Chapter Six The Audiolingual Method

Ⅰ. Key points(学习要点)
1.Definition (定义)
The Audiolingual Method is a method of foreign language teaching which emphasizes the
teaching of listening and speaking before reading and writing. It uses dialogues as the main form
of language presentation and drills as the main training techniques. Mother tongue is discouraged
in the classroom.
2.Background(产生背景)
The Audiolingual Method was developed in the U.S. during the Second World War. At that
time, the U.S. government found it a great necessity to set up a special language-training
program to supply the war with language personnel. Therefore, the government commissioned
American universities to develop foreign language program for military personnel. Thus the
Army Specialized Training Programme (ASTP) was established in 1942.The objectives of the
army programme were for students to attain conversational proficiency in a variety of foreign
languages. The method used was known as the “informant method ”(当地人法), since it used a
native speakers of the language, the informant , and a linguist. The informant served as a source
of language for imitation, and the linguist supervised the learning experience. The intensive
system adopted by the army achieved excellent results.
Linguists and applied linguists during this period were becoming increasingly involved in the
teaching of English as a foreign language. In 1941 the first English Language institute in the U.S.
was established to in the University of Michigan. The director of the institute was Charles
Fries(弗里斯), who applied the principles of structural linguists to language teaching. The result
is an approach which advocated aural training first, then pronunciation training, followed by
speaking, reading and writing.
The emergence of the Audiolingual Method resulted from the increased attention to foreign
language teaching in the U.S. towards the end of the 1950s.The need for a radical change and
rethinking of foreign language teaching methodology made language teaching specialists set
about developing a method that was applicable to conditions in U.S. college and university
classrooms. They drew on the earlier experience of the army programmes and the Aural-Oral or

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structural Approach developed by Fries and his colleagues, adding insights taken from
behaviorist psychology. This combination of structural linguistic theory, aural-oral procedures,
and behaviourist psychology led to the Audiolingual Method, which was widely adopted for
teaching foreign languages in North American colleges and universities.
3.Theoretical Basis(理论背景)
1) theory of language (语言理论)
The theory of language underlying Audiolingualism was derived from a view proposed by
American linguists in the 1930s and 1940s. The view then came to be known as structural
linguistics with Bloomfield and Fries as its representatives. Structural linguistics views language
as a system of structurally related elements for the expression of meaning. These elements are
phonemes, morphemes, words, structures, and sentence types. The grammatical system consists
of a list of grammatical elements and rules for their linear combination into words, phrases,
phrases and sentences.
According to a structural view, language has the following characteristics:
(1) Elements in a language are produced in a rule-governed (structural) way. (语言成分是以

一定规则（结构）出现的)
(2) Language samples could be exhaustively described at any structural level of
description. (语言实例可以在任何结构层次上进行详尽的描述)
(3) Language is structural like a pyramid, that is, linguistic level is system within
system. (语言结构像金字塔，即语言层次的大结构系统里有小结构系统)
(4) Language is speech, not writing. (语言是口头的话语，不是笔头的文字)

(5) Languages are different. (语言各不相同)

The views of language above offered the foundation for the Audio lingual Method.
2) Theory of learning(学习理论)
（1）Behaviourist psychology（行为主义心理学）
The learning theory of Audiolingualism is behavioral psychology which is an empirically
based approach to the study of human behaviour. Behaviourism tries to explain how an external
event(a stimulus) caused a change in the behaviour of an individual(a response) without using
concepts like“mind”or “ideas” or any kind of mental behaviour. Behaviourist psychology states
that people are conditioned to learn many forms of behaviour, including language, through the

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 process of training or conditioning.
(2) The three crucial elements in learning: a stimulus, a response and reinforcement. (学习
中三个决定性因素：刺激、反应和强化)
The occurrence of these behaviours is dependent upon three crucial elements in learning: a
stimulus, which serves to elicit behaviour; a response triggered by a stimulus; and reinforcement,
which serves to mark the response as being appropriate (or inappropriate) and encourage the
repetition (or suppression) of the response in the future. Learning is thus described as the
formation of association between stimuli and responses.
(3) The application of this theory to language learning(该理论在语言学习中的运用)
To apply this theory to language learning is to identify the organism as the foreign language
learner, the behaviour as verbal behaviour, the stimulus as what is taught (language input), the
response as the learner’s reaction to the stimulus, and the reinforcement as the approval or praise
(or discouragement) of the teacher or fellow students.
(4) Language learning: a mechanical process of habit formation(语言学习：一个机械的习
惯形成过程)
According to this behaviourist psychology, learning a language is a process of acquiring a set
of appropriate language stimulus-response chains, a mechanical process of habit formation.
4.Basic Principles(基本原则)
1） Main features(主要特征)

