Bilingual Method- A Solution for the Plethora of challenges present in a non-native Language Classroom

Abstract

Abstract: The second Language teaching has witnessed unprecedented onslaughts of methods and trysts during the World War II. The War demanded quick and efficient mastering of target language by the soldiers that they can be well versed with the target language and can work their ways in the enemy territory. Soldiers needed to be equipped with the language that was spoken by their opponents in the battlefield, which has become as much important as their arsenal to fight the foe. Audio lingual method which is the resultant method of the efforts laid by the language teachers to teach the American soldiers concentrated on the language drills with the consequential replacement of the verbal components of the relevant phrases without any reverence to the first language. Audio Visual Method focused on the mechanistic approach of making the students repeat the phrased continuously as if they are practicing the drill in the ground. But the hiatus has remained in terms of expression of deep and profound thoughts in target language. Audio visual method which is also called the Army method failed to see the demand of the intricate language structure in expressing probing thoughts because the stringent time schedule in which the soldiers should learn the target langue was insufficient to equip them with all the paraphernalia of target language. It was just learning the langue in artificially controlled environment. Besides the AV method there is another method which focuses on just using the target language ignoring the importance of mother tongue in second language acquisition that is the Direct Method which is popularized by Berlitz and Inlingua schools in 1970s and 1980s focus on subjecting the learner to the real life situation in language learning(Freeman). It is also called ‘Natural method’ because it caters to the mechanism of language acquisition rather than language leaning. Among the four skills of language use only the Spoken aspect of the language communication held prime over the other aspects like reading and writing in Direct method (Kumar). The underlying rules of grammar and syntax are taught indirectly rather than directly which had been a part of conventional teaching methodology. Bilingual method draws its inspiration from both Direct and AV methods in using its principles in teaching second language. My paper will deal with the propensity of using a method and to teach second language and raise the interest in the students to go further to develop language skills on their own as well.