The relevance, the application, and the importance of linguistics to teaching English as a foreign language is discussed. The author's assumption is that linguistics is "irrelevant to the aims, and inapplicable to the tasks of such teaching," and agrees with linguists such as Rosenbaum that the goal of linguistic science is "to determine…

Paper presented February 28, 1972, at the TESOL Convention in Washington, D.C. (VM)

Presents an essentially Bloomfieldian approach to language and language teaching; sees the concept of language as interplay between stimuli and reactions as the basis of a wholly creditable system of teaching, a tremendous number of textbooks, and a large number of language courses." (FB)

The structural linguistic approach for teaching language awareness to student teachers is compared to the semiotic approach, which explores signs and symbols rather than morphemes and phonemes. Advantages of the semiotic approach include its simple introduction and use and its exclusive focus on communication rather than disembodied linguistic…

Each speaker-hearer commands a language system that he uses unconsciously as he speaks and writes. Discovery of the rules underlying that system shows the futility of some accepted teaching practices and suggests other approaches. (Author)

Theoretical Assessment of the dialogue as a potential language-teaching device. Appendix and supplementary reading list included. (DS)

Traces the history of linguistic theory as it has affected the field of second language instruction. (AM)

English-as-a-Second-Language data show number and person play a role in establishing cognitive continuity of textual occurrences. In such cases, number/person errors are global, affecting text comprehension. Global grammar proposed here can present language features that are to be learned in contexts that render those features cognitively and…

All proposed programs in foreign language instruction should be scrutinized and questioned in liberal-minded research centers, because this field seems to have arrived at an impasse. Two types of impasse are evident: "intrinsic" and "emergent.""Intrinsic" refers to built-in difficulties, those that are not artificially imposed on the…

Attempts to show that the linguistic aspects of structural exercises are not compatible with the linguistic theories underlying the exercises; and traces the history of structural exercises. (Text is in French.) (AM)

This article discusses the deficiencies of the Audiolingual method and provides examples of ways to combine grammar and context in drills, in order to enable students to communicate. A practical application of the theory is described through the Hue University program. (AM)