By drawing on the structural linguistics and behaviourist psychology, the Audiolingual

Method formed its own distinctive characteristics.
There are mainly five of them:
(1) Separation of language skills into listening, speaking, reading and writing, with emphasis on the
teaching of listening and speaking before reading and writing;(把语言分成听、说、读、写四种技
能，在教学中强调先听说，后读写；)
(2) Use of dialogues as the chief means of presenting the language;(对话是语言教学中的主要形
式；)
(3) Emphasis on certain practice techniques: mimicry, memorization and pattern drills; (强调模仿、
记忆、和句型操练；)
(4) Discouraging the use of the mother tongue in the classroom;(在课堂教学中避免使用母语；)

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(5) Use of language lab.(使用语言实验室)
2）Objectives(教学目标)
The general objective of the Audiolingual Method is to enable the target language
communicatively, Short-range objectives include training in listening comprehension, accurate
pronunciation, reading comprehension and production of the Audiolingual Method are the
development of mastery in all four language skills, beginning with listening and speaking, and
using these as a basis for the teaching of reading and writing. Long-range objective, or the
ultimate goal, is to develop in the students the same types of abilities that native speaking have,
to use it automatically without stopping to think.
3) Techniques（教学技巧）

Dialogues and pattern practice form the basis of audiolingual classroom practice. The use
of them is a distinctive feature of the Audiolingual Method. The techniques used by the
Audiolingual Method are:
(1) Repetition drill （ 重 复 练 习 ） ： This drill is often used to teach the lines of the
dialogue. Students are asked to repeat the teacher’s model as accurately and as quickly as
possible.e.g.:
T S
This is a book→This is a book.
Students do this without looking at their book. They have to produce the appropriate sounds first.
(2) Substitution drill( 替换练习)：The students repeat the line from the dialogue which
the teacher has given them, substituting the cue into the line in its proper place. e.g.:
T C S
They drink wine. → beer→They drink beer.
→coffee→They drink coffee.
→tea→They drink tea.
The major purpose of this drill is to give the students practice in finding and filling in the
slots of a sentence.
(3) Question-and-answer drill( 问 答 练 习 ) ： The drill gives students practice with
answering questions. The students should answer the teacher’s question very quickly. It is also
possible for the teacher to cue the students to ask questions as well. This gives students practice
with the question pattern. e.g.
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 1. T: Are there any questions? Ss: No, there aren’t any.
T: Is there any milk? Ss: No, there isn’t any.
T: Are there any sandwiches? Ss: No, there aren’t any.
T: Is there any wine? Ss: No, there isn’t any.
2. T: he read The Times Ss: What did he read?
T: He said “Good morning.” Ss: What did he say?
T: He saw “The Sound of Music. ” Ss: What did he see?
(4) Expansion drill( 扩 展 句 子 训 练 ) ： This drill helps students to produce longer
sentence bit by bit, gradually achieving fluency. The main structure is repeated first, then
students have to put cue phrase in its proper place. e.g.
T: They go to the cinema.
Ss: They go to the cinema.
T: On Sundays
Ss: They go to the cinema on Sundays.
T: Always.
Ss: They always go to the cinema on Sundays.
T: Nearly.
Ss: They nearly always go to the cinema on Sundays.
(5) Clause combination drill (合并句子练习)：Students learn to combine two simple
sentences into a complex one. e.g.
T: It may rain. He’ll stay at home.
Ss: If it may rain, he’ll stay at home.
T: It may be sunny. We’ll go to the beach.
Ss: If it may be sunny, we’ll go to the beach.
T: It may snow. They’ll go skating.
Ss: If it may snow, they’ll go skating.
(6) Background build-up drill( or backchaining 逆向读句练习):This drill is used when a
long line of dialogue is giving students trouble. The teacher breaks down the line into several
parts. The students repeat a part of the sentence, usually the last phrase of the line. Then,
following the teacher’s cue, the students expand what they are repeating part by part until they
are able to repeat the entire line. The teacher begins with the part at the end of the sentence (and

