Foundational Theories in Language Education: A Student Guide
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50 cards
Question: What did traditional grammar link the study of language to, and how was grammar viewed historically in the 19th century?
Answer: Traditional grammar linked language study to philosophy and treated grammar as a branch of logic. In the 19th century, modern European languages were
Question: What is the core idea of structuralism in language study?
Answer: Structuralism views every language as a system of patterns and structures made of building blocks (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax); speech b
Question: How does the Audio-Lingual approach relate to structuralist ideas?
Answer: The Audio-Lingual approach analyzes how people speak and what they say to identify the underlying system of language, reflecting structuralism's focus
Question: What does the functional model emphasize in language teaching?
Answer: The functional model emphasizes the semantic and communicative dimensions, organizing teaching by categories of meaning and function and focusing on l
Question: According to the functional model, why is it important to know forms and contexts?
Answer: Because knowing forms and their functions allows learners to decide which form to use in which situation; the context of situation and the speaker's g
Question: What is the main claim of the cognitive model regarding language and learning?
Answer: The cognitive model claims language reflects properties of the mind; learning involves abstracting the rules of the underlying competence (Universal G
Question: What does the interactional model say about how learners achieve facility in a language?
Answer: Learners achieve facility when their attention is focused on conveying and receiving authentic messages; interaction and negotiation of meaning make l
Question: How does the sociocultural model view language learning?
Answer: The sociocultural model views language as communicative activity where social context is central; knowledge is constructed through social interaction
Question: What role does vocabulary play in the lexical model of language teaching?
Answer: The lexical model emphasizes the interrelatedness of grammar and vocabulary, giving a greater role to vocabulary and lexical chunks; grammatical compe
Question: Which theorist is associated with the idea that language develops from social interaction and what concept supports advancement to higher knowledge?
Answer: Vygotsky is associated with language developing from social interaction; the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) supports advancement to higher levels