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The Grammar Translation Method

1. A Historical View

The Grammar Translation Method(GTM) is rooted in the formal

teaching of Latin and Greek which prevailed in Europe in the 1he 9 th


century. In the latter part of the century, these techniques were
adopted to the teaching of modern languages by Plotz in Germany.
Plotz s ideas rapidly spread to other countries.
When Latin was no longer being learned as a language for
communication among scholars, its primacy as a matter for study could
not be justified on utilitarian grounds. The learning of Latin and Greek
was justified as an intellectual discipline. The mind was trained, it was
asserted,

by

logical

analysis

analysis

of

the

language,

much

memorization of complicated rules , and the application of these in


translation exercises. Latin and Greek were further justified as the key
to the thought and literature of great and ancient civilizations. The
reading and translation of texts was considered of great importance, as
were written exercises in imitation of these texts. Modern languages
were accepted as reputable areas of study only after much controversy
and opposition from the supporters of classical studies. They had to
prove themselves to be of equal value for the training of the mind and
as the key to a greater literature and civilization. It was inevitable ,
then, that modern language teaching methods should be modelled at
this stage on the methods already employed for the teaching of dead
languages, Latin and Greek.
Certain nineteenth-century textbooks which continued to be
used and imitated well into the twentieth century were notable for the
meticulous detail of their descriptions of the Grammar of the language,
their preoccupation with written exercises, especially translation ones,
and their lengthy bilingual vocabulary lists. They also often contained
long extracts from great writers, chosen for their intellectual content
rather than for the level of difficulty of the language or their intrinsic
intersest for the modern student.
2. Classroom Application

The GTM aims at inculcating an understanding of the Grammar of


the language, and training the student to write the new language
accurately by regular practice in translating from the native language.
It aims at providing the student with a wide literary vocabulary, often
of a unnecessary detailed nature. It aims at training the students to
extract the meaning from texts in the new language by translation into
the native language and, at advanced stages, to appreciate the literary
significance and value of these texts. These aims are achieved in the
classroom

by

detailed

grammatical

explanations

in

the

native

language, followed by practice on the part of the students in writing


paradigms, in applying the rules they have learned to the construction
of sentences in the target language, and in translating consecutive
passages of prose from the native to the target language. Texts in the
target language are translated into native language orally and in
writing. Ideally, their literary and cultural significance is also discussed,
although in many classes, because of time constraints, this may be
done very perfunctorily, if at all.
3. Shortcomings
The main defects of the method were pointed out as it was described.
First of all, it can

be noticed that Little stress is laid on accurate

pronunciation and intonation. Secondly, communication skills are


neglected. In addition to that, there is much stress on knowing rules
and exceptions, but little training in using the language actively to
express ones own meaning, even in writing. In an endeavor to practice
the application of rules and the use of exceptional forms, the student is
often trained in artificial forms of the language, some of which are rare,
others old-fashioned, many of little practical use. Furthermore, the
language learned is often of literary type, and the vocabulary is
detailed and sometimes esoteric (secret and mysterious).It was raised
that average students have to work hard at what they consider
laborious and monotonous chores- vocabulary learning, translation,
and endless written exercises- without much feeling of progress in the
mastery of the language and with very little opportunity to express

themselves through it. Last, but not the least, their role in the
classroom is, for the greater part of the time, a passive one- they
absorb and then reconstitute what they have absorbed to satisfy the
teacher.

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