Direct Method

The theory of language underlying Audiolingualism was derived from a view proposed by American linguistin the 1950s- a view that came to be known as structural linguistis. Linguistics had emerged asa flourishing academic discipline in the 1950s and the structural theory of language constituted its backbone.
The language teaching theoreticians nd methodologists whjo developed Audiolingiualismnot only had a convincing and powerful theory oflanguage to draw upon but they were also working in a eriod when a prominent school of American pyshcology known asbehavioral psychology, claimed to havetapped the secrets of all human learning, includinglanguage learning.The psychological foundation of audilingualism and came to shape its methodological practices among the more central are thefollowing:
Foreign language learning is basically a proceses of mechanical habit formation. Good habits are formed by giving correct response raher than by making mistakes. By memorizing dialogues andperforming patterns drills the chances of producing mistakes are minimized. Language is verbal behaviour, that is the automatic production and comprehension f utterances and can be learned by inducingthe students to do likewise.
Language skills are learned more effectively if the items to be learned in the target language are presented in spoken form before they are seen in written form. Aural oraltraining is needed to provide the foundation for the development of other language skills.
Analogy provides a better foundation for language learning than analysis. Analogy involves the processes ofgeneralixation and discrimination. Explanations of rules are therefore not given until students have practiced a pattern in a variety of contexts and are thought to have acquired a perception of theanalogies involved. Drills can enable learners to form correct analogies. Hence the approach to the teaching of grammar is essentially inductive rather than deductive.
The meanings that the words...