MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

QUY NHON UNIVERSITY



TRAN NGUYEN NHU Y

ASSIGNMENT

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LINGUISTICS AND

FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING

Major : Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching

Field: : Applied Linguistics
Course: : 25B
Code : 8252170015
Supervisor : Hoang Van Van, Prof. Dr
:
 Binh
BỘ GIÁO Dinh,
DỤC VÀ2023
ĐÀO TẠO
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN


TRẦN NGUYỄN NHƯ Ý

TIỂU LUẬN

MỐI QUAN HỆ
GIỮA NGÔN NGỮ HỌC VÀ VIỆC DẠY NGOẠI NGỮ

Chuyên ngành : Lý luận và Phương pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh
Học phần : Ngôn ngữ học ứng dụng
Khóa : 25B
Mã học viên : 8252170015
Người hướng dẫn : GS. TS. Hoàng Văn Vân

Bình Định, 2023

Abstract: The relationship between linguistics and foreign language teaching
has been discussed for many years. Many linguists and researchers have many
different ideas about this topic. Some agreed that linguistics is closely related to
language teaching while others opposed this statement. This paper aims to
examine linguistics and foreign language teaching and shed light on the
relevance of linguistics to the teaching of foreign languages.
Keywords: Linguistics, Language teaching

1. Introduction

The origins of studying how linguistic theory is related to language

teaching can be traced back to the late 1800s. Since then, many linguists and
researchers have proposed different research on the topic, which has been open
to debate. According to Varshney (1998), linguistics is science whereas
language teaching is called an art. The objects of the linguist and the language
teacher are at great variance. What is an elixir to the linguist may be poison to
the language teacher. In contrast, Halliday, McIntosh and Steevens (1965)
mentioned that linguistics is very relevant and useful to second language
teaching. In this paper, therefore, the author would like to review the theory of
linguistics and language teaching as well as identify the relationship between
them.

2. Definition of Linguistics

There is a plethora of thoughts regarding the definition of linguistics. As

believed by Matthews, P. (2007), defines linguistics as “the scientific study of
language and involves as analysis of language form, language meaning, and
language in context.” Similarly, Finegan (2015) suggests “Linguistics is the
scientific study of language, covering the structure (morphology and syntax),
meaning (semantics) and use (pragmatics) of language in all its forms and
varieties”. Likewise, according to Tannen (2013), “Linguistics is the study of
human language as a structures system of communication, including the social,

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cultural, and historical factors that shape language use and development”.
Another definition by Chomsky (1986), views linguistics as “a branch of
cognitive psychology concerned with the study of language as a cognitive
system, with an emphasis on the nature of the human mind and its capacity for
language.”
Of the various definitions of the researchers above, it can be concluded that
linguistics is the scientific study of language. It examines the nature of language,
how it is acquired, how it is used to communicate, its relationship to culture and
society, and how it changes over time. Linguistics encompasses a wide range of
subfields, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and
pragmatics.

3. Language Teaching

There are different theories concerning language teaching and learning has
strengths and weaknesses. In this paper, the basic theories of language teaching
such as Behaviourism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism will be explained.
Some methods of teaching that have been applied by language teachers are the
following: Grammar Translation Method, Direct Method, Structural Method,
Reading Method, Audio-lingual Method, Situational Method, and
Communicative Approach.
One of the theories of language teaching is Behaviourism. Behaviorism is a
psychological approach that emphasizes the study of observable behaviors and
the environmental factors that influence them. Richard et al (1986) stated that
behaviorism has an important influence on psychology, education, and language
teaching. They noted that behaviorism is based on the principle of stimulus-
response. This process of language teaching can be explained in terms of
conditions, a process of shaping and molding of behavior. Desired behavior is
induced and undesirable behavior is extinguished. Besides, Richard et al also
discussed the importance of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior.
If the responses receive positive reinforcement, they will become habits. If the
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responses receive punishment, they will be abandoned. Therefore, the students
learn a language through habit formation.
According to Eapen (1995), some implications of behaviorism toward language
teaching and learning are as follows:
 Language is learned only through use, practice. The more the learner is
exposed to the use of language the better the chances of learning it.
 The production of language depends on the situation which makes its use
necessary. Language cannot be taught divorced from the situation; the
teacher has to introduce each new pattern of language in a meaningful
situation.
 Producing the correct linguistic response to a stimulus requires effort. If
the learner is not called upon to make this effort there is no learning.
 Producing the correct response also requires attention. Attention is bound
to slacken after a time, so prolonged practice is less useful than spaced
practice.
 The spoken language comes earlier than the written form. The receptive
(passive) experience of language is necessary before any productive
(active) use can begin.
 Learning takes place faster if the correct response to a stimulus is
immediately confirmed. The learner must know at once if the effort made
is right or wrong.
 Learning is faster if the learner is placed in a situation where he/she can
produce only the correct response. Each incorrect response builds up a
faulty behaviour pattern which interferes with the process of conditioning.
 Every new item learned must be reinforced by further practice before
further learning begins.
The principles of behaviorism have been influential in the development of
different language teaching approaches such as the audiolingual method. This
method emphasizes the importance of repetition, drilling, and pattern practice to

