King Khalid University

College of Science & Arts / Muhayil

Applied Linguistic (2)

ENG 423
3- The Audio lingual Method

Applied Linguistic (2) for BB

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Audio-lingual Method
Introduction :
This method of Language Learning is also called
the Aural-Oral Method. It is associated with
Charles Fries . This method is said to result in
rapid acquisition of speaking and listening skills.
The Audio-lingual method was developed in the
United States during the second world war . At that
time there was a need for people to learn foreign
languages rapidly for the military purposes.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Audio-lingual Method
Introduction:
.As we have seen the GTM didn’t prepare people to
use the target language. At that time there were
exciting new idea about language and learning
originated from the disciplines of descriptive
linguistic, and behavior psychology, this lead to the
Audio-Lingual Method. The audio-lingual method
drills students in the use of grammatical sentence
patterns. When this method was developed it was
thought that the way to acquire the sentence patterns
of the second language , was through conditioning or
helping learners to respond correctly to stimuli
through shaping and reinforcement.
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 The Principles of the Audio- lingual Method (1)

• Language forms do not occur by themselves , they occur

most naturally within a context.
• The native language and the target language have
separate linguistic systems . They should be kept apart so
that the students’ native language interferes as little as
possible with the students attempts to acquire the target
language.
• One of the teacher’s major roles is that of a model of the
target language . Teachers should provide students with a
native language speaker- like model , by introducing a
dialog , by modeling the dialog two times to correct
mispronunciation and modeling the proper sound for the
target language.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
The Principles of the Audio- lingual Method (2)

• Language learning is a process of habit formation, the

students repeat the dialog several times .The more often
something is repeated the stronger is the habit and the
greater is the learning.
• It is important to prevent learners from making errors.
Errors lead to the formation of bad habits. When the errors
occur, they should be immediately corrected by the teacher.
• The purpose of language learning is to learn how to use the
language to communicate.
• Particular parts of speech occupy particular slots in the
sentences, the students should learn to create new sentences
and learn which part of speech occupies which slots.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
The Principles of the Audio- lingual Method (3)

• Reinforcement and motivation are important to help

students develop correct habits.
• Teaching the students sentences pattern helps the
students to form habits and enable the students to use
the pattern and be to respond to verbal and nonverbal
stimuli.
• The students should “over-learn” to be able to answer
automatically without stopping to think.
• Speech is more basic to learn than written form. The
students follow the natural order of the native language
of skills acquisition ( listening , speaking , reading, and
writing.)

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
The Principles of the Audio- lingual Method (4)

• Language cannot be separated from culture and

arts, but also everyday behavior of people who
use the target language. One of the teachers.
responsibilities are to present information about
that culture.
• The major challenge of foreign language is
getting students to overcome the habits of their
native language. A comparison between the native
and the target language will tell the teachers what
areas the students will probably experience
difficulty.

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 The Advantages of the Audio- lingual Method(1)

1-It is the first method to have a theory . The

Audio-lingual theory is probably the first language
teaching theory that openly claims to be derived
from linguistics and psychology.
2- It makes language teaching possible to large
groups of learners. It attempts to make language
learning accessible to large groups of ordinary
learners. With large classes, drills are of particular
use in that they maximize student participation.
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 The Advantages of the Audio- lingual Method(2)

3-The Audio-lingual Method stresses syntactical progression

and uses pattern drill to help the students gain control over
grammatical structures, which is a much more interesting way
of learning grammar than working through written exercises,
what’s more, drilling can be positively beneficial in helping a
student to develop his oral ability.
4- The teaching techniques with tape recordings and language
lab drills offer practice in speaking and listening which are
considered of primary importance in language learning.
5- The Audio-lingual Method develop the separation of the
language skills into a pedagogical device, that is, listening,
speaking, reading and writing .It lays emphasis on listening
and speaking which did not gain so much importance from
Grammar-Translation Method.
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
The Disadvantages of the Audio- lingual Method (1)

1-Basic method of teaching is repetition, speech is

standardized and pupils turn into parrots that can reproduce
many things but never create anything new or spontaneous.
Pupils became better and better at pattern practice but were
unable to use the patterns fluently in natural speech situations.
2 - Not developing language competence, lack of effectiveness
.Mechanical drills of early Audio-Visual approach criticized as
being not only boring and mindless but also counter-
productive, if used beyond initial introduction to new
structure.
3- Audio-Visual materials were open to same sort of misuse.
Tendency regard audio-visual materials as a teaching method,
not as a teaching aid.

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The Disadvantages of the Audio- lingual Method (2)

5-The Audio-lingual method stressed on oral and aural skills and

didn't develop reading and writing skills.
6- Using the Audio-lingual Method involves many problems. Using the
equipment is always associated with problems such as carrying tape-
recorders from classroom to classroom. Some schools set up Specialist-
Language rooms, but teachers still had to set up projectors and find
places on tape. Equipment could break down, projector lamps explode,
tapes tangle - not sophisticated equipment of today. Hardware involved
extra time, worry and problems, and, for these reasons alone, its use
gradually faded away.
7- It is the teacher who always dominates the class. The teacher
models the target language, controls the direction and pace of
learning, and monitors and corrects the learner’s performance.
Learners have little control over their learning.

