Richard-Amato; Chapter 1: "From Grammar-Based to
Communicative Approaches: A Historical Perspective" p. 22-38
Some
of the different grammar-based approaches are: audiolingualism, direct method
or Berlitz method, and the cognitive-code approach. These approaches generally
do not place enough emphasis on socio-cultural factors. When I was young I
tried using Berlitz tape to learn German. I simultaneously listened to a
dialogue on a tape recording in German and read the written script. Then the
tape would prompt me to repeat what was said. I found this method restrictive
and mostly unsucccesful.
Chomsky’s asserted that children
are not blank slates but bring important experiences and prior knowledge to language
learning. He posited that each child has a “language acquisition device” that
enables them to learn language. It is like a computer with built-in programs
for SLA that include: “meaning, syntax, relationships among various types of
words and their functions.” He suggested that a universal grammar exists that
is shared among languages. The theory of connectionism argues that the brain
has patterns of neural networks that “control and constrain the types of
information that the brain can internalize” (R-A 29). I am still somewhat confused about the contributions and accuracy of connectionism.
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