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works backward from there) to keep the intonation of the line as natural as possible. This also
directs more student attention to the end of the sentence, where new information typically occurs.
e.g.
T: the flowers
Ss: the flowers
T: watering the flowers
Ss: watering the flowers
T: is watering the flowers
Ss: is watering the flowers
T: Ian is watering the flowers.
Ss: Ian is watering the flowers.
(7)Chain drill(完成链接练习) ：A chain drill gets its name from the chain of conversation
that forms around the classroom as students, one-by-one, ask and answer questions of each other.
The teacher begins the chain by greeting a particular student, or asking him a question. That
student responds, and then turns to the student sitting next to him. e.g.
T: Hello, what’s your name?
S1: My name is John Smith. (He turns to the student next to her.) Hello, what’s your
name?
S2: My name is Mary Clinton. (She turns to the student next to her.) Hello, what’s your
name?
S3: My name is Peter.
……
(8)Completion (完成句子练习)：Students hear an utterance that is complete except for one
word, and then repeat the utterance in completed form. e.g.
T: I’ll go my way and you go_____
Ss: I’ll go my way and you go yours.
T: We all have____own troubles.
Ss: We all have our own troubles.
(9) Use of minimal pairs (最小成对练习，又称语音辨别练习) ：The teacher works with
pair of words which differ in only one sound; students are first asked to find the difference
between the two word and later to say the two words. e.g.

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 ship—sheep live—leave leap—lip bit—beat
4)Procedures(教学步骤)
In a typical audiolingual lesson the following procedures will be observed:
(1)Recognition (认别) : Students first hear a model dialogue (either read by the teacher or
on the tape) containing the key structures that are the focus of the lesson and try to understand
the meaning of the dialogue with the help of the teacher’s gestures, mime, and context or
situation established in advance.
(2)Imitation and repetition (模仿和复述)：The students repeat each line of the dialogue,
individually and in chorus. The students must imitate the right pronunciation, intonation and
fluency.
(3) Pattern drills ( 句型操练 )：Certain key structures from the dialogue are selected and
used as the basis for pattern drills of different kinds.
(4) Follow-up activities ( 补 充 练 习 ) ： The students now are allowed to look at their
textbooks. They are usually asked to do some follow-up reading, writing or vocabulary activities.
This will guide their use of the language.

A sample lesson
In order to come to a better understanding of this method, let us now enter a classroom where
the Audiolingual Method is being used. The students are English beginners:
Class begins, the teacher reads the following dialogue to the students who are expected to
imitate and eventually memorize it:
T: All right, class. I’m going to read a dialogue to you. Listen carefully.
Sally: Good morning, Bill.
Bill: Good morning, Sally.
Sally: How are you?
Bill: Fine, thanks. And you?
Sally: Fine. Where are you going?
Bill: I’m going to the post office.
Sally: I am too. Shall we go together?
Bill: Sure. Let’s go.
T: Listen one more time. This time try to understand all that I am saying. (Now the teacher has

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 the whole class listen to her. Sometimes she uses actions to help convey meaning. All of
the teacher’s instructions are in English.)
T: Understand? Now I’m going to repeat the dialogue. Say each of the lines of the dialogue
after me. (The students repeat each line several times before moving on to the next line,
When the class comes to the line “I’m going to the post office”, they stumble a bit in their
repetition. The, at this point, stops the repetition and uses a backward build-up drill. )
T: Repeat after me: post office.
Ss: post office.
T: to the post office
Ss: to the post office
T: going to the post office
Ss: going to the post office
T: I’m going to the post office.
Ss: I’m going to the post office.
(The students repeat the dialogue after the teacher several times.)
T: Good. Now I’m going to talk for Sally and talk for Bill.
T: Good morning, Bill.
Ss: Good morning, Sally.
T: How are you?
Ss: Fine, thanks. And you?
T: Fine. Where are you going?
Ss: I’m going to the post office.
T: I am too. Shall we go together?
Ss: Sure. Let’s go.
Next the class and the teacher switch roles in order to practise a little more, the teacher saying
Bill’s line and class saying Sally’s. Then the teacher divides the class in half so that each half
gets to try say on their own either Bill’s or Sally’s line. To further practise the lines of this
dialogue, the teacher has all the boys in the class take Bill’s part and all the girls take Sally’s.
T: Fine. Now. Look at John and me. Then do the same.
T: Good morning, John.
J: Good morning. Miss Brown.

