Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Mother Tongue in Teaching English Classes

Master "Limba Engleza . Studii Teoretice si Aplicate"

1^st Year

Abstract: This paper attempts to provide a picture of the core aspects related to the role and use of the mother tongue in teaching English as a foreign language . Over the last decades there have been various shifts to and from the use of the mother tongue in teaching a foreign language . The opinions are divided; some teachers view the first language as a hindrance while others consider it a useful resource . Students' perceptions regarding this pedagogical issue are often overlooked . On the one hand, the advocates of the monolingual approach claim that the classroom should be an English-only environment where the foreign language has to be the only language used . On the other hand, the supporters of the bilingual approach seriously question this opinion considering the first language as an instructional tool and, therefore, a view of how and when to use the mother tongue in the classroom has become the main subject for debate .

Keywords: L1, L2, English Language Teaching, code-switching

Introduction

Studies have shown that sixty percents of today's world population is multilingual . In fact, this is not a characteristic specific only to our modern society . It is known that throughout history foreign language learning has always been an important practical concern and language teaching methods have evolved over the years .

Five hundred years ago Latin was the most widely studied foreign language, but later in the sixteenth century it was replaced by French, English and Italian as a result of political changes that occurred in Europe . Nowadays, English has become a global language as it facilitates the communication between people all over the world and that is why its various areas have been widely investigated especially those of teaching and learning English as a foreign language .

In modern foreign language classroom, where the emphasis is put on authentic situational contexts it seems that the only use of English is widely supported . This has lead to a controversy among English language teaching professionals . The opinions are divided . Researchers such as Chaudron (1988), Camerom (2001) sustain that the use of the mother tongue should be prohibited because students learn English only through English and not by the use of their first language .

On the other hand, "a number of researchers (Lai: 1996, Cole: 1998, Critchley:1999, Schweers: 1999, Burden: 2001, Tang 2002) have argued that code switching can be a useful tool in assisting English language teaching and learning process . (Badrul Hisham Ahmad & Kamaruzaman Jusoff, 2009: 50)

Many language teachers confront themselves with the question of whether to use or not the students' mother tongue when teaching English as a foreign language . Sometimes, when they have to resort to the learners' mother tongue they have feelings of guilt because "their training has discouraged them from using it at all in class . But this supposed prohibition was an over-strong reaction to some traditional teaching styles in which teachers used only L1 to explain and discuss language, and learners hardly got to hear or use only English . " (Scrivener, 2005: 300)

During the late nineteenth century and in the twentieth century the use of the mother tongue in the classroom was considered a bad thing because it was believed that learners should have maximum exposure to the target language . This is explained because of the arrival of the Direct Method which considers "vitally important that only the target language should be used in the classroom . (Harmer, 2009: 63)

Moreover, Harmer points out that this tendency "came about too because teachers from English-speaking countries were travelling the world teaching people whose first language they themselves could not speak . " (2009: 132) Sometimes, methodological reasons determined teachers to use only English because they were teaching multilingual classes and English became not only the focus of learning, but also the medium of instruction .

A multilingual class is one where students have a mixture of first language and a monolingual class is one where all the students speak the same language, other than English .

Nowadays more and more English language teaching professionals are being convinced that the first language is playing a facilitating role in the second and foreign language classroom especially when the English standard of students has gone down in the past decades .

An overview of language teaching methods focusing on L1 use in L2 teaching

We can distinguish several successive methods used in teaching English as a foreign language and all of them illustrate that the use of the mother tongue is one of the biggest controversies in the history of language pedagogy .

The Grammar Translation Method is one of the oldest methods used by teachers all over the world . It developed in the 18^th century and was introduced as a way of teaching modern languages to school children . Its principles and techniques are similar to those used for teaching classical languages such as Greek and Latin . It perceived language as an intellectual performance and its main goal was to help learners to be able to read literature in its original or analyze the linguistic system of studied language .

Then, the late 19^th century was characterised by a mass development of the commerce and travels between the European countries and this change influenced the way foreign languages were taught . Those were no more learnt with the aim of reading literature in its original forms, but with the purpose of communicating . This led to the arrival of the Direct Method which was preoccupied with the spoken language and "translation was abandoned in favour of the teacher and the students speaking together, relating the grammatical forms they were studying to objects and pictures, etc . in order to establish their meaning" (Harmer, 2009: 63) . However, in the early 20^th century its popularity began to decline, but it morphed into other methods such as the Audiolingualism and the Communicative Approach .

