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Main characteristics of Bilingual Method
The main characteristics of the method are:
- In this method, emphasis is not laid on creating situations but the real life. situations already created in the learner by the mother tongue are made use of. Situations are created just by giving the mother tongue equivalent of English words.
- Rigorous practice is under taken in sentence – formation and sentence patterns.
- The mother – tongue (LI) is used as an aid to learn L2. The first language (LI) is the child’s basic asset. It is his behaviour, communication, achievement and fulfilment. The child cannot be thought of as a growing and maturing personality apart from the first language he has’ acquired but a good, and effective use of this LI already learnt is employed in the learning of L2. The mother – tongue (L1) is used in the classroom not as the medium of teaching as in Grammar – translation method but as a teaching aid. The bilingual method permits the judicious freedom in the use of LI. It is used to explain the meaning of new words, phrases, sentences, idioms, grammatical items and so on. L1 is not used for word to word translation.
