Language Learning History
Where did it all begin?
Modern language instruction in the 19th century culled many of its techniques from the teaching of classical languages, partly because Latin and Greek were given higher prestige in academic circles. Hence, during the mid-19th century, those who studied modern languages were considered to have taken the "soft approach." The influence from classical language instruction led to the predominance of rote memorization techniques. This can be seen clearly in the Grammar-Translation Method of this period, which required students to memorize vocabulary lists and grammar drills, often in the form of a series of questions and answers; here, the major goal was to produce students who could reproduce grammatical sentences, with oral communication not prioritized.
The 20th century saw a distinct shift in emphasis. With the onset of World War II, the importance of foreign language comprehension became more prominent in the American consciousness than ever. Moreover, the approach that the American military took to immersing select groups of American soldiers in specialized, intensive foreign language classes, with the goal of producing functionally fluency in the space of 8-9 months, had a significant impact on the overall American approach to foreign language learning in both secondary and higher education after the war. The Army Specialized Training Program, or Army Method, spurred copycat programs in schools across the country. Of course, as educators and critics duly noted, the exact conditions required for the method could not be reproduced in a traditional educational setting; as one high school teacher noted, American schools must produce "well-rounded" students, not ones who devote 8+ hours a day for months on end to a single subject. Still, foreign language classrooms began to shift. Technology became more important, with phonographic recordings and visual representations emphasized. And the overall attitude towards teaching modern foreign languages changed, as more students and teachers expressed interest, particularly in languages that had become crucial during the war, such as Russian, German, and Japanese (DOUBLE CHECK).
Jennifer Kaplan (Barnard, 2019)