Nowadays, many foreign language teachers are quite critical about the use of translation in their classes pretending that it is out of fashion . Some teachers consider it to be boring and to take to much class time whereas others believe that by using this method the learners learn about the language rather than how to use it and they don't have the opportunity to develop listening and speaking skills . Moreover, it is claimed that translation encourages learners to think in terms of two languages rather than just one and that it tends to use difficult or out of date literary material . Atkinson (1993) comments on these criticisms in a "positive and helpful way" pretending that this method is doom to fail, unless the teacher knows how to use it in his/her advantage . He points that "there is no need for students to spend a large amount of class time doing individual, silent translation" and gives the teachers a lot of examples of interesting translation activities . (Atkinson, 1993: 54) Moreover, he adds that "some translation activities can be done almost completely as oral activities . And many written activities can be done at home and then discussed in class . (1993: 54)

Additionally, he argues that there is no need to use only literary texts for translation but a wide range of texts "from those written by the teacher or found in the coursebook to road signs, messages, letters, poems, songs, graffiti, etc . (1993: 55)

Atkinson underlines the following benefits of using translation activities: learners are forced o think about meaning and not just to acquire mechanically certain structures; they have the opportunity to think comparatively and this helps them to become aware of the differences between their mother tongue and the English language and they will be able to avoid all sorts of "typical mistakes"; students are "encouraged to take risks rather than avoid them", having to think of ways of saying "difficult things" in other languages . He concludes that translation is a real life activity because "if the students need English in their jobs they may well have to spend some time translating . " ( Atkinson, 1993: 53-54)

Recently, methodologists have paid a lot of attention on the role of the mother tongue in teaching a foreign language and a lot of studies have been carried out around the world in order to develop post-communicative methods which treat L1 as a classroom resource .

Disadvantages of using L1 in L2 teaching

Teaching English through English is one of the most wide spread principles used when teaching English as a foreign language . Methodologists such as Krashen (1981), Chaudron (1988) are pivotal advocates of the only L2 use in the classroom .

Firstly, they agree that a foreign language is acquired through exposure . Cook considers that English must be not only the teaching content, but also the medium of instruction and what the teacher does or says represents for the students opportunities to get in contact with the target language . She adds that "using the L1 for classroom management and instructions deprives the students of genuine examples of language use . " (Cook, 1991: 6 qtd . by Lai Mee-ling: 1996: 91)

This point of view is also shared by Chaudron who states that "in a typical language classroom the common belief is that the fullest competence in the target language is achieved by means of the teacher providing a rich target environment, in which not only instructions and drills are executed in the target language, but also disciplinary and management operations . " (Chaudron . 1988: 1)

The supporters of this approach consider that the process of learning a foreign language is identical to that of learning the mother tongue and that is why they pretend that it is vital for the students to be totally exposed to an L2 environment . Gatenby, one of the founding fathers of ELT states that "what is essential is that the language being studied should be as far as possible the sole medium of communication in any given environment . " (Gatenby, 1965: 14 qtd by Philipson, 1992: 185)

Harmer also agrees that giving to the students instructions in L1 "reduces their exposure to a type of English that is an ideal source of language for students' acquisition . " He underlies the fact that "the teacher is a principal source of useful comprehensible input, then the more time we spend speaking English, the better . " (Harmer, 2009: 134)

Secondly, methodologists such as Krashen consider that the first language is a source of errors in the learners' second language acquisition adding that the researches he has made conducted him to the conclusion that "a high amount of first language influence is found in situationswhere translation exercises are frequent . " Moreover, he points out that the use of the first language is an indicator of the low acquisition of the second language, "if so, it can be eliminated or at least reduced by natural intake and language use . " (Krashen, 1981: 66)

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Thirdly, it has been argued that the best teacher of English is a native speaker because "he/she possesses greater facility in demonstrating fluent, idiomatically appropriate language, in appreciating the cultural connotations of the language, and in being the final arbiter of the acceptability of any given sample of the language and this makes him intrinsically better qualified than non-native . " (Philipson, 1992: 194)

Philipson presents in his book the five key tenants of the monolingual approach: "English is best taught monolingually, the ideal teacher of English is a native speaker, the earlier English is taught, the better the results, the more English is taught, the better the results, and if other languages are used much, standards of English will drop . " ( Philipson, 1992: 185)

Therefore, the supporters of the monolingual theory strongly claim that the teaching of English as a foreign or second language should be entirely through the medium of English which has to be the only language permitted in the classroom .

