What is the requirements of the modern language teachings?

In order to have mastery over the language, one has to be acquainted with its tools and should use them effectively.

According to the modern approach to language learning the pupil is expected to learn the tools of the language by constantly using them. These tools are sounds, words and structures. By the continuous practice and use of these tools the pupil acquires certain linguistic skills, important of them are the following:

(1) Ability to understand the language when spoken.

(2) Ability to speak the language.

(3) Ability to comprehend what is read.

(4) Ability to write the language.

The most important of all the tools of a language is structure. Though word plays an important part in the language, structure is accepted by the linguists as more important and fundamental than word.

The pupil does not speak in isolated words. He tries to arrange them properly into an order and express something. The structures may be complete statements or may from parts of a large sentence. They are selected and graded according to their difficulty in understanding. The graded structures are presented to different classes and learnt by pupils through repeated practice and oral drilling. Thus the new approach through structures is called the Structural Approach.

Requirements of Modern Language Teaching

The International Seminar of “The Contribution of the Teaching of Modern Languages towards Education for living in a World Community” held in 1953 under the auspices of UNESCO has recommend the following for teaching living languages.

(1) Emphasis should be laid primarily on oral approach.

(2) Active methods of teaching should be employed.

(3) The pupil should be largely exposed to foreign language by its minimum use in the classroom.

(4) The difficulties of the foreign languages as regards pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar should be carefully graded for presentation.

(5) The teaching of the language should be so planned as to develop certain skills rather than to acquire knowledge of the words and forms of the language.