Module One Section A Question 3: Appropriateness in Language Use

The ability to produce correct sentences is vital to a language. However, the correctness of speech is effective only when it is used appropriately. As a right man is selected for a right job, similarly a right sentence should be selected for a right occasion. No doubt, the correctness of speech is not less important but as language is communication, the appropriateness plays a more important role in day to day conversation. Some people may still cling to the traditional view and place the correctness of speech before anything else but the fact remains that appropriateness really works wonder. The word appropriate does not verify the correct use of grammar as well. The sentences that are grammatically correct may not be appropriate at some situations. Happy birthday to you. is a widely used compliment. It has no grammatical errors, of course. But it cannot be used on the burial ceremony of a person. Similarly, Would you like to have a cup of tea? is a well-composed sentence used for invitation. But this well organized sentence cannot be used during a football match commentary. Again the expression Pray be seated is a very high-flown expression but cannot be used in a cinema. So, the appropriateness of speech has a pivotal role to play in our communication. There are a number of variables that govern our choice of speech. These are as under: 1. Setting: We are often casual or informal at home but not in a hospital or a police station. The seriousness of church cannot equate with the informality of the night clubs. We may use hyperbolic expressions in a friendly get together but not in an official meeting. On the contrary, we may use such lofty expressions as He is demented in a formal meeting but will not be appreciated in a friendly gathering. Again, the sentence The rain destroyed the crops. is a well-composed sentence but cannot be used in response to questions like Where is Mr. John? or Would you like to go to the cinema? Similarly, the expressions such as your majesty or your highness may work well in a court but not in a restaurant. Thus, setting plays an important role in selection of speech. 2. Participants: Speaking to elders, demands high respect whereas speaking to children forces us to use easy and comprehensible language. We may even use paralanguage to make them understand. The expression koochikoo has no meaning for adults but may be a very meaningful expression for children. Similarly, children may be very much interested in fairy tales of ghosts, flying carpets and walking or talking trees but the same stories cannot be narrated in a business English or adult learners class. On the other hand, Freuds psychology or Einsteins theory of E=mc2 will be of great interest for adult learners but will not be of any value for grade one or grade two students. The famous statement of Queen Victoria about Gladstone He speaks to me as if I were a public meeting further strengthens our point of view. 3. Genders: While talking to ladies, we are very careful in using polite and courteous phrases like If you dont mind or Would you please give me a piece of paper etc. Observation also shows that women are more prone to use hyperbolic expressions than men. The expressions such as disastrous and fabulous are more common with women than with men. On the other hand, men

try to be more subdued in their speech with expressions such as not bad or not fond of it. However, Jeremy Harmer is of the view that women are more concessive in their speech than men are. According to him, women talk less than men in mixed conversations. (The Practice of English Language Teaching to Adults). 4. Channel: Channel also accounts for our selection of language. The expression hold on is an appropriate expression for a telephonic conversation but will be less admired if used during face to face meeting. Similarly, addressing an audience in a microphone will be quite different from talking to a customer in a book shop. 5. Topic: Last but not the least is the topic we are speaking or writing on. Asking a doctor about a relatives health is quite different from asking a mechanic about a car. The vocabulary of an engineer may be very rich as far as his own field work is concerned but that vocabulary will be of no use in praising a piece of literary work. A cricketer will be able to describe his teams performance in detail but his treasure of phrases will be of no use in explaining a grammar lesson. The gist of the matter is that appropriate use of language is demanded in every situation. A doctor searches for an appropriate medicine for an appropriate patient. Similarly, a speaker selects an appropriate speech for an appropriate occasion. And as an inappropriate medicine will harm a patient, an inappropriate speech will harm the listener and even the speaker himself. The appropriate use of speech reflects the grip of a speaker on a language. It is a window through which we can probe into a speakers mind, his intellect and the most important of all his understanding of the language. As all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, similarly, a good and appropriate speech is the spontaneous overflow of ones intellect.

SECTION B Question 8: Methods of Language Teaching

The history of teaching English as a second or foreign language is a search for a good method of teaching the language. In general, the term method refers to the systemized, organized way of doing a thing for effective control. According to another view, method is a living process of thought in the pupils mind by which he advances towards a purpose along the best and most effective way. According to another expert, method determines what and how much is taught (selection), the order in which it is taught (gradation), how the meaning and form are conveyed (presentation) and what is done to make use of language unconscious (repetition). This means the term method refers to four things; selection, gradation, presentation and repetition. A number of methods are used in teaching English as a second or foreign language. These are; Grammar-Translation Method, Direct Method, Structural Approach, the Audio-Lingual Approach, the Cognitive Approach, the Total Physical Response Method and the Immersion Method. Lets discuss three of them in detail. 1) Grammar-Translation Method: As the name indicates, this method puts much emphasis on translation. Even the grammatical rules are translated in mother tongue. Priority is given to drilling, word forms, list of words and their meaning in the mother tongue. Speech and communication are placed at a second rank. Translations are made from the first to the second language and vice versa. The teacher reads paragraphs before the class sentence by sentence and translates the words, phrases and sentences into the childs mother tongue. The students may be asked to translate English words, phrases and sentences into their mother tongue. The meanings of a few important words are written on the board in their mother tongue. The students copy them in their notebooks and learn them by heart. The rules are taught like this. The present continuous tense Subject + helping verb + verb-ing I am eating. She is eating. They are eating. etc. The students are asked to give some more examples. All this explanation is done in the students mother tongue. Merits: The proponents of this method argue that this is an easy method of language teaching. It is based on an important maxim of teaching; proceed from known to unknown. They also say that it saves time as the teacher doesnt spend much of his time explaining the new vocabulary. In addition, it doesnt require the use of many teaching aids. Moreover, abstract words and phrases can be explained in simple mother tongue. Demerits: GT method may be appreciated by some experts but its demerits are more severe. First of all, it ignores the natural way of learning a language, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing. Second, translation as a class activity is given undue importance at the

