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[Abstract]
This articles reports on a study that evaluated the audio-lingual method for teaching English to speakers of other languages, considering its advantages and disadvantages in light of the increasing demand for English today. It discusses features and nature of drills and practices used in the classroom. It finally discusses whether the audio-lingual method alone can be satisfactory in second language teaching.
[Keywords] Audio-lingual method; eclectic approach; communicative competence; army method; aural-oral method
Introduction
Teaching English as a Foreign Language has always been a controversial issue. Various teaching methods have come into vogue and disappeared. One of those methods that practically disappeared during the first half of the twentieth century is what was known as the direct method, which was widely used for teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language in the U.S. A., England, and many other parts of the world. As Maleki (2005) states:
The decline of the direct method led to the emergence of the audio-lingual method. The outbreak of World War II and the need for Americans to become orally proficient in the languages of their friends and foes alike contributed to the creation of the new method. Bits and pieces of the direct method were put together to make it, which was first known as the army method (pp. 2-3).
The term "audio-lingual" refers to two components of the communication process: "audio" emphasizes listening, while "lingual" stresses the speaking aspect. The audio-lingual methodology, developed in the mid-40s, was primarily a response to the need for more effective aural and oral skills, rather than the reading and writing skills that had for many years been in the foreground of language learning. This emphasis on the literate approach to communication is known as the grammar translation method. However, the aural-oral approach is a reaction to the old method and a modification of the direct method. This aural-oral approach is sometimes called the oral approach, the linguistic approach, the audio-lingual approach, or the army method.
According to Saville-Troike (1973), "older teaching methods emphasized the written forms of language, largely ignoring speech, and the audio-lingual approach was a reaction to this book-centered orientation" (p. 395). At some point, the audio-lingual method was described as the "new key", as stated by Savignon...