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 T: How are you?
J: Fine, thanks. And you?
T: Fine.
Then John understands through the teacher’s gestures that he is to turn to the student sitting
beside him and greet her. That student, in turn, says her lines in reply to him. When she has
finished, she greets the students on the other side of her. This chain continues until all of the
students have a chance to ask and answer the questions. Since there are 40 students in the class,
the teacher divides the class in half and asks the other half do the same. The last student from
each half directs their greeting to each other.
T: Now, I’d like two of you to perform the whole dialogue for the class. Anyone wants to try?
(A boy and a girl put up their hand, when they have finished, two others do the same. Not
everyone has a chance to say the dialogue, but by now the teacher is sure the students know
the dialogue rather well.)
T: Now, look at these pictures: a bank, a drugstore, a park, a bus station, a library, a school
(Each time she shows a picture, she says the phrase, and the students get the meaning and
sound of that phrase.) I’m going to the bank.(From her example the students realize that
they are supposed to take the cue phrase, “the bank”, which the teacher supplies, and put it
into its proper place in the sentence. )
T: I’m going to the bank---the drugstore
Ss: I’m going to the drugstore.
T: the bus station
Ss: I’m going to the bus station.
T: the park
Ss: I’m going to the park.
T: the library
……
After the students have gone through the drill sequence three times, the teachers no longer
provides a spoken cue phrase. Instead she simply shows the pictures at a time, and the students
repeat the entire sentence putting the name of the place in the picture in the appropriate slot in the
sentence.
T: Now, I’m going to the post office. Sally. (The students understand and produce “Sally is
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 going to the post office.”)
T: Bill
Ss: Bill is going to the post office.
T: to the park
Ss: Bill is going to the park.
T: she
Ss: She is going to the park.
T: Bill and Sally
Ss: They are going to the park.
T: to the post office
Ss: They are going to the post office.
T: Very good. Next we’ll do different thing. I say, “She is going to the post office.” You make a
question by saying, “Is she going to the post office? ” I say, “He is going to the park.” You ask,
“is he going to the park?” Does everybody understand? Ok, let’s begin.
T: They are going to the park.
Ss: Are they going to the park?
T: My mother is going to the drugstore.
Ss: Is she going to the drugstore?
……
When the class has had enough practice, the teacher decides to move on to the next drill.
T: (Points at a picture) Are you going to the football field? (She answers her own question.) Yes
I’m going to the football field. (She holds up a picture of a school.) Are you going to the
school? (She herself answers.) Yes, I’m going to the school. (Then she poses a question to the
class.) Are you going to the library? (The class respond together.) Yes, I’m going to the library.
T: Very good. (She again shows the class one of the pictures, a supermarket this time, and asks.)
Are you going to the bus station? (She answers her own question.) No, I’m going to the
supermarket. Now, answer my questions according to the pictures I show you.
T: (Holding up a picture of a library) Are you going to the library?
Ss: Yes, I’m going to the library.
T: (turns to student 1 with a picture of a school) Are you going to the library?
S1: No, I’m going to the school.

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 T: (Turns to student 2 with a picture of a park) Are you going to the school?
S2: No, I’m going to the park.
T: Good. Now look at the dialogue in your book, read it in pairs and then use the phrases on the
phrases on the blackboard to take the place of “the post office.” Work in pairs. (She writes
the following phrases on the blackboard: the park, the school, the café, the bus station, the
supermarket, the drugstore, the library, etc.)
For the final few minutes of the class, the teacher returns to the dialogue with which she
begins the lesson. She repeat it once, then has one half do Bill’s lines and the other half do
Sally’s. The students move through the dialogue smoothly. They then swap roles and do the
same. The teacher smiles, “Very good. Class dismissed.” (Adapted from Larsenfreeman, 1986)
5. Summary and Comments (总结和评价)
1) Advantages: (优点)
（1）The first method to have a theory (第一个具有理论基础的外语教学法)
The audiolingual theory is probably the first language teaching theory that openly claims to
be derived from linguistics and psychology.
(2) Making language teaching possible to large groups of learners (使语言教学得以大范围
地在学习者中进行)
It attempts to make language learning accessible to large groups of ordinary learners.
With large classes, drills are of particular use in that they maximize student participation.
(3) Emphasizing sentence production , control over grammatical structures and
development of oral ability (强调句法、掌握语法结构、提高口语能力)
The Audiolingual Method stresses syntactical progression and uses pattern drill to help
the students gain control over grammatical structures, which is a much more interesting way of
learning grammar than working through written exercises. What’s more, drilling can be
positively beneficial in helping a student to develop his oral ability.
(4) Developing simple techniques and making use of language lab (教法简单易行，使用语
言实验室)
It leads to the development of simple techniques of varied, graded, and intensive practice
of specific features of the language, and more scientifically selected and systematically arranged
materials and structural patterns to go with. Moreover, the teaching techniques with tape

