Linguistic Approach

 Linguistic Approach

During the second world war, the problem of teaching foreign languages and English as a foreign language for full communication was faced adequately. This gave rise to a new approach known as the linguistic approach or Lingua method Linguists insist on the imitation and memorization of basic conversational sentences as spoken by native speaker. They also provided the descriptions or the distinctive elements of intonation pronunciation, morphology and syntax that constitute the structures of the language which gradually emerges as one masters the basic sentences and variations. The powerful idea of patterns; practice was developed because patterns rather than individual sentences particularly can be transferred from the native language.

The subject-matter of this approach contains:

(i) Basic conversational sentences for memorization.

(ii) Structural notes to help the students perceive and produce the stream of speech and sentence patterns of the foreign language.

(iii) Pattern practice exercise to establish patterns as habits

(iv) Laboratory material for oral aural practice out of class

(v) Opportunity for use of the language in communication rather than in translation.

Thus, this method limits itself to the working knowledge of a language and it is easier to learn in this way since one has not to go through intricacies. It is also easier since it needs minimum labour and saves so many technicalities. Besides this, it makes use of the latest technical devices in language teaching.