expense of four skills. In fact, these are different skills and need to be taught as such. Third, in this method of teaching, a language is learnt through the medium of mother tongue. So, the students lose power of expression in the target language. They first think in the mother tongue and then try to translate the same in the target language. Also, there is no scope of originality. The students become dependent on their mother tongue. The result is that the students fail to learn the art of conversation. Finally, it makes the whole teaching work as dull and dry. It gives no place to any activity on the part of teacher or the students.

2) The Direct Method: This method came as a reaction against the Grammar-Translation Method. In this method, a new word or expression is connected in the pupils mind directly for what it stands for and not through translation. Mother tongue is strictly avoided. The meaning is given by the context. The teacher tries to use concrete examples in order to explain new vocabulary. A direct bond is made between word and its meaning. The mother tongue doesnt intervene. The learner tries to understand the foreign word or expression as it stands, without leaning over the mother tongue. However, some experts are of the view that the Direct Method is not a method at all. P. Gurrey in his book Teaching English as a Foreign Language comments on this method, It can be used in conjunction with other methods because it is not properly a method at all. It is the psychology of language that can be directly translated into classroom procedures. It can and should be applied to almost all the teaching of foreign language- in the teaching of grammar, new vocabulary, new constructions, and new sentence-patterns. Merits: The supporters of the direct method argue that this is a very effective method of teaching English. As English is taught in English, the child gets many opportunities to listen to spoken English. Second, it lays emphasis on oral work. Thus, the child improves his speech habits, including pronunciation. Third, there is an ample scope for the use of audio-lingual aids. These aids make the teaching work easier and interesting. Also, it is the method of a living language, not a dead one. Finally, it can be said that it is the quickest way of getting started in English. Demerits: Some critics, however, point out that this method is useful only for the early stage. It doesnt work well in higher classes. Second, speech is over emphasized. It is given importance at the cost of reading and writing. It ignores the fact that majority of non-native countries of English do more reading than speech. Third, it is an expensive method. Its success depends on the use of expensive aids such as lingua phone, projector, language laboratory etc which most schools can ill afford. Also, this method is time consuming. Students will pretend to have learnt the language items when actually they have not. Finally, all vocabulary items cannot be taught through the Direct Method. How will a teacher explain abstract nouns or ideas? 3) The Structural Approach: The structural approach to the teaching of English is a technique by which students are taught to master the patterns of sentences. In the words of Menon and Patel, The Structural Approach is based on the belief that in the learning of a foreign language, mastery of structures is more important that the acquisition of vocabulary. This approach employs techniques of the Direct Method of teaching but the use of translation is not wholly discarded. Teaching is done in situations. Speech is mainly stressed but reading and writing are

not neglected. The modern experts in teaching English as a second or foreign language believe that English has about 275 basic patterns, the mastery of which would give the learner an effective control over the English language. These patterns are carefully selected and suitably graded. The following structures will be taught progressively and in context. This is a cat. This cat is black, that cat is white. The cat is on the table. The cat is drinking milk. Merits: The following merits are claimed by the proponents of the structural approach. 1) Language items are carefully selected and graded before they are taught. 2) The Readers are written according to this approach. In such Readers, vocabulary items and structures are introduced at regular intervals. 3) Speech is emphasized, so pupils acquire fluency. 4) English language is learnt as habit. Through pattern-practice drills, the teacher tries to instill the habit of using the language. 5) English is taught in well-conceived situations. Vocabulary items and structures become meaningful and are easily learnt. 6) Pupils activity is emphasized. They become active users of the language. Demerits: According to some experts, the Structural Approach has some limitations. 1) It is best suited for early stage but ill-suited for higher classes. 2) The Structural Approach over emphasizes oral work and speech manipulation. There is a blind repetition of structural items during oral teaching. 3) This approach ignores reading and writing. Children fail to expand their language acquisition. They remain chained to the working out of structure points. 4) This approach fails to exploit childrens mother tongue. There are certain abstract situations in which the understanding becomes difficult in the absence of the mother tongue. 5) The proper working out of the Structural Approach requires efficient teachers. There is lack of trained teachers in most of the non-native countries. 6) It takes much longer to reach a mastery of certain grammatical structures and even to reach a certain vocabulary level. In my opinion, there is no single method that can be called as a perfect method. Every method has some merits and demerits. It depends upon the teacher to choose a method according to the situation, keeping in mind the nature of lesson as well as the level of the students. The job of a language teacher is to improve the students skills in using the target language. Whatever method he uses, he should make it sure whether his goal is achieved or not.