The Audio-Lingual Method

The audio-lingual method adheres to the natural presentation of skills in this order: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It places priority on the development of listening and speaking skills first, and reading and writing skills development is introduced after listening and speaking skills are mastered.

The method is also based on the premise that students' native language patterns interfere with the learning of a second language and, consequently, use of the native language should be minimized and used primarily for clarifying information. Deriving from its roots in structural linguistics, the audio-lingual method emphasized the explicit presentation of grammatical structure and based the curriculum on a contrastive analysis of the grammar of the learners' native language and the target language.

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The language learning environment should be a "cultural island," with realistic use of the target language. In this instance, culture is defined as the everyday behaviors and lifestyles of the speakers of the target language.

For example, in a German classroom, if the lesson were on German foods, students would learn not only vocabulary about food in general but also about table manners and related customs of German speakers that make up the context in which food-related vocabulary and structures are situated.

Also, because language acquisition is considered a matter of habit formation, the instructor makes generous use of positive reinforcement techniques to encourage good language habits and rapid pacing of drills to encourage overlearning of language structures so that students can answer automatically, presumably without stopping to think.

Some of the objectives of the audio-lingual method are accurate pronunciation, linguistic accuracy, quick and accurate response in speaking, and a sufficiently large vocabulary to use with grammar patterns to express oneself in practical, everyday situations.

These objectives are achieved through memorization of dialogues and recombination of structures introduced through dialogues in drills. The development of a large vocabulary is of secondary consideration.

Absent from the audio-lingual method's objectives are (a) An emphasis on using language or vocabulary to create meaning, (b) Recognition of errors as a useful part of language learning, (c) Student interaction with each other and with native speakers of the target language while using the target language, (d) Attention to grammatical explanations in instruction, (e) Attention to the emotional aspects of learning, (f) Acknowledgment of one's native language as a foundation on which to base learning a second language, and (g) Acknowledgment of what some call "large C" cultural artifacts, such as masterpieces of the culture's literature, performing arts, and visual arts.

The Audio-Lingual Method