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recordings and language lab drills offer practice in speaking and listening which are considered
of primary importance in language learning.
(5)Developing the separation of the language skills (对语言能力进行了分类)
The Audiolingual Method develop the separation of the language skills into a pedagogical
device, that is, listening, speaking, reading and writing .It lays emphasis on listening and
speaking which did not gain so much importance from Grammar-Translation Method.
2)Disadvantages(缺点)
（1）Weak basis of its theory(理论基础薄弱)
The theoretical basis of the Audiolingual Method was found to be weak. The behaviourist
theory could not possibly serve, as a model of how humans learn language, since much of human
language is not imitated behaviour, but is created anew from underlying knowledge of abstract
rules.
(2) Not developing language competence , lack of effectiveness , and boredom caused by
endless pattern drills (不能发展语言能力 ，效果不大 ，句型操练枯燥无味)
Techniques such as pattern practice, drilling, memorization, etc. might lead to language like
behavior, but they are not resulting in competence. Teachers complain about the lack of
effectiveness of the techniques in the long run, and students complain about the boredom caused
by endless pattern drills.
（3）Learners having little control over their learning (学习者几乎无法控制他们的学习)
Learners play a reactive role by respond to stimuli, and thus have little control over the
content, pace or style of learning. They are not encouraged to initiate interaction, because this
may lead to mistakes.
(4) Teacher’s domination of the class (教师控制着课堂的教学活动)
The teacher’s role is central and active .It is the teacher who always dominates the class.
The teacher models the target language, controls the direction and pace of learning, and monitors
and corrects the learner’s performance.
(5)Teacher-oriented materials(教材的编写以教师为中心)
Materials in the audiolingual Method are primarily teacher-oriented. The teacher’s book
contains the structured sequence of lessons to be followed, and the dialogues, drill, and other
practice activities.

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 II.points for discussion (思考题及参考答案)
1． Is there anything in Audiolingual Method you find useful in your teaching situation?
Why or why not?
Yes, there are many useful things we can learn from the Audiolingual Method. (1)It states
language is a structured system and rule governed. If language learning were organized
according to its structure, language learning would be easier, especially to adult learners. (2)The
Audiolingual Method considers language ability made up of four skills and these skills can be
taught separately. Since the natural order of skill acquisition is listening, speaking, reading, and
writing, the Method gives the primary stress to the first two of the four skills. Speech is more
basic to language than the written form, and listening and speaking are the basic form of verbal
communication. In the classroom, the language skills are taught in the order of listening,
speaking, reading and writing. (3)Using pattern drills is the center of practice in Audiolingual
Method. It can help students not only gain control over grammatical structures, but also develop
their oral ability. (4)The Audiolingual method also provides language teachers with many useful
techniques. The simple drilling techniques provide varied, graded and intensive practice of
specific features of the language. The simple and direct approach is especially appropriate for
young students and less gifted ones. Moreover, teaching technique with tape recordings and
language lab drills offer practice in speaking and listening, which are considered of primary
importance in language learning.
2.What conditions are needed if you want to apply the Audiolingual Method in your
teaching?
The general objective of the Audiolingual Method is to enable the students to use the target
language comunicatively. They should be able to respond quickly and accurately in speech
situation. Therefore, teaching materials should be structurally based; the chief means of
presenting the language should be the use of dialogues. And it is better to have tape recorders and
other audiolingual equipment which often have central roles in an audiolingual classroom. A
language lab is considered essential in it. If these conditions are met, we could possibly apply the
Audiolingual Method in our teaching.
3.Does it make sense to you that language learning results from habit formation? Why
or why not?

