GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD, FORMAL LINGUIST METHOD, CULTURAL MODEL, THE TEXT ANALYSIS METHOD, THE HERMENEUTIC METHOD
The Grammar-Translation Method appeared in the 18th century in Prussia, when a French course book and an English course book for secondary schools were published. It was thoroughly developed in the 19th century and it was primarily used to teach second languages in Europe from 1840s to 1940s. Its aim was to help learners to read classical literature. L1 in presenting L2 grammar rules was used, and these rules were presented gradually.
In Grammar-Translation Method, language is reduced to the grammatical formation. The focus is on the sentence and there must be a certain word order according to given rules. The memorization of these rules and of vocabulary lists is the main means to learn. Accuracy in translation was considered an obligation. The main goal of method was for learners to be capable to find equivalents in translating processes. The materials used in classroom are the grammar book and the dictionary. Celce-Murcia summed up the characteristics and results of the method:
1. The native language is used for instructions
2. The second language is barely used
3. The grammatical analysis is highlighted
4. Difficult classical texts are used from the start
5. Translation of sentences from L2 into L1 is common
6. The students are unable to use L2 for communication as a result
7. The teachers are not required to speak the target language themselves
The main criticism on the method is about its disregard for communication and interaction and its lack of motivation. The main technique of teaching/learning-translation caused stress to students. The memorization of lists of words and grammatical rules was the main key to have a success, the incapacity of memorizing them led to the incapacity to complete translation tasks. Grammar Translation may be popular with beginners, but because of its characteristic of learning long lists of words and finding equivalents in translation activities, it does not allow proficient learners to progress.
Like Grammar-Translation Method, the Formal Linguist Method, examines formal aspects of the language and does not put an accent on meaning. The method uses translation just like GTM and the result is some sort of literal translation, failing to give a meaningful translation of proverbs, for example.