Views the teaching of grammar as fundamental to the development of competence in a language, and asserts that grammar can best be taught by providing students with the appropriate rules followed by ample practice in their use. (FB)

States that language teaching materials aimed at producing competence in a language must be based on a knowledge of the rules underlying the language and considers transformational generative grammar as essential in developing such materials. (FB)

In this essay, the relationship of American linguistic theory to teaching English as a second language (ESL) is traced over the past few decades. The limitations of the structuralist paradigm in a language learning situation are discussed. The use of pattern drills based on the structuralist surface feature attention to word placement. The…

In the last decade an unprecedented number of college-level foreign students have appeared in the United States, competing with native speakers in schools where the only medium of instruction is English. All students at American universities have to do three kinds of sophisticated writing--summarizing in notes, writing exam essays, and writing…

Based on a paper presented at the TESOL Convention, March 1970, San Francisco, California. (DS)

Advocates a method of teaching writing which leads students to discover the rules of written English so that they can then transform a string of grammatical sentences into a coherent discourse. Sample lessons included. Paper presented at the TESOL Convention, March 1969. (FWB)

Noam Chomsky's numerous criticisms of formerly well-accepted beliefs about the nature of language learning (e.g. in his review of Skinner's "Verbal Behavior") have led to a diversity of views regarding the potential application of transformational theory to the teaching of English as a second language/dialect. It seems clear, moreover, that his…

There is a difference between learning a second language and learning a second dialect; the English as a second language (ESL) program should be limited to teaching English to students who do not already know English. Although there are not enough ESL programs, there is also a problem that some students are receiving ESL instruction even though…

This paper attempts to discuss some of the implications of transformational grammar for language analysis and language learning. The author covers the following points: (1) transformational grammar--some background and some claims, and some linguistic and psychological implications; (2) which, if any, of the claims of transformational grammar are…

It is possible to examine the development of English wh-questions in first and second language learners and to detect regularities in the order of emergence of certain linguistic structures. It is also possible to speculate whether the stages in language acquisition correspond to the transformational derivation in transformational grammar. The…

This study presents the procedures and results of an experiment conducted in Sweden to assess the relative effectiveness of two methods of teaching the grammatical structures of English as a foreign language to adults. The main objective of the study is to find indications as to which of the two theories (the audiolingual habit theory or the…

This collection of articles concerns various aspects of a cognitive approach to second language learning. The discussion of such an approach involves current ideas in linguistics, psychology, and sociology. The 13 chapters represent the work of 14 authors and include the following titles: "Toward a Cognitive Approach,""Teaching English to Speakers…