第二语言习得29202.docVIP

2.1 Grammar Translation Method Background Grammar Translation Method is a method of FLT or SLT which uses the study of translation and grammar as the main teaching and learning activities. It was once entitled “Reading Method” and “Classical Method” since it was first used in the teaching of the classical languages of Latin and Greek in European countries. This method was influenced by faculty psychology and comparative linguistics. Its representative was Heinrich Ollendorff, a German linguist. Grammar Translation Method Kelly, 1969 goes back to the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries when foreign language learning was associated with the learning of Latin and Greek. These two languages were supposed to promote their speakers’ intellectuality. To this end, it was of vital importance to focus on grammatical rules, syntactic structures, along with rote memorization of vocabulary and translation of literary texts. The modern languages provided one of the conditions for grammar analysis and the application of grammatical rules in translation exercises in teaching Latin and Greek, since the mother tongue at that time didn’t have systematic grammar. The second impetus for the procedures of grammar analysis and translation came from the social needs of European countries, when modern languages such as French, Italian and English gained in importance as a result of political changes in Europe. The third reason is that the preciseness of Latin and Greek made them impossible to get different interpretations in writing. It is widely recognized that although one can say that its contribution to foreign language learning has been very meager, the Grammar Translation Method is still one of the most popular and favourite models of language teaching, which has been rather intact to educational reforms, remaining a standard and indispensable methodology. Goals The Grammar Translation Method was used for the purposes of helping learners read and appreciate foreign language litera