外语教学法习题集.doc

外语教学法习题集

1.The nature of foreign language teaching methodology
1-What are the function and result of the two controversies in ancient Greece? 古希腊两个著名论争的功能和结果？
One controversy was between the naturalists and the conventionalists. The naturalists argued that the form of words reflected the nature of objects. The conventionalists thought that language was conventional and there was no logic connection between form and meaning of words. The other controversy was between the analogiata and the anomalists on the regularities of language. The analogists claimed language was regular and there were rules for people to follow. The anomalists maintained there were no rules . Their debate roused people’s interest in language and led them to the detailed study of Greek. The direct result was the appearance of a book of Greek grammar.
2 What are the main features of traditional linguistics?传统语言学的主要特征 Traditional Linguistics was practical in nature. People made a study of language in order to read classic works. Traditional linguists believed that the written form of language was superior to spoken form. They tried to set up principles and standards for people to use language correctly.
3-What are the contributions made by Franz Boas, Edward Sapir and Leonard Bloomfield to the development of American structuralism? 这些人对美国结构主义发展的贡献
Franz Boas and Edward Sapir were forerunners of American structuralism. Boas studied the American Indians’ languages and found that the traditional grammatical model could not be used to analyse the structure of those languages. He had to describe those language as they were used. This started American structuralism. Leonard Bloomfield accepted the theories and principles of Franz Boas. He argued that linguists should describe instead of prescribing what people say and should take an inductive approach in analyzing data. In 1933, he published the book Language. It soon became the bible of American structuralism.
4-What is the influence of behaviourism over American structuralism? 行为主义对美国结构主义的影响
In 1933, the American psychologist John Watson published an article entitled Psychology as Behaviourist Views It . This was the formal introduction behaviourism. Watson believed we had no direct way to observe the animal’s mind. We could only observe the animal’s behaviour and the external environmental conditions. Behaviourists studied the relation between stimuli and responses. They divided learning process into two kinds. One kind is now called classic conditioning. The other is called operant conditioning. Behaviourism helped the development of structuralism.
5-- What is Chomsky’s explanation of the first language acquisition process? 乔姆斯基对母语获得的解释
Chomsky assumes that children are born with a language acquisition device (LAD). This LAD is made up of a set of general principles called universal grammar. When the child is born, the particular language environment will trigger the LAD. Children’s language acquisition process completes when the universal grammar is successfully transformed into the grammar of a particular language.
6-What is the difference between linguistic competence and linguistic performance? 语言能力和语言应用的不同
Linguistic competence refers to the internalized knowledge of the language that a native speaker of that language possesses. Linguistic performance refers to the actural utterance produced by the native speakers.
7-How does transformational generative linguistics differ in research methods?在研究方法上转换生成语言学有什么不同？
Transformational generative linguistics opposes the structuralist method of taking linguistic performance as the goal. It also attacks the inductive approach. It believes that linguistics should study the linguistic competence, not the performance, of the native speaker and try to set up a system of rules that will generate an infinite number of grammatical sentences.
8--What is the main feature of functional linguistics?功能语言学的特征
Functional linguistics, founded by Malinowski and developed by Firth, believes “the meaning of any single word is to a high degree dependent on its context” It introduced the phrase “context of situation”. The theory is based on the notion of function in context. Its point of view is that linguistic events should be accounted for at three primary levels: substance, form and context. The theory also divides a particular situation type into three dimensions.
9--What is the basic theory of Gestalt psychology? 格式塔心理学的主要理论
Gestalt psychology appeared in the 1920s. Its research was focused on the area of perception, aiming at the exploration of the relationship between parts and whole in people’s perceptional experience. It claimed that people received objects and scenes as organized wholes before they noticed their component parts. The word Gestalt means “organized shape” or “whole form ” in English.
10--What is the basic theory of psychoanalysis? 心里分析的主要理论 The basic theory of psychoanalysis is put forward by Freud. The theory divided the mind into conscious and unconscious mind. The conscious mind is only a very small part of the whole mind while the rest remains unconscious. Psychoanalysis aims to analyse the irrational behavour of patients.
11--What are the principles of behaviourism? 行为主义的原则 The principles of behaviourism are as follow: Psychologists should study what could be observed publicly and objectively instead of considering animal’s mental events because these things could not be seen. Behaviourism believes that the study should be focused on learning and the relation between stimuli and responses.
12--What is the difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning? 经典性和操作性条件反射的区别 Classical conditioning means the stimulus that does not elicit a response comes to elicit a response after it is paired several times with a stimulus that already elicited a response. Operant conditioning means the occurrence of a response will be determined by the consequence of the response.
13-- What are the three factors that have helped to set up the cognitive psychology? 认知心理学发展的三个前提条件 The three factors are the development of computer technology, Jean Piaget’s research work on the reasoning abilities of children, and the work of the American linguist Chomsky.
14--How does the cognitive psychology explain the acquisition of knowledge? 认知心理学如何解释知识获得 The term cognitive means knowledge and cognitive psychology can be defined as the study of people’s ability to acquire, organize, remember and use knowledge to guide their behaviour. As for the acquisition of knowledge, cognitive psychology believes that there are two principal types of cognitive structures which are called schemas and concepts. The schemas refer to sets of rules that define categories of behaviour and concepts are rules that describe properties of events and their relations with one another. Children acquire schemas and concepts by interacting with their environment with the help of two processes — assimilation and accommodation.
15--How does the habit-formation theory explain the second language acquisition process?习惯养成论如何解释二语获得过程 Habit-formation theory was put forward by a group of behaviorists. According to their theory, learning a second language means the formation of a new set of linguistic habits. Imitation and practice play n important role in the process of habit-formation. Imitation will help learners identify the association between stimuli and responses while practice will reinforce the association and help learners to form the new linguistic habit.
16--how does the hypothesis of linguistic universals explain the second language acquisition process? 语言共性说 The hypothesis says there exist certain linguistic properties which are true to all natural languages into core grammar and peripheral grammar. Human beings are born with a language acquisition device (LAD). The second language learners usually acquire the core grammar of the target language and then the peripheral grammar. The core grammar of the learner’s mother tongue will help the learners to learn the target language.
17--How does the acculturation theory explain the second language acquisition? 文化传递说 Acculturation means individuals of one culture have to go through the process of modification in attitudes, knowledge and behavior in order to do well in another culture. It believes that second language acquisition is just one aspect of acculturation and the degree of acculturation will control the degree of second language acquisition.
18--How does the discourse theory explain the second language acquisition process? 话语情境说 The discourse theory argues that there is little difference between the first language acquisition process and the process of the second language acquisition –only through communication discourse can the learner acquire the second language.
19---What are the five hypothesis of the monitor theory? They are the acquisition –learning hypothesis, the monitor hypothesis, the natural order hypothesis, the input hypothesis, and the affective filter hypothesis.
20--How does the cognitive theory explain the second language acquisition process? The cognitive theory claims that second language learning should be regarded as the acquisition of a complex cognitive skill. The process of second language acquisition is a process in which the internal representations are being restructured constantly. The acquisition involves two process- automaticity and restructuring. Language learning at the beginning stage involves none of the process of restructuring.
21-What are the principles and consequences of the Reform Movement? The principles of the Reform Movement were the primacy of speech, the centrality of the connected text as the kernel of the language teaching process, and the absolute priority of an oral method in the classroom. The consequences were great. Many people took part in the reform and movement. A lot of book were published. An applied linguistic approach to language teaching began to take shape.
22--What’s the contribution made by Daniel Jones and Harold Palmer to the development of Daniel Jones teaching? Daniel Jones was the first one that helped to make a profession the teaching of English as a second /foreign language. And he did a lot of research on the profession of foreign language teaching. He wrote a number of books from his research. Harold Palmer tried out the Oral Method in his teaching and did his research on the English vocabulary. He published a lot of books on methods of language teaching and textbooks.
23 What are the reasons for the rise and fall of Audiolingual Method? Audiolingual Method comes from the theories and ideas of behaviourism and structurism. It was very popular in the 1950s. Towards the end of the 1950s, transformational generative linguistics started a war against it and finally brought it down from its dominant position.
24-What are the main trends of applied linguistic research in the present period? In the present period, applied linguists have began to study foreign language teaching from different perspectives. New ideas and new trends appear very quickly. The new trends include communicative language teaching, new approaches to language syllabus and exploration of human relations, in foreign language teaching.

