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Volume :5 Issue : 20 1985
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Approaches to English as a Foreign Language and Their Implications for English Language Teaching In Kuwait
Auther : Ali H. S. Hajjaj
This paper attempts to evaluate the main approaches to English as a foreign language (EFL) and their implications for English language teaching (ELT) in Kuwait. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are described as objectively as possible. The oldest, grammar-translation approach, usually called the traditional approach, is the collection of grammatical explanations and rules that, with innumerable variations including translation of words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and even longer discourse, has been used by teachers over the last 200 years or so. Since ELT at an extensive level, especially in the State of Kuwait has assumed greater importance fairly recently, a purely grammar-translation approach has not been used as the only approach, grammar and translation teaching went side by side with language use through demonstration, dramatization, pointing at objects, and reading with dictionary help. This situation continued to prevail till a new approach, the structural (or audio/lingual or aural/oral) approach emerged.
The paper concludes by a set of suggestions outlining the trend that English language teaching might take in Kuwait and possibly other Arab (Gulf) countries.