communication language teaching(CLT)交际教学法

communicationlanguageteaching(CLT)交际教学法ABriefIntroductiontoCommunicativeLanguageTeachingMethodDefinitionCommunicativelanguageteachingisanapproachtotheteachingofsecondandforeignlanguagesthatemphasizesinteractionasboththemeansandtheultimategoaloflearningalanguage.Itisalsoreferredtoas―communicativeapproachtotheteachingofforeignlanguages‖orsimplythe―communicativeapproach‖.BackgroundanddevelopmentofcommunicativelanguageteachingTheideaofcommunicativelanguageteachingdevelopedintheUKintheearly70s.Theearliestreferencetotheterm,accordingtoBrumfit,wasmadeinCandlin’spaper―SociolinguisticsandCommunicativeLanguageTeaching‖presentedtotheconferenceinLondonin1971.Thesocio-linguistictheoryemphasizesonmeaningandcommunicationandattemptstodeveloplearners’communicativecompetencefromthesocio-cognitiveperspective.Rulesshouldnotbelearnedinisolationbutshouldbelinkedwiththefunctionalusesoflanguage.Thesespecificfunctionalneedsofthelearnerhavetobeascertainedbyaneedsanalysis.Use,notmerelyusage,shouldbetheobjectiveoftheCLTteacher.CLTthuspositedanapproachtowardslanguageteaching.Sincethenotionof―communicativecompetence‖wasfirstputforwardbyHymesin1972,manyresearchersandscholarshavedevelopedtheoriesandpracticesofCLTmethod.Withtheadvanceofthenotion,CLTapproachhavedevelopedasanimportantlanguageteachingmethodandreplacedtheprevioustraditionalgrammarteachingmethodsgradually.Hymesintroducedtheconceptof―communicativecompetence‖inordertocontrasttoChomsky'sviewof―linguisticcompetence‖.Chomskymadeadifferentiationbetweenlinguisticcompetenceandlinguisticperformance.ForChomsky,thefocusoflinguisticstudyistoshowthespeaker'sabstractabilitieswhichmakethemproducegrammaticallycorrectsentences.Hymespointedoutthatsuchaviewoflinguisticstudywasmeaningless,linguistictheoryshouldbeseenaspartofabroadertheorycombiningcommunicationandcultureandstatedthatChomsky'scategoryofperformance,whichincludedjustpsychologicalrestraintsonperformanceandignoredallfactorsofsocialinteraction.InHymes'opinion,apersonwhoacquirescommunicativecompetenceacquiresnotonlythegrammaticalknowledgebutalsotheabilitytousethelanguageasforifsomethingisformallypossible;ifsomethingispracticalbythewayofimplementationavailable;ifsomethingisappropriateinrelationtoacontextthatitisused;ifsomethingisdoneinfact.ThemaincharacteristicsandprinciplesofCLTCLTderivesitsessentialcharacteristicsfromthefactthatateverystage-thesettingoflearningobjectives,thedevelopmentoflearningcontents,theelaborationandimplementationofclassroomactivities,thejudgmentoflearners'progress,andthedefinitionofasyllabus—itfocusesonlanguageasamediumofcommunication(Little,1991).CLThasmanycharacteristicswhichcanbesummarizedasfollows:(1)Languageteachingshouldpaymoreattentiononmeaningratherthanform;(Johnson,1982;Bnunfit,1981);(2)Fluencyshouldbeemphasizedbeforeaccuracy(Finocchiaro&Bnmifit,1981);(3)Afterthelearnershaveachievedfluency,theaccuracyofexpressionshouldbecomethefocusofteaching(Savignon,1983);(4)Thesequenceoflanguagepresentationshouldbebasedonthesemanticconsiderationsandtheanalysisoflearners'needsratherthanaccordingtolinguisticstructure(Munby,1978);(5)Sincelearningalanguagemeanslearningtodothingsbywayofthelanguage,languageteachingshouldbeonthebasisofactivities(Littlewood,1981);(6)CLTfocussystematiconfunctionalaswellasstructuralviewsoflanguage,integratingtheseviewsintoamorefullycommunicativeidea(Littlewood,1981);(7)Sinceauthenticcommunicationneedsarealexchangeofinformation,classroomcommunicationshouldhaveinformationgap(Prabhu,1987);(8)Sincelanguageuseisthemaingoaloflanguageteaching,learnersshouldbeexposedtoreallanguageinuseonthebasisofrealmaterials(Allright,1981);(9)Learnersshouldbeencouragedtoimprovethestrategiestocommunicatemeaninginrealsituationswhichmaybeabovetheirpresentleveloflanguageproficiency(Canale,1983);(10)Learnersshouldbecomesubtletothenotionofsuitablenessincommunication(Canale,1983).RichandsandRogersstatedthat―therearesomeprinciplestobetakenintoconsiderationinpractice:thetaskprinciple,thecommunicationprincipleandtheprinciple.‖ThefollowingsaresevenprinciplesofCLTwhichsummarizedbyBernsin1990.(1)Languageteachingisonthebasisofthenotionthatlanguageisusedforcommunication.Thatis,languageisviewedasasocialtoolwhichspeakersusetomakemeaningandcommunicatewithsomeoneaboutsomethingforsomepurpose.(2)Diversityisrecognizedandacceptedasapartoflanguagedevelopment.(3)Alearner'scompetenceisviewedinrelative,notinabsoluteaspects.(4)Overonevarietyofalanguageisrecognizedasafeasiblesampleforlanguageteachingandlearning.(5)Nosinglemethodologyorregularsetoftechniquesisprovided.(6)Languageuseisconsideredasservingtextual,ideational,andinterpersonalfunctionsandisboundupwiththedevelopmentoflearners'competence.(7)Itisfundamentalthatlearnersshouldbeatdevotedtodoingthingswithlanguage—thatis,theyuselanguageforalotofpurposesinallperiodsoflearning.ClassroomProceduresSano,etal(1984)arguesthatcommunicativelanguageteachingshouldmeetthelocalneedsandthemethodologyofFLteachingshouldvarysignificantlyaccordingtotheenvironmentsinwhichteachersfindthemselvesworking.Basedonthetea