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The Theorist and the Language Teacher *
Author(s) -
Bolinger Dwight
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1944-9720.1968.tb00282.x
Subject(s) - confusion , linguistics , theoretical linguistics , language education , sociology , psychology , mathematics education , philosophy , psychoanalysis
The polarization of views that has taken place in linguistics since the mid‐fifties has sown no little confusion among applied linguists and among teachers who have looked to them for guidance. But the positions have been exaggerated and in any case the importance of linguistic theory to language teaching was less than it had been made to appear for propaganda purposes. The values of audiolingualism that have been proved in the classroom can be retained; the values that were mistakenly discarded can be recaptured. Language teaching will profit by the choices offered when points of view are in conflict, but it is not to be dictated to by any of them, for it is a profession in its own right.