to regard audio-visual

materials as a teaching method in themselves, not as a teaching aid.

4 .Soon became clear to teachers that audio-visual approach could only assist in

presentation of new materials. More subtle classroom skills were needed for pupils to

assimilate material and use it creatively. This final vital phase was often omitted by teachers.

5.New technology caught publishers and text-book writers unprepared - very few

commercial materials were available in the early stages. Those that did exist stressed oral

and aural skills and didn't develop reading and writing skills.

6 .New materials necessitated extensive use of equipment with all associated problems of

black-out, extension leads, carrying tape-recorders from classroom to classroom. Some

schools set up Specialist- Language rooms, but teachers still had to set up projectors and find

places on tape. Equipment could break down, projector lamps explode, tapes tangle - not

sophisticated equipment of today. Hardware involved extra time, worry and problems, and,

for these reasons alone, its use gradually faded away.

7 .Series of classroom studies threw doubt on claims made for language laboratory. Showed

that this costly equipment did not improve performance of 11+ beginners, when compared

with same materials used on single tape-recorder in classroom.

But Audio-Lingual/(Visual approach did mark start of the technological age in language

teaching and it did introduce important new elements Emphasised need for visual

presentation and possibility of eliciting language from visual cues. It placed far more weight

on use of foreign language in classroom by both teacher and pupil, and the language used

was of far greater practicality.

More gifted and energetic teachers used new courses with great success - moved forward to

open-ended question and answer work and extended dialogue, designed own

supplementary materials, exercises and worksheets.

However, generally teachers were disillusioned and dissatisfied with the new methods - at a

time when whole secondary education was being reorganised with advent of comprehensive

schools.

REFERENCES

Lado, R. (1964), Language Teaching: A Scientific Approach, McGraw-Hill

Richards, J., Platt, J. & Weber, H. (1985). Longman Dictionary of Applied

Linguistics.London: Longman

Ellis, R. (1985). Understanding second language acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon

Institute of English.