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 To a certain extent, language learning results from habit formation. The model of stimulus-
response- reinforcement accounts for how a human being learns a language. In learning
language, the stimulus is what is taught (language input), the response is the learner’s reaction to
the stimulus, and the reinforcement is the praise of the teacher or fellow students. The habit is the
result of stimulus, correct response and reward again and again. The more frequently this
happens, the stronger the habit becomes. Language learning is a process of acquiring a set of
language stimulus-response chains, a mechanical process of habit formation.
4.Should the commission of errors be prevented as much as possible? Why or why not?
It depends on the using of language situation and the purpose of language teaching. When
the focus of teaching is on language form, and when the students are doing mechanical pattern
drills in the classroom, the teacher should correct the students whenever errors are committed.
But when the students are engaged in communication, and the focus is on getting meaning
across, errors should not be tacked on the spot, because they would be too much concerned with
language forms and would never develop oral ability. Unless communication is affected by the
errors, students should not be corrected. In the same way, there might be more correction of
errors in written than in oral communication.
5.Should the major focus be on the structural pattern of the target language? Why or
why not?
It depends on the developmental language stages of the learners. The major forms could be
on the structural pattern of the target language when your objective at the beginning stage is to
get the students to master the structures of the language. It also depends on your view of
language and your view of language teaching. If you hold that language is a system of structures
without considering the other aspects of the language, the major focus should be on the structural
patterns. And if you consider language teaching is to teach language as a body of knowledge, not
to develop students’ ability as a communication tool, then the focus should be on the structural
pattern of the target language. Otherwise, the major focus could be on the other areas.
6.Is dialogue a useful way to introduce new material? Why or why not?
Yes, dialogue is a useful way to introduce new material. Dialogues can provide a natural
context for the language forms as long as it is from real communication, not artificially
expressed. Dialogues show the learner how language is used in real language interaction, and

14
they can be good models of oral communication. Dialogues are also believed to reflect the
cultural aspects of the target language. Certain sentence patterns and grammar points are
included within the dialogue. These patterns and points are later practiced in drills based on the
line of dialogue.
7.Should dialogues be memorized through mimicry of the teacher’s model? Why or why
not?
No, dialogues should not be memorized through mimicry of the teacher’s model. A
dialogue is an individual case of language communication, between two persons. It only tells the
students that when the participants take a certain kind of social role, in a certain kind of situation,
about a certain topic, conversation goes that way. Dialogues are thought to provide meaningful
context for the key structures and to illustrate situation in which those structures might be used.
Here, meaning is the center of a dialogue, and human communication varies. No dialogue is held
in exactly the same way, in the same kind of situation and about same topic. Students do not have
to memorize the teacher’s model. Student should try their best to develop their language
competence, including communicative competence, discourse competence, and strategic
competence etc, so that they can use the target language communicatively.
8.Are structure drills valuable pedagogical activities? Why or why not?
Yes, structure drills are valuable pedagogical activities in language learning. With large
classes, drills are of particular use in that they can maximize student’s participation. A one-word
cue on the part of the teacher can elicit a complete utterance form the students and an enormous
number of such utterances can be produced within the space of two minutes. With judicious
mixing of choral and individual drill, each student can have the chance to respond productively
about five times a minute in class of twenty students or fewer. However, drills should be used
judiciously, if over used, students will get bored.
9.Could you adapt any of techniques to your own teaching? Why or why not?
Yes, we could adapt some kinds of techniques used by the Audiolingual Method, such as
dialogues and pattern drills. The use of dialogues and pattern drills is a distinctive feature of the
Audiolingual Method. They form the basis of audiolingual classroom practice. Dialogues are
thought to provide meaningful context for the key structures and to illustrate situations in which
those structures might be used. Certain sentence patterns and grammar points are included within

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the dialogue. Various kinds of pattern drills are used for different purpose. Some key structures
from the dialogue are for the dialogue are selected and used as the basis for pattern drills of
different kinds.
10.Which of the principles of the Audiolingual Method are acceptable to you?
Among the five principles of the Audiolingual Method, we think “Language is speech, not
writing ” and “Language are different.” are more acceptable to us. The former means that
language is first speech and written form is only the recording of speech. Speech is more basic to
language than the written form. In the classroom, the language skills are taught in order of
listening, speaking, reading and writing. The later means that the native language and the target
language have separate linguistic systems, so there is usually no exact equivalent between two
languages. The habits of the students’ native language would interfere with the students’ attempts
to master the target language. They should be kept apart so that the students’ native language
interferes as little as possible with the students’ learning of the foreign language.

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