A Brief Note on Communicative Language Teaching ( CLT )

Q. Write a Short Note on CLT ( Communicative Language Teaching ) . What are its characteristics ?

This note is very important for the students of English language and would-be teachers. In B.Ed Exams, it may be a very good topic.

Answer – CLT got originated from the changes that took place in the fields of linguistics and psychology of learning in the USA in the mid- 1960s. However, the audio-lingualism was opposed in America. On the other hand, there was the question mark on the oral situational language in the UK.

As a result, both these major approaches lost their sheen. Then Noam Chomski’s synthetic structures published in 1957 highlighted the inadequacies of structural linguistics.

At the same time, British Applied linguistics laid emphasis on the functional and communicative potential of language. Consequently there was a steep shift of focus from the mastery of structures in language teaching.

Theorists like D.A. Wilkings worked out a functional definition of language and devise communicative syllabuses for language teaching. His National Syllabuses published in 1976 found a rapid acceptance by the British Language Teaching specialists.

Some Characteristics of CLT –

1. It encourages the attempt to communicate among the learners from the very beginning.

2. In CLT, meaning is more important whereas in Audio-lingual method there is the emphasis on the structure and form.

3. It emphasizes the judicious use of native language if it is necessary.

4. There is no blanket ban of translation. A teacher can use translation where he finds the students need or benefit from it.

5. The primary goal is the fluency and acceptability of the language. The accuracy is judged not in the abstract but in the context.

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