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help learners internalize correct language forms through positive reinforcement.
Bloomfield (1942:12) stated that language learning is overlearning and anything
less is becoming useless. The implication of this statement is that students
should repeat a certain pattern until they master it and it becomes automatic.
Teaching techniques utilize repetition of dialogs and pattern practice for the
purpose of automatization.
The second theory of language teaching is “cognitivism”. This theory
focuses on language acquisition as a mental process that involves the use of
memory, attention, and thinking skills. This approach emphasizes the
importance of providing learners with opportunities for meaningful interaction
and feedback, as well as opportunities for practice and reflection. Chomsky
(1964) stated that human language cannot be explained simply in terms of
observable stimuli and responses. The generative transformational linguist is
interested not only in describing language but also in arriving at an explanatory
level of adequacy in language study. According to cognitive psychologists,
meaning, understanding and knowing are significant data for psychological
study. They try to discover underlying motivations and deeper structures of
human behavior using a rational approach. Eapen (1995) examined the stages in
the learning process based on the cognitivist as follows:
 The learner encouraging a new situation recognizes it as a “problem” to
be solved.
 This problem is analyzed and the leather tries to identify the elements or
components of the new situation.
 The new situation is compared with those previously encountered, with
the use of a mental “filing index” system, in an attempt to find out if it is
similar or different.
 The comparison suggests a plan, or strategy, for dealing with the new
situation. But the plan has to be tested.

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  The plan is tried out; if it doesn’t work, it is abandoned and an alternative
plan is evolved and tried. If the plan works, it is stored away in the filing
system for future use.
The last theory of language teaching discussed in this paper is
“constructivism”. This theory stresses on the student’s active role in the learning
process and the construction of knowledge through meaningful engagement with
the language. Brown (2007) defined “Constructivism is a school of thought that
emphasizes both the learner’s role in constructing meaning out of available
linguistic input and the importance of social interaction in creating a new
linguistic system”. According to Taber (2006), constructivism theory has the
following characteristics:
 Knowledge is actively constructed by the learner, not passively received
from the outside. Learning is something done by the learner, not
something that is imposed on the learner.
 Learners come to the learning situation (in science etc.) with existing
ideas about many phenomena. Some of these ideas are ad hoc and
unstable; others are more deeply rooted and well-developed.
 Learners has their own individual ideas about the world, but there are also
many similarities and common patterns in their ideas. Some of these ideas
are socially and culturally accepted and shared and they are often part of
the language, supported by metaphors, etc. They also often function well
as tools to understand many phenomena.
 These ideas are often at odds with accepted scientific ideas and some of
them may be persistent and hard to change.
 Knowledge is represented in the brain as conceptual structures and it is
possible to model and describe these in some detail.
 Teachers has to take the learner’s existing ideas seriously if they want to
change or challenge these.

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  Although knowledge in one sense is personal and individual, the learners
construct their knowledge through their interaction with the physical
world, collaboratively in social settings, and in a cultural and linguistic
environment.

