Language Teaching Through the Ages

Konrad Koerner, A Leading Historian Of Linguistics, Has Long Said That An Academic Field Cannot Be Considered To Have Matured Until It Has History As One Of Its Subfields. The History Of Linguistics Is A Growing Area, Having Come Into Its Own In The 1960s, Especially After Noam Chomsky Looked For Historical Roots For His Work. In Contrast, The History Of Language Teaching Has Been Neglected, Reflecting The Insecurity And Youth Of The Field. Most Works On The Subject Have Been Written By Linguists For Other Linguists, And Typically Focus On A Specific Period Or Aspect Of History. This Volume Concentrates On The Basic Issues, Events, And Threads Of The History Of The Field - From Mesopotamia To The Present - Showing How A Knowledge Of This History Can Inform The Practice Of Language Teaching In The Present. Front Cover -- Language Teaching Through The Ages -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List Of Figures -- Preface -- Introduction: Why Study The History Of Language Teaching? -- Part I: In The Beginning -- 1. An Introduction: In The Beginning -- 2. Mesopotamia: The First Records -- 3. Egypt: The Effect Of Language Change -- 4. The Greeks: The Foundations Of Western Education -- 5. The Romans: Refining The System -- 6. The Middle Ages: A Few Bright Spots -- Part Ii: The Early Modern World -- 7. William Lily's Famous Grammar -- 8. Erasmus's Ideas On Education -- 9. Roger Ascham And His Double-translation Technique -- 10. Claudius Holyband: A Frenchman Which Doth His Dutie -- 11. Michel De Montaigne: The Last Native Speaker Of Latin? -- 12. John Brinsley's Advice To Teachers -- 13. Eilhard Lubinus: A Call For Change -- 14. Jan Comenius: A Full-scale Science Of Education -- 15. The Port-royal Community -- 16. John Wilkins And His Rational Language -- 17. John Locke: Who Needs Latin? -- 18. César Chesneau Du Marsais, Philosophy, And Grammar -- 19. Robert Lowth's Prescriptivist Grammar -- 20. Lindley Murray: The Father Of English Grammar -- 21. The Grammar-translation Method: It's Not What You Think -- 22. Two Diversions: Prendergast And Gouin -- 23. Esperanto: A Successful Constructed Language -- 24. Natural Methods: Learning Like Children -- Part Iii: Modern Times -- 25. The Reform Movement: The Start Of Modern Times -- 26. Two Reports On The State Of Language Teaching -- 27. Harold Palmer: A Modern Teacher -- 28. The Controversy Of Basic English -- 29. World War Ii And The Army Specialized Training Program -- 30. After The War -- 31. The 1970s And Beyond -- 32. Conclusion -- Appendix I: Summary Of Chapters -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.