2.The Grammar-Translation Method

1-How did the Grammar-Translation Method develop into its present form? Before the 16th century, Latin was the language of communication in the Western World. Then in the 16th century, modern languages such as French, Italian and English gained in importance as a result of political changes in Europe. With the development of modern languages, Latin gradually became displaced as a living language. The main purpose of learning Latin was to study the classical culture. Grammar analysis and translation proved to be effective means in study foreign culture through literary works. The mind of human beings could be trained by logical analysis of the classic language, extensive memorization of complicated rules and paradigms and translation between languages. Grammar analysis and translation became the basic procedures in the 18th century. Thus the Grammar-Translation Method became the principal method of teaching modern languages in schools.
2-What is the focus of a Grammar-Translation classroom? It is the teaching of the foreign language grammar. Grammar is the core of language, and teaching materials are arranged according to the grammatical system. The processing of learning grammar is considered an important means of training mental abilities.
3-What language skills are emphasized? Reading and writing are emphasized in a Grammar-Translation classroom because literary language is regarded as superior to spoken language. Therefore the language learners should study written language. The focus on understanding literary texts provides the situation in which reading and writing abilities are well trained.
4-What is the main technique used in a Grammar-Translation classroom? Translation is the main techniques used in a Grammar-translation classroom. General speaking, literary translation should be followed by free translation; and sentence translation followed by passage translation. A Grammar-Translation teacher also uses the following techniques: reading passages from literary works; teaching grammar using a deductive approach; analyzing and comparing difficult sentences with students’ first language; memorizing word lists with the first language translation; and memorizing grammar rules and paradigms; using questions to check students’ comprehension of the reading passage; using fill-in-the-blank exercises, making up sentences and writing composition.
5-What is the most important aspect of language according to the Grammar-Translation Method? According to the Grammar-Translation Method, grammar is the most important aspect of language, which is viewed as a system of rules. Systematic study of grammatical rules play an important role in fostering students’ ability of reading comprehension and producing grammatically correct sentences. Understanding and mastering the morphology and syntax will develop students’ ability of analyzing and solving problems.
6-Are the techniques of Grammar-Translation acceptable to you? Why? I don’t think the techniques of Grammar-translation are acceptable to us. We can find some disadvantages in the Grammar-Translation Method. First, overemphasis on translation can never emancipate the learners from dependence on the first language. Second, it put too much emphasis on reading and writing and neglects listening and speaking. Third, knowing a large number of grammatical rules can not ensure that students use them appropriately in real communicative situation. The texts are mostly taken from literary works. The language learned often doesn’t meet the practical needs of the learners. Last, memorizing grammar rules and bilingual word lists does