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Linguists and Foreign Language Teachers
Author(s) -
Stein Jack M.
Publication year - 1975
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.1944-9720.1975.tb01520.x
Subject(s) - dilemma , foreign language , transformational leadership , foreign language teaching , linguistics , psychology , position (finance) , language assessment , language education , pedagogy , sociology , mathematics education , epistemology , social psychology , philosophy , finance , economics
Since foreign language teachers are neither structural nor transformational linguists, the current controversy between the two linguistic schools has caused uncertainty about the validity of audiolingual techniques. Addressing itself to the foreign language teacher and his dilemma, the article briefly examines the two theories, their affinities, and their associations with more general theories of knowledge, particularly with learning psychology. It draws the implications of each position for the teaching of foreign languages and ends with the suggestion that we continue using structurally‐based audio‐lingual techniques, but enrich them with experimental infusions from the transformationalist position. While remaining alert for possible new developments in language teaching techniques, the teacher can then safely leave the infighting to the professional linguists.