Advantages of using L1 in L2 teaching

Over the last few years there has been a gradual movement from the "English only dogma" that has long been a part of the teaching of English as a foreign language and now there are many methodologists that support the use of the students' first language in the classroom . It has been argued that code-switching can be a useful tool in assisting English language teaching and many researchers disagree with the principles formulated by the supporters of the monolingual approach .

Atkinson (1987) strongly agrees with the use of the mother tongue when teaching a foreign language especially in monolingual classes suggesting a series of activities where teachers can use the L1 without over-using it . He pretends that it is a "humanistic approach" to permit learners to use their first language because it helps them "to say what they really want to say" and it is very effective because teachers don't spend too much time explaining things that students don't understand . (Atkinson, 1987: 242)

Wilkins talks about the translations exercises and suggests that they can be sometimes useful especially when the target language causes confusion and ambiguity, but he also warns teachers against overusing the mother tongue and that is why they have to consider carefully if the use of L1 is justified . (Wilkins, 1974 paraphrased by Lai Mee-ling, 1996: 92)

Prodromou (2002) claims that if a teacher uses his/her students' first language when teaching English he/she is able to bring the learners cultural background knowledge into the class .

Aurbuch (1988 paraphrased by Mufeed Jadallah & Fuad Hasan, ) enhances the positive role of the mother tongue in second language classes and points out the following contexts where it can be used: language analysis, class management, presenting grammar rules, giving instructions or prompts, explaining errors and checking for comprehension .

Medgyes (1992) doesn't agree with the fact that native speakers are the best qualified teachers and considers that non-native teachers prove to be better because "during their own learning process they have acquired abundant knowledge about and insight into how the English language works, which might be presumed to make better informants than their native colleagues . " (Medgyes, 1992: 39 qtd . by David Barker, 2003)

This point of view is also shared by Atkinson (1993) who considers that, on the one hand, non-native teachers of English are often better at explaining points of grammar and they also have a better idea than many native speakers of how English works . On the other hand, they are language learners themselves and they've already learnt English as a foreign language . Therefore, they have experienced the difficulties which their students have, they understand those difficulties and can better help the students to overpass them . Moreover, he considers that the knowledge of the L1 is an important tool for the teacher because many of the errors the students make have their causes in the first language and if the teachers know the students' mother tongue, they know which aspects of English to concentrate on in their teaching . (Atkinson, 1993: 7-8)

Furthermore, Harmer points out that there is no need to ban the use of the first language when teaching English and other foreign languages because "it seems highly probable that our identity is shaped to some extent by the language or languages we learn as childrenour natural inclination to communication in our mother tongue is non-negotiable, it is just part of what makes us 'us', even if this is sometimes politically uncomfortable . " (Harmer, 2009: 132)

Thus, the mother tongue will always be present in the students' mind whether the teacher likes it or not as Cook also confirms "L2 users have L1 permanently present in their minds . Every activity the student carries out visibly in the L2 also involves the invisible L1 From a multi-competence perspective, all teaching activities are cross-lingual . " (Cook, 1999 qtd . by Forman, 2005: 67)

Moreover, as Harmer (2009) and Atkinson (1993) confirm there is nothing wrong in it because the fact that the students make comparisons between the two languages has a positive implication since it will help them to understand certain classes of errors if the teacher is able to show them such differences . Ross Forman points out in her thesis "Teaching EFL in Thailand: A Bilingual Study" that foreign language teachers often confronted with several concerned when they tried to use the L2 as the main language for giving instructions . They arrived at the conclusion that the limited classroom time was not efficiently used, that the students with a small baggage of knowledge were disadvantaged and one having lost the thread of L2 discourse, they became discouraged, and the only use of L2 restricted the capacity to explore cultural issues . (Foreman, 2005: 64)

Some methodologists draw attention to the socio-affective impact of L1 use . Harmer, for example, considers that the students and the teachers can use the L1 "to keep the social atmosphere of the class in good repairit is very useful when the teacher and the students exchange jokes or discuss about aspects of their lives . " (Harmer, 2009: 133-134) Canagarajah also points out that the L1 is a resource that can be used by the teachers to "heighten /reduce their authority/solidarity with students . (Canagarajah, 1999: 142 paraphrased by Foreman, 2005: 68)

