The Audio Lingual Method
Origins:
Developed in the United States during the 1950s.
Based on structural linguistics and behaviorist psychology
Developed during World War II, originally called the "Army Method“
It gained popularity because it offered an innovative, oral-based approach
DM emphasizes vocabulary; ALM emphasizes grammar drills
ALM aims to create automatic, correct responses through conditioning
Background:
The Coleman Report (1929) recommended a reading-based approach to teaching
foreign languages in American schools, focusing on reading comprehension and
vocabulary.
there was an urgent need for conversational proficiency in various foreign languages
for military purposes.
Theory of Language:
The Audiolingual Method is based on structural linguistics, focusing on language as a system
of patterns. It replaced traditional grammar's Eurocentric views with a scientific, empirical
approach. Linguists analyzed native speech, categorizing phonemes and grammar
systematically. This method emphasized mastering structures through repetition and drills,
shaping modern language teaching.
Theory of Learning:
Audiolingualism is a language teaching method rooted in behaviorist psychology. It
emphasizes habit formation, drill and repetition, aural-oral skills, and an inductive approach
to grammar.
1. Repetition strengthens language habits.
Focus on Stimulus-Response-Reinforcement.
Principles :
Foreign language learning is basically a process of mechanical habit formation.
Good habits are formed by giving correct responses rather than by making mistakes.
By memorizing dialogues and performing 1 pattern drills the chances of producing
mistakes are minimized.
1
, Language skills are learned more effectively if the items to be learned in the target
language are presented in spoken form.
The purpose of language learning is to communicate.
The meanings that the words of a language have for the native speaker can be
learned only in a linguistic and cultural context and not in isolation
Analogy provides a better foundation for language learning than analysis. Analogy
involves the processes of generalization and discrimination
Drills can enable learners to form correct analogies.
Design:
The need for a "radical transformation" in language teaching methods, materials, and
assessment practices.the Audiolingual Method demanded a shift away from traditional
grammar-focused instruction and towards a more communicative and skills-based approach.
Objectives:
Short-Range Objectives
Training in Listening Comprehension.
Accurate Pronunciation:
Recognition of Speech Symbols:
Ability to Reproduce Speech Symbols in Writing
Long-range objectives :
accurate pronunciation and grammar
the ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations
The teaching of listening comprehension, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary
are all related to development of oral fluency.
Reading and writing skills may be taught, but they are dependent on prior oral skills.
The syllabus
Audiolingualism is a linguistic, or structure-based, approach to language teaching. The
starting point is a linguistic syllabus, which contains the key items of phonology,
morphology, and syntax of the language arranged according to their order of
presentation
a lexical syllabus of basic vocabulary items is usually specified in advance., for
example, a corpus of structural and lexical items graded into three levels is proposed,
together with suggestions as to the situations that could be used to contextualize them.
The language skills are taught in the order of listening, speaking, reading, and
writing
When reading and writing are introduced, students are taught to read and write what
they have already learned to say orally.
2
,Ativities:
Repetition: Repeating phrases and sentences to reinforce correct pronunciation and
intonation.
Inflection: Changing word forms within a sentence (e.g., singular to plural).
Replacement: Substituting words within a sentence.
Transformation: Changing the sentence structure (e.g., from declarative to
interrogative)
Restatement. The student rephrases an utterance and addresses it to someone else,
according to instructions.
Completion. The student hears an utterance that is complete except for one word, then
repeats the utterance in completed form. EXAMPLES I'll go my way and you go.... - I'll go
my way and you go yours
Teacher role:
Central & Active: They are actively involved in the teaching process.
Decision-Maker: They choose materials and lesson pace.
Corrector: They monitor and correct learner mistakes.
Engager: They keep students attentive and interested.
Learner role:
Reactive Organisms that respond to stimuli
Ready to be directed through training to produce correct responses
Have no saying over the nature or pacing of the material
Accurate imitators who respond to and perform controlled tasks
The decline of Audiolingualism:
Failure of skill transfer
Chomsky’s rejection of structural grammar(He argued that language is not merely a set of
habits but a complex system governed by abstract rules and the capacity for creativity.)
Behaviorism is no longer relevant
New perspectives on learning
3
, Total Physical Response
Definition:
● TPR’s founding-father, James Asher, was a psychology professor
TPR is a language teaching approach that emphasizes physical movement and a low-stress
environment to facilitate language acquisition. Learners respond to commands with physical
actions before producing verbal responses.
children primarily respond to commands physically before producing verbal
responses.
it draws on several traditions, including developmental psychology, learning theory,
and humanistic pedagogy.
Asher sees successful adult second language learning as a parallel process to child first
language acquisition.
Asher shares with the school of humanistic psychology a concern for the role of
affective (emotional) factors in language learning.
Theory of language:
Grammar-Based View of Language:
Most grammatical structures and vocabulary can be learned through the skillful use of
the imperative form by instructors.
The verb in the imperative is seen as the central motif organizing language use and
learning.
Theory of learning:
o TPR follows a stimulus-response model, where actions follow verbal commands.
o It aligns with the trace theory of memory, emphasizing the formation of strong
memory connections through repetition and physical activity, which aids recall.
o
o Bio-Program: Language learning follows an innate sequence that parallels first-
language development.
o The brain is programmed to learn language in a sequence: listening before speaking,
with language linked to movement.
o
o Brain Lateralization: Learning functions are divided between the brain’s
hemispheres.
o Asher suggests that TPR primarily engages the right hemisphere of the brain,
responsible for motor skills and holistic processing.
o
o Stress: Lower stress levels enhance language learning.
o TPR aims to reduce stress and anxiety
4
Origins:
Developed in the United States during the 1950s.
