The Grammar-Translation Method

by: Rene Tetzner

Table of Contents

1. Introduction / Historical review of the Grammar-Translation Method

2. Characteristics and principles of the Grammar-Translation Method

3. Advantages of the Grammar-Translation Method

3.1. Main procedures, teaching techniques and materials
3.2. The role of the teacher
3.3. The role of the student

4. Disadvantages of the Grammar-Translation Method

4.1. Main procedures, teaching techniques and materials
4.2. The role of the teacher
4.3. The role of the student

5. Conclusion

6. Bibliography

1. Introduction / Historical review of the Grammar-Translation Method

The grammar-translation method (GTM) to teach foreign languages dominated from the midnineteenth century to the beginning of World War Two and it is still used in some countries today. In the late eighteenth century, Prussia in Germany was the first place which began to establish GTM as the main method to teach a second language (L2) at national high schools, known as Gymnasiums. As Howatt (1997, p.131) stated the method took “... an almost impregnable position as the favoured methodology of the Prussian Gymnasien after their expansion in the early years of the nineteenth century”. Indeed GTM was in the mid-nineteenth century the only widely used teaching method in the schools, not only in Germany also in other European countries. Originally it was used to teach Greek and Latin. Five hundred years ago Latin was the “official” or main language of education, religion, business and authorities in Europe. After political changes in Europe Latin changed gradually (a process of more than three hundred years) from a living language to “a school curriculum language” and was replaced by English, German, French or Italian as the main language for communication purposes (Richards and Rodgers, 1997). In the mid-nineteenth century, Latin remained as an important subject in education for the upper class. For centuries Latin was taught to understand the fundamentals of grammar and translation in order to read or interpret Latin texts. Most of the students who were taught Latin were very well educated and therefore it was easier for them to learn a different language. It was thought that the same teaching method to teach Latin could be used to teach other foreign languages such as German, French or English. The same method to teach very well educated people should suit to teach younger learners as well. In the mid-nineteenth century the main aim was to learn a L2 for the purpose of gaining access to its literature in order to develop the learner’s minds mentally. Due to this historical background GTM is also known as the traditional or classical method, as the grammar school method or in America as the Prussian method. Along with industrialisation more opportunities for communication had been arising especially in Europe and consequently new methods for language teaching were developed in order to meet the needs of the new class of language learners (Howatt, 1997).

2. Characteristics and principles of the Grammar-Translation Method

Learners were taught in their mother tongue with little oral production of the target language. L2 learning was seen as an intellectual activity where a lot of vocabulary in the form of isolated word tables was learnt as well as deductive explanations of intricate grammar given and then practised through translation exercises. The grammar provides the rules to put the learnt vocabularies together related to the native language rules and meanings. The native language was seen as the reference construction in the L2 learning (Stern, 1996). Only a little attention was paid to the content of texts, which was used only as a basis for exercises in grammatical analysis. Very often the students were constrained to translate disconnected accurate sentences into and out of the target language. Hardly any attention was paid to speaking and listening. Strong emphasis was placed on accuracy and form, fluency and meaning were neglected. The learner was expected to produce the target language accurately and there was a low tolerance for mistakes or errors. The error correction was performed straightaway by the teacher with the correct answer or a different student was asked to supply the answer. The student was consciously aware of the L2 learning process. Because the teacher is in control of the class GTM is suitable for larger groups. Most of the time the teacher lectured the learners and there was just a little interaction between the learners and the teacher and almost no interaction between students. The GTM forced students to produce the target language from the early stages of their L2 learning. According to Krashen (1995), students should feel ready to produce the L2 in order to avoid anxiety and keep the affective filter low. The time until the students feel ready to produce the L2 is called the silent period.

3. Advantages of the Grammar-Translation Method

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