Jane Willis who supports the monolingual approach considers that even with a class of beginners it is possible to teach entirely in English because at this level gestures and tone voice are at first more important than the actual use of words . In fact, if they get used to hear only English during their lessons they will learn not only the specific language items that are being taught, but also "they will be practicing unconsciously a number of skills, learning how to listen, to pick out key words and beginning to think in English for themselves, reducing the amount of influence from their mother tongue . " (Willis, 1981: 1) Although she strongly pretends that English should be taught through English, she also considers that there are times when it is preferable to use the L1 . Willis pretends that a teacher can use the students' mother tongue to explain the meaning of a new word if it would take too much time to explain it in English; to explain the aims of the lesson or the next activity so that "everyone knows what they are learning and when they can use it"; to check the students' understanding after the presentation stage . She also adds that the teacher can let his/her students who have a lower or an intermediate level to discuss the main ideas of a reading text in L1, but only if the lesson's aim is to improve reading skills . (Willis, 1981: 1)

Cole (1988) also agrees with the thought that the use of the first language is very useful at the beginning levels because it helps to create a more secure atmosphere in class .

In his book "Teaching Monolingual Classes" Atkinson suggest a careful, limited use of L1 to help students get the maximum benefit from activities which in other respects will be carried out in the target language . He considers that "the L1 can be a valuable resource if it is used at the appropriate times and in appropriate ways" (1993: 2), but the use of the L1 doesn't have to become a routine because "if English is not the main language used in the classroom, the learners are not going to learn very much English" . (1993:12)

He underlines several situations when the L1 can be useful . Therefore, the first language can be used by the teacher to check if the students understand the situation or the activity they have to carry out, otherwise the practice won't be very efficient and the students may become confused or bored . The teacher can also use the L1 to elicit language from the students . We know that there are many ways of eliciting the meaning of a word for example, such as the use of pictures, drawings, the actual object, mime, but if none of these work we have to use the L1 and the teacher can ask the students "How do we say . (word in L1) in English?"

Atkinson adds that the L1 can be a useful resource when giving complex instructions because they have to be quick and clear . He states that "there is not much point in spending, for example, five minutes giving instructions for an activity which is going to last seven minutes" and the teacher prefers to "give instructions in the L1 for a complicated communicative activity . " (1993: 29) The teacher can also adopt another technique, he/she can give the instructions in English and then get a good student summarise them in L1 . In this way he/she checks if the good student has understood and the weaker students may clarify things . Written instructions can also be given in L1 if the students don't understand them or if the use of L2 would provide the students with too much words they need in the exercise and perhaps make the activity less challenging . The teacher can also use the L1 to check whether the students have understood something when concept question and definitions can be time-consuming .

Nevertheless, it is the teacher's decision about which language to use at a particular time and it depends on a lot of different factors connected with the students, the materials, the teacher himself, the school, but he always has to keep in mind that "English must be the main language used in the classroom . That it is part of the key to successful teaching . " (Atkinson, 1993: 51)

Learners' attitude towards L1 use in L2 teaching

Auerbach argues that the issue of language used should be negotiated since the maintenance of the mother tongue use in the classroom can create tension because some students may consider its use a waste of time which slows language acquisition whereas others see it as a necessary support . (Auerbach, 1994: 160 paraphrased by Burden, 2000)

Burden in his survey of Japanese students arrived at the conclusion that "students want the teacher to use the target language extensively when it is being used in communication, but expect the teacher to have knowledge of, and an ability to use the mother tongue when it is appropriate to explain the usage of English . " (Burden, 2000)

Badrul Hisham Ahmad (2009) in his survey of Malaysian students concludes that the teacher's use of the students' first language helps them to feel satisfied with their learning and more comfortable with the lessons . According to his study code-switching helps learners to enjoy their learning due to their ability to comprehend the teacher's input . "The comprehensible input also allowed them to feel less stressful and to become more comfortable with the lesson . " (2009: 51)

Maria Olivares Baņos (2009) in her study about Spanish students arrived at the conclusion that "the problem of motivation and demotivation can be clearly solved by incorporating the use of the mother tongue in the L2 classroom . " When she started teaching English using the L2 all the time she heard commentaries such as "I'm bored", "I don't know to speak English" and children were completely decontrolled; they were lost and had comprehension difficulties . The next day, when she incorporated the mother tongue in her teaching everybody was much more attentive and interested in the lesson . Thus, motivation is a very important factor in the acquisition of a second language and as long as the use of the mother tongue helps to motivate students, it is justified .