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How To Apply The Audio- lingual Method (1)

The teacher start teaching .Speaking and

listening competence preceded reading and
writing competence. The teacher starts the
lesson by presenting a new dialog, conversation
by two persons. The students know they will be
expected to memorize the dialog which the
teacher is introducing. All the instructions are in
English , the native language is never used .

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
How To Apply The Audio- lingual Method (2)

• The development of language skills is a matter of habit formulation by

repeating the dialog several times. This happen by introducing the whole
dialog first and then exchanges the roles with the students , let us is say
the dialog between Ali and Omer , first the teacher take the role of Ali and
a student take the role of Omer , then they do the same dialog the teacher
take the role of Omer and a student take the role of Ali . During the
presentation if there is any difficulty the teacher , break it down by
explaining it in easier way. The teacher is the model so he must be good
model because if the errors are not corrected it will be a bad habit .
• Students practice particular patterns of language through structured
dialogue and drill until response is automatic as the purpose of this method
is to use the language to communicate. The class practice the dialog by
exchanging the role without the teacher and changing some words of the
dialog such as “where are you going?’ “I am going to the post office.” ’
“We are going to the cinema.” This practice help them to know about part
of speech occupies with slot.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
How To Apply The Audio- lingual Method (3)

• Structured patterns in language are taught using repetitive drills. For

example if the lesson about directions ,the students do the same
drill by changing the places.
• The emphasis is on having students produce error free utterances.
By this the teacher makes the students more confident and helps
them to overcome fear of speaking.
• Then the teacher can change the pronoun from I to we or my
friend …… looking for ….. , to make sure the students
understand how make the same conversation using different subjects
so the grammatical rules is taught through examples and drill.
• Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught. Concrete
vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
How To Apply The Audio- lingual Method (4)

• Vocabulary is taught through association of ideas , these

help the students to respond to both verbal and
nonverbal stimuli.
• The printed word must be kept away from the second
language learner as long as possible. Sometimes
towards the end of the week the teacher write a dialog
on the blackboard and asks the students to give him
lines and he write them and the students say them and
they copy them in their notebook. The teacher may
erase some of the words in the dialog and ask the
students to supply the missing words without looking
to the dialog in their note book.

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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
Goals of the teacher who use the Audio Lingual
method

Teachers want their students use the target

language communicatively , by overlearning
the target language to use it automatically
without stopping to thinking

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Role of the teacher
Role of the Students
• The teacher is like an orchestra leader,
directing and controlling language behavior by
providing students with a good model for
imitation .
• Students are imitators of teacher’s model or
tape supplies of model.

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Characteristics of teaching / Learning
process .
1- New vocabulary and structural pattern are
presented through dialogs.
2- Grammar is induced from the examples given
and explicit grammar rules are provided .
3-Cultural information is contextualized in the
dialogs or presented by the teacher
4- Students’ reading and written work is based
upon oral work they did earlier.
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Students-teacher interaction
Students- students interaction
• Students- students interaction in chain drills
or when students take different roles.
• Students-teacher interaction is initiated and
directed by the teacher .

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 Area of language emphasized.
Language skills emphasized
• Area of language emphasized. Area of language
emphasized: grammar & vocabulary.
• Language skills emphasized
• Oral &aural skills received most of the attention.

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 Important aspects .

• Role of the native Language : only the target

language is used in the class.
• Evaluation is accomplished through a formal
test .
• students errors are avoided through
teachers’ awareness of where the students
will have difficulty.

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 Reviewing the techniques
• Dialog modernization: students memorize the
dialog by taking role of one person in the dialog
• Backward build-up ( expansion ) drill :this drill is
used when a long line dialog is giving a students
trouble , the teacher breaks down the line into
several parts to help students be able repeat
each part until they are able to do the entire line.
• Repetition drill : Students are ask to repeat the
teachers model as accurately and as quickly as
possible .
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 Reviewing the techniques
• Chain drill , : it gets its name from the chain of conversation
that forms around the students one-by- one ask and answer
questions of each others , the chain starts with a question from
the T to ST and turns to another ST.
• Single- slot substitution: The T says a line from the dialog , next
the T says a word or a phrase – called a cue . The students
repeat the line the teacher has given them substituting the cue
in the proper place .
• Multiple – slot substitution : it is similar to Single- slot
substitution drill . The difference is the teacher gives cue phrases
, one at a time that fits into different slots in the dialog line. The
students do all necessary change such as subject-verb
agreement , recognizing part of speech of each cue , and where
it fits .
• Transformation drill : the teacher gives the students a certain
kind of sentence pattern, and affirmative sentence for example ,
students are asked to transform it to negative or change it
question . Applied Linguistic (2) for BB
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 Reviewing the techniques
• Question- and answer drill : it gives students practice
with answering questions.
• Use of minimal pair : the teacher works with pairs of
words that differ in only one sound for example “ ship
/ sheep” , the students perceive the difference
between the two words and say them .
• Complete the dialog: selected words are erased from
the dialog students have learnt , students complete
the dialog by filling the blank with the missing words
• Grammar game : the game is designed to get students
practice grammar points with context .
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Dr. Mona M. Hamad
 YouTubes
Please check the attached links

The ALM
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvz-
GLyZ7bM#action=share
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30mXvCV
Vjj0#action=share
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvuuuG
WvdZw#action=share

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