Based on structural linguistics and behaviorist psychology
Developed during World War II, originally called the "Army Method“
It gained popularity because it offered an innovative, oral-based approach
DM emphasizes vocabulary; ALM emphasizes grammar drills
ALM aims to create automatic, correct responses through conditioning
Background:
The Coleman Report (1929) recommended a reading-based approach to teaching
foreign languages in American schools, focusing on reading comprehension and
vocabulary.
there was an urgent need for conversational proficiency in various foreign languages
for military purposes.
Theory of Language:
The Audiolingual Method is based on structural linguistics, focusing on language as a system
of patterns. It replaced traditional grammar's Eurocentric views with a scientific, empirical
approach. Linguists analyzed native speech, categorizing phonemes and grammar
systematically. This method emphasized mastering structures through repetition and drills,
shaping modern language teaching.
Theory of Learning:
Audiolingualism is a language teaching method rooted in behaviorist psychology. It
emphasizes habit formation, drill and repetition, aural-oral skills, and an inductive approach
to grammar.
1. Repetition strengthens language habits.
Focus on Stimulus-Response-Reinforcement.
Principles :
Foreign language learning is basically a process of mechanical habit formation.
Good habits are formed by giving correct responses rather than by making mistakes.
By memorizing dialogues and performing 1 pattern drills the chances of producing
mistakes are minimized.
1
, Language skills are learned more effectively if the items to be learned in the target
language are presented in spoken form.
The purpose of language learning is to communicate.
The meanings that the words of a language have for the native speaker can be
learned only in a linguistic and cultural context and not in isolation
Analogy provides a better foundation for language learning than analysis. Analogy
involves the processes of generalization and discrimination
Drills can enable learners to form correct analogies.
Design:
The need for a "radical transformation" in language teaching methods, materials, and
assessment practices.the Audiolingual Method demanded a shift away from traditional
grammar-focused instruction and towards a more communicative and skills-based approach.
Objectives:
Short-Range Objectives
Training in Listening Comprehension.
Accurate Pronunciation:
Recognition of Speech Symbols:
Ability to Reproduce Speech Symbols in Writing
Long-range objectives :
accurate pronunciation and grammar
the ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations
The teaching of listening comprehension, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary
are all related to development of oral fluency.
Reading and writing skills may be taught, but they are dependent on prior oral skills.
The syllabus
Audiolingualism is a linguistic, or structure-based, approach to language teaching. The
starting point is a linguistic syllabus, which contains the key items of phonology,
morphology, and syntax of the language arranged according to their order of
presentation
a lexical syllabus of basic vocabulary items is usually specified in advance., for
example, a corpus of structural and lexical items graded into three levels is proposed,
together with suggestions as to the situations that could be used to contextualize them.
The language skills are taught in the order of listening, speaking, reading, and
writing
When reading and writing are introduced, students are taught to read and write what
they have already learned to say orally.
2
,Ativities:
Repetition: Repeating phrases and sentences to reinforce correct pronunciation and
intonation.
Inflection: Changing word forms within a sentence (e.g., singular to plural).
Replacement: Substituting words within a sentence.
Transformation: Changing the sentence structure (e.g., from declarative to
interrogative)
Restatement. The student rephrases an utterance and addresses it to someone else,
according to instructions.
Completion. The student hears an utterance that is complete except for one word, then
repeats the utterance in completed form. EXAMPLES I'll go my way and you go.... - I'll go
my way and you go yours
Teacher role:
Central & Active: They are actively involved in the teaching process.
Decision-Maker: They choose materials and lesson pace.
Corrector: They monitor and correct learner mistakes.
Engager: They keep students attentive and interested.
Learner role:
Reactive Organisms that respond to stimuli
Ready to be directed through training to produce correct responses
Have no saying over the nature or pacing of the material
Accurate imitators who respond to and perform controlled tasks
The decline of Audiolingualism:
Failure of skill transfer
Chomsky’s rejection of structural grammar(He argued that language is not merely a set of
habits but a complex system governed by abstract rules and the capacity for creativity.)
Behaviorism is no longer relevant
New perspectives on learning
3
, Total Physical Response
Definition:
● TPR’s founding-father, James Asher, was a psychology professor
TPR is a language teaching approach that emphasizes physical movement and a low-stress
environment to facilitate language acquisition. Learners respond to commands with physical
actions before producing verbal responses.
children primarily respond to commands physically before producing verbal
responses.
it draws on several traditions, including developmental psychology, learning theory,
and humanistic pedagogy.
Asher sees successful adult second language learning as a parallel process to child first
language acquisition.
Asher shares with the school of humanistic psychology a concern for the role of
affective (emotional) factors in language learning.
Theory of language:
Grammar-Based View of Language:
Most grammatical structures and vocabulary can be learned through the skillful use of
the imperative form by instructors.
The verb in the imperative is seen as the central motif organizing language use and
learning.
Theory of learning:
o TPR follows a stimulus-response model, where actions follow verbal commands.
o It aligns with the trace theory of memory, emphasizing the formation of strong
memory connections through repetition and physical activity, which aids recall.
o
o Bio-Program: Language learning follows an innate sequence that parallels first-
language development.
o The brain is programmed to learn language in a sequence: listening before speaking,
with language linked to movement.
o
o Brain Lateralization: Learning functions are divided between the brain’s
hemispheres.
o Asher suggests that TPR primarily engages the right hemisphere of the brain,
responsible for motor skills and holistic processing.
o
o Stress: Lower stress levels enhance language learning.
o TPR aims to reduce stress and anxiety
4