Weschler (1997) also arrived at this conclusion in his study about the use of Japanese when teaching English considering that it can supply the student with the essential sense of need to learn the language as well as the tools to do so effectively .

Schweers (1999) in his research on the use of Spanish in English classes at the University of Puerto Rico points out that the use of the first language helps students to feel more comfortable, less tensed and less lost and it has made learning of English appear to be less of a threat to their vernacular . Therefore, students learn that the two languages coexist . He also arrives at the conclusion that the use of Spanish has led to positive attitudes towards the process of learning English and better yet, encourages students to learn more English .

In short, the use of L1 in L2 teaching is important because it provides a conducive learning environment and a strong foundation to learners' affective satisfaction .

Conclusions

There is no use to deny the importance of students' mother tongue in their learning of a foreign language . Even if there are methodologists that strongly claim that the English or another foreign language has to be the only medium of communication in the L2 classrooms, there are many researchers, teachers, and learners who see a role for L1 and support its use considering it a very useful resource only if it is not overused .      

In fact, there is no rule that a teacher should never use L1 in L2 learning, nor is there any excuse for using L1 most of the time . The teacher always has to find a right balance between English and the L1 taking into consideration many factors such as the students' previous experience, their level of proficiency, the stage of the course or of the lesson . But the teacher always has to remember that English must be the main language of the classroom and if he/she decides to use the mother tongue, its use has to be justified .

Therefore, when not used excessively, L1 is beneficial in L2 classroom . It can be very useful in managing the class: in eliciting language, checking for comprehension, giving complex instructions, in discussions of classroom methodology, in setting up pair or group work, explaining grammar concepts, correcting errors, explaining abstract vocabulary, resolving individual areas of difficulty, in discussions of cross cultural issues, in solving behavioural problems, in reducing inhibition or affective blocks to L2 production .

The use of L1 in L2 teaching is very productive especially at low levels when learning a foreign language can be a stressful and frustrating process and researchers have proved that a limited use of the L1 can have a positive effect because students' anxiety can be minimized, they feel less intimidated and freer to express their ideas . Therefore, through L1 students experience faster L2 acquisition .

Summary

De-a lungul timpului metodologia predarii limbii engleze a cunoscut numeroase schimbari modificandu-se odata cu societatea si nevoile oamenilor . Folosirea limbii materne in predarea unei limbi straine a fost tot timpul un subiect controversat .

Pe de-o parte sunt susținatorii teoriei conform careia limba straine trebuie sa fie unica limb folosita la clasa, iar pe de alta parte se afla cei care acorda limbii materne un rol esențial in predarea unei limbi straine, considerand-o o resursa utila atata timp cat este folosita cu masura .

Susținatorii teoriei monolingvistice considera ca limba engleza trebuie sa constituie atat conținutul predarii cat si mijlocul de predare deoarece achiziționarea acesteia est un proces similar cu cel al achiziționarii limbii materne, realizandu-se așadar prin expunerea totala . Mai mult, limba materna este considerata a fi o sursa de erori intrucat elevul este tot timpul tentat sa faca o comparație intre cele doua limbi, iar acest lucru incetinește procesul de achiziționare a limbii straine .

Aceasta opinie este contestata de foarte mulți profesori si metodologisti, iar studiile arata ca limba materna accelereaza procesul de achiziționarea a limbii straine . Aceasta ajuta in crearea unei atmosfere placute in clasa, elevii se simt mult mai confortabil si sunt motivați sa invețe . Mai mult limba materna il ajuta pe profesor sa valorifice mult mai bine timpul scurt de la clasa, putand fii folosita in explicarea unor probleme de gramatica mai complexe, in predarea unui vocabular abstract, pentru a da instrucțiuni, in rezolvarea problemelor comportamentale, pentru a verifica daca elevii au inteles ceea ce le-a fost predat, pentru a corecta diferite greșeli si pentru a rezolva diferite probleme care se ivesc in timpul procesului de predare .

Chiar daca sunt profesori care se opun cu vehementa folosirii limbii materne in timpul orelor de limba straine, literatura de specialitate aduce dovezi prin care se demonstreaza clar ca limba materna poate fi utilizata intr-un mod eficient la orele de limba straina atata timp cat este folosita cu masura si cu un scop bine definit .

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