4. Language Teaching and Linguistics

The history of the research on the relationship between linguistics theory

and language teaching can be dated back to the end of the Second World War.
From then on, this topic has become highly controversial among linguists,
language educators, and researchers. It emerged two different schools of thought
about the relevance of linguistics to teaching language.
On the one hand, some express their disagreement on the importance of
linguistics in language teaching. Johnson (1967) and Lamendella (1969)
opposed regarding linguistics as the basis of a strategy for learning. Lamendella
(1969) thought that it was a mistake to look to transformational grammar or any
other theory of linguistic description to provide the theoretical basis for second
language pedagogy. What is needed in the field of language teaching is not
applied linguistics but rather applied psychology. Likewise, Mackey (1965)
argued that while linguistics may be useful for researching the structure of
language, it does not necessarily provide practical guidance for language
teaching. In other words, he believed that linguistic theory and language
teaching methods are separate domains and should not be conflated. Besides,
Mackey (1965) believed that a focus on linguistic analysis could actually be
detrimental to language teaching, as it could lead to an overemphasis on
grammar rules and structures at the expense of communicative competence.
On the other hand, some state that linguistics plays a crucial role in
language teaching. Halliday, McIntosh and Steevens (1965) mentioned that the
relevance of linguistics to second language teaching is very useful. Linguistic
description of language components of language teaching is very useful for
language teachers. Language teachers receive knowledge of linguistic theory to
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teach language. Linguistics contributes to the theory of language teaching. The
knowledge of linguistic theory is used as a device to help language teachers. For
example, knowledge of phonetics and phonology can help teachers understand
the sounds and pronunciation of a foreign language, enabling them to better
teach the sound system to learners. Understanding syntax and morphology can
help teachers teach grammar and structure, while knowledge of semantics and
pragmatics can help teachers teach vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.
Additionally, Bloomfield (1942) undertook to use the knowledge of linguistics
to analyze the language to be taught and the result proved to be satisfactory. He
added that the only effective teacher should be the trained linguist working
alongside the students, because language teachers often have an insufficient
command of the language, only the trained linguists know how to guide the
students learning from native speakers and how to teach the forms of the
language. Wilkins (1972) pointed out that linguistics can be more directly
applied in language teaching, such as in the teaching program and in the
preparation of teaching material of all kinds that can be used in the classroom.
Today, language teaching is not straightforward and it needed to provide
materials and make methods that the language teacher can use to teach his/her
students. The materials and methods are needed to be done by researchers in
many fields, especially linguistics, psychology computational linguistics and
stylistics, etc. According to Boey (1975), the language teaching profession
today has become more and more complex and it has three main strands:
Theoretical contributions from linguistics, psychology and social theory;
Methodology and teaching techniques; and Aids and equipment.
Besides, Meng (2009) argued that "language is an inherently complex system. It
presents some contradictions and oppositions. Both linguistics and language
teaching must consider these contradictions; otherwise, they cannot provide a
satisfactory solution to the problems of language". Since language is complex by
nature, what linguistics has to do is to identify the elements or aspects in order to

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analyze it. For example, when talking about a language, it is necessary to
analyze it from four aspects: sound system, grammatical system, lexical system
and discourse system. All these four aspects should be involved in the teaching
theory because they constitute a whole picture of language. When analyzing
each aspect, ones will use linguistic theory to describe it, which means it is
needed to consider how it works linguistically; what it means semantically, and
how it is used socio-linguistically. Only when a language is analyzed
systematically, it can be learned practically. However, language teachers wish to
teach language as a whole, which means language should be regarded as a
synthesis in teaching practice. Therefore, a satisfactory language teaching theory
should consider the language both as an isolated feature and as a synthesis.
There is another opposition in language, that is, language is both rule-governed
and creative. It involves order and regularity, but it also provides an opportunity
to be creative. Upon this fact, the language teaching practice or teaching theory
as well as the linguistic theory must take into account the regularities and the
possibility of making use of the regularities in varied ways. In teaching practice,
the language teacher should teach the students the grammar or the rules of a
language; while on the other hand, the language teacher may let the students use
language innovatively based on these rules.
Because of the intricacies a language possesses, it is impossible to ask a
language teaching theory to cover all the aspects of a language. Since a theory of
language is not able to do justice to the whole of a language, all language
teaching theories have to sacrifice some aspects of language in order to highlight
others. Though linguistics cannot present a definite interpretation of language, it
can help teachers and learners to think critically and constructively about
language, which makes possible the design of the most feasible and practical
language teaching pedagogy.

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 Overall, linguistics makes a significant contribution to foreign language
teaching, as it provides a scientific understanding of language that can inform
effective pedagogy and help learners acquire language proficiency.

5. Conclusion

Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure. It

encompasses many subfields, including phonetics, phonology, morphology,
syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Foreign language teaching, on the other
hand, is the pedagogical practice of teaching a language that is not the learner's
native language. Linguistics and foreign language teaching are closely related,
as the principles and findings of linguistics are essential for effective language
teaching. Linguistics provides a theoretical foundation for understanding
language acquisition and the structure of languages, which can inform language
pedagogy and teaching methodologies.

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Boey, L.K., 1975. An Introduction to Linguistics for the Language Teacher.
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Brown, H. D., 2007. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Fifth
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Chomsky, N. (1986). Knowledge of language: Its nature, origin, and use.
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Eapen, R., 1995. Methods of Teaching English, Block II the Context of
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