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SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE USE OF THE NATIVE LANGUAGE IN ELEMENTARY LANGUAGE TEACHING
Author(s) -
Politzer Robert L.
Publication year - 1958
Publication title -
language learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.882
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1467-9922
pISSN - 0023-8333
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-1770.1958.tb00868.x
Subject(s) - citation , first language , linguistics , computer science , psychology , library science , philosophy
Whether or not, or to what extent, the native language of the learner should be used in the foreign language class is a perennial problem of discussion among language teachers. Some language teachers-especially those who believe in the so-called “direct method”-make the exclusive use of the foreign language the main feature of their teaching and condemn use of the native language quite categorically. Most linguists concerned with language teaching have generally been less categorical in condemning the use of the native language and have admitted it for certain purposes.1 What are then the possible uses of the native language, and what are the main dangers connected with the use of the native language? This short article does not pretend either to exhaust the subject or to present the views of “linguistics” on that subject: it merely gives the reflections of one linguist, who has for some years been concerned with foreign language teaching in general, and more specifically with the teaching of French to native speake r s of English. I and probably most language teachers, linguist or nonlinguist, believe that the foreign language class should afford a maximum of active practice in the foreign language. Those of us who are linguists have come to the conclusion that this practice should be directed toward acquiring specific sentence patterns in the foreign language, and should concentrate systematically on the points of difficulty: those sounds, vocabulary problems o r structures in which the foreign language clashes with the native language of the learner2 As a general rule I believe that the native language is used to advantage if it frees additional classroom time for that type of practice. Some of the major reasons for the use of the native language are there1 fore the following: 1. Certain phases of classroom instruction can be accomplished more economically in the native language. Two possible uses of the native language come to my mind under this heading of economy: