Communicative Language Teaching

English Language Teaching - 1

Paper              Communicative Language Teaching

Name              Avani N. Dave

Roll No.           2

Class               M.A. Sem. 3

Submitted to   Department of English

                      MK. Bhavnagar University

                      Bhavnagar

 

    Background :

                                    The origins of Communicative Language ,Teaching ( CLT ) are to be found in the changes in the British Language teaching tradition dating from the late 1960s until then, situational language teaching represented the major British approach to teaching English as a foreign language. In situational language teaching, language was taught by practicing basic structures in meaningful situation based activities but just as the linguistic theory underlying audio lingualism was rejected in the United States in the mid 1960s British applied linguists began to call into question the theoretical assumptions underlying Situational Language Teaching

                                  By the end of the sixties it was clear that the situational approach had run its course. There was no future in continuing to peruse the chimera of predicting language on the basis of situational events. What was required was a closer study of the language it self and a return to the traditional concept that utterance carried meaning in themselves and expressed the meanings and intentions of the speakers and writers who created them. ( Howatt – 1984 : 280 )

                                

A British linguist D.A.Wilkins (1912) proposed a functional or communicative definition of language. [p

                        Little wood ( 1981 : 1 ) states, “ one of the most characteristics features of communicative language teaching is  that it pays systematic attention to functional as well as structural aspect of language. ”  

                        The introduction to the national primary English Syllabus based on a Communicative approach comments that,

             “Communicative purposes may be of many different kinds what is essential in all of them is that at least two parties are involved in an interaction or transformed of some kind where one party has an intention and the other party expands or reacts to the intention.”  

                             Yalden ( 1983 ) in her discussion of communicative syllabus design, discusses six communicative language teaching design alternatives, ranging from a model in which Communicative exercise are grafted onto an existing structural syllabus, to a learner generated views of syllabus design .

                         In English language teaching, it is understood that with the help of CLT, teachers try to enhance the Communicative competence includes following competences.

1.  Grammatical competence

2.  Discourse competence

3.  Strategic competence

4.  Socio linguistic competence.

               

                       At present we find, learners are by and large not able to use the language that they learn in either written or oral form. In other words it is their inability to communicate with each other. It is the Communicative approach and Communicative language teaching which advocates and attaches paramount importance to the communicative aspect of language in English Language Teaching.

                            Language being a means of expression and communication is learnt to communicate through its use and therefore any language course ought to provide the learner with the skills that enable him to interact with others. Considering this viewpoint, the communicative language teaching may be defined as a teaching language for communication in simple terms it means,

                   In CLT, the whole focus is on communication proficiency rather then on more mastery of language.

                    It aims at creating the right kind of environment in the classroom which brings about in learners and urge to say something to express them to do something with words and the urge to communicate.

                    It favours group work to the maximum possible extent in order to interact the learner with each other and to raise the maximum learners involvement in the teaching as well as learning process.

                     It’s one of the aims of his to help the learners to acquire communicative competence for example, ability to use the linguistic system effectively.

                    It is the learner oriented approach and not the teacher oriented.

                Some of the features of CLT are as under:

Ø  Focus on language as a medium of communication is the main feature of this approach recognizes that all communication has a social purpose. Learner has

something to say or find out.

Ø In communication one uses the language with an intention of conveying message and they are always in form of functions, like speaking information, apologizing, expressing, likes and dislikes and motions like apologizing for being late, asking late/asking where the nearest railway station or bus stop is, so in this approach form is not primary but functions are primary.

Ø In the classroom situation, languages are taught vacuum language for the sake of language or passing examinations, the language is hardly taught for true communications. The communicative approach enables learners to communicate.

Ø In communicative approach, learners learn the second or foreign language as one was acquired the first language. Opportunities for learners to use target language in a communicative way for meaning activities emphasis is on meaning rather than form.

Ø Use of target language as routine medium for classroom instruction and management enables learners to acquire language naturally.

Ø Communicative approach is learners centered because all the teaching activities are planed according to learners need and interest.

Ø The learners are taught to use the language and they are taught the language as native. They need to be able to cope or survive in a variety of everyday situations. They may encounter in foreign countries where target language is being used.

Ø Classroom should provide opportunities for rehearsal of real life situations and real communication emphasis on techniques like creative role plays, simulations, projects etc. produce spontaneously and improvisation not just more repetition and drills.

Ø There is more emphasis on active modes of learning including pair work and group work. In this approach, learners are active learners.

Ø The learners have to develop skills of language; speaking and listening are skill to be exploited from oral communication.

Ø Errors are a natural part of learning language. Learners trying their best to use the language creatively and spontaneously are bound to make errors. Constant correction is unnecessary and even counter-productive. Constant correction should be noted by teacher. Let them take and express themselves form of language becomes secondary.

Ø Grammar is taught but less systematically. It is taught in traditional ways with innovative approaches so emphasis on teaching grammar is not prescriptively but descriptively.

Ø The authentic material is used instead of age old texts. Materials must relate to learners own lives, fresh and real revising texts and materials regularly keeps teacher on toes and learners interested.

Ø Language need not be laboriously monotones and ‘medium’ oriented. Language can be structure but also spontaneous and incidental. The language is never static; it is dynamic. This approach leads learners to make use of language naturally and according to form and usage.

Ø Use of visual stimuli OHP/ flash cards, etc important to provoke practical Communicative language. Visual resources can be exploited at whatever level one wishes help to motivate and focus learners attention.

 

v  Conclusion :

                           Communicative language teaching is best considered an approach rather than a method. It refers to a diverse set of principles that reflect a Communicative view of language and language learning and that can be used to support a wide variety of classroom procedures.