Relevance of Linguistic
Theories and Foreign
Language Teaching
XU Lixin
School of English and International
Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies
University
19 May 2007
1
Abstract
Through a study of the linguistics
background of some language teaching
approaches and an investigation with
postgraduates and linguistics-oriented
teachers, the paper aims to argue against
the weighting of linguistic theories in MA
education and for an orientation in teaching.
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Outline
 I. Linguistic theories in foreign language





teaching
II. Complex relationship between linguistic
theories and language teaching
III. Explanations for the lack of usefulness of
linguistics theories
IV. The Chinese reality
V. Surveys
VI. Conclusion and Suggestions
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I. Linguistic theories in foreign
language teaching
 1) structuralism
 2) mentalism
 3) functionalism
 4) interactional view
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II. Complex relationship between linguistic
theories and language teaching



Grammar translation method
Direct / Natural method; Berlitz Method
Oral approach / Situational Language Teaching: British structuralism,
reflecting the functional trend in British linguistics
 Audiolingual Method/ Aural-oral Approach: Structuralism + behaviorism: an
important tenet: language is speech rather than writing. :
 Cognitive code learning drawing heavily on Chomsky’s innateness
hypotheses and creativity theory
 Natural approach: focus on comprehension, meaningful input, and
provision of appropriately comprehensible input; use TPR at the beginning
 Communicative Language Teaching: an eclectic theoretical base:British
functional linguistics, American sociolinguistics, language philosophy:
strong version: use English to learn English; weak version: learn to use
English
 Total physical response (structuralism)
 Silent way
(structuralism)
 Counseling-learning / Community language learning (an example of
humanistic approach) (social process model of communication and
international view of language)
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2007
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 May
Suggestopedia
– no language theory can be pinned down
(Richards and Rodgers 2000)
 take – took
in generative phonology, “took” is the zero
form of /tuk/+-ed, or the /u/ form of /teik/+-ed
 has taken:
generative grammar: present tense + have
+en+take, or –s+have+en+take.
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 Sociolinguistics
 Pragmatics
 Cognitive linguistics
 Psycholinguistics
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III. Explanations for the lack of
usefulness of linguistics theories
 External factors
Overall environment, Atmosphere, Opportunities,
Reinforcement/feedback
 Internal factors
Education authorities, School administrators,
Teachers, Parents, Peers, Learners themselves
Attitudes, Policies, Resources, Support,
Competence, Personality, Intelligence, Intuition,
Time
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IV. The Chinese reality
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V. Surveys
 Relevance of linguistics to language
teaching:
Great
14 out of 21
Fair
1
Not much 4
Not sure 2
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 Attainment from linguistics:
Great
9
Fair
7
Not much 5
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 Courses most useful to future language
teaching
 Research paper writing and evaluation 6
 Teaching methodology 6
 CALL 3
 SLA 2
 Grammar 3
 Phonetics 1
 Schools of western linguistics 1
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 Courses least useful
 every course has its value: 10
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 Why apply for this program?
 Famous and competent professors 15
 Learning research 5
 Aspiring for BFSU 5
 Learning linguistics 3
 Improving personal quality 2
 Most key teacher factor in good quality
teaching
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 Pre-program and in-program relevance of
linguistics to teaching
Great – great 5
Fair 5
Little 1
Fair – great 1
Fair 3
Little – great 2
Fair 3
Not sure – great 1
15
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 Which linguistic theories or aspects of
linguistics will be applied in your own teaching:
 SLA 8 (innate hypothesis, teacher as mediator,)
 Teaching methodology 3 (student-centered)
 Educational theories 2 (social control theory,
constructionism)
 CALL 2
 Morphology (to help with vocabulary building and
memorization)
 Pragmatics 2
 Contrastive linguistics
 Never thought of this
 Hard to say 2
 Don’t know 4
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Survey 2
 Frontline English teachers




88
Linguistics teachers
14: 16%
linguistics teachers awarded (2006) 5 : 14.2%
linguistics teachers awarded (2007) 3 : 8.6%
Total No. of teachers awarded
35
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VI. Conclusion and Suggestions
 incorporate linguistic theories in the training
of other Language and Literature majors
 complement their linguistic studies with
courses in related areas
 have the applied linguistics component and
emphasize the social, functional, and
cognitive side of language studies and
relevance to language teaching
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 a language nature/view theory
 aspects of linguistic theories
 language use
 language learning theories (psychology,
psycholinguistics, teaching and learning
theories and methodology and learner
individual differences)
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Appendix
调查问卷
您的性别（男 女） 年龄________ 教龄________ 教学对象___________
您觉得语言学对英语教学的意义和作用有多大？_______________________
到目前为止，您所学语言学课程收获大吗？___________________________
到目前为止，您觉得收获最大、对您从事英语教学最有用处的课是
_______________________________ ，因为___________________________
5. 到目前为止，您觉得收获最小、对您从事英语教学最没用处的课是_________________ ，因为
_________________________________________。
6. 您当初选择北外、教育研究中心、这个专业的MA program的初衷是
_________________________________________________________________（比如：容易考、撞
大运、向往北外、向往外教研中心、中心有大腕、热爱语言学、热爱英语教学）
7. 您认为要想教学效果优异、教师自己也有收获，最关键的因素是
_________________________________________________________________
8. 您认为学生要想学好英语课程、提高英语能力，作为教师，应具备的最关键因素是
__________________________________________________________
9. 您进入MA program之前，认为语言学与教学的关系是：__________________
10. 如今经过硕士课程学习，您认为语言学对教学的贡献应该（1很大 2有些帮助 3没有帮助任何帮助），
因为________________________________________________________________。
11. 您对中心任课教师的评价是_______________________________，因为
________________________________________________________________。
12. 您以后准备应用语言学的什么理论用于教学？________________________因为
___________________________________________________________。
1.
2.
3.
4.
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