Nature of Language and Linguistics

1. Language teaching is science because of the scientific nature of linguistics.

Language teachers need linguistics to know the technical knowledge of the language. They also
evaluate the proper approach to teach language, and this language approach can be derived
from linguistics theories. This part where language teachers tap into the field of linguistics
makes language teaching science rather than art. They utilize this scientific study to both have
the technical and pedagogical knowledge in teaching a language.

2. Language teaching needs technical knowledge of the language – which is linguistics.

Language teaching involves understanding the nature and system of language and
communication. It also involves being aware of the differences and similarities between the
learners' first and second languages. Lastly, it involves evaluating learners' mastery of language
properties. Indeed, language teachers need language pedagogies, but they need technical
knowledge to understand and explain the nature and system of language and communication.
For example, teachers need phonology to teach pronunciation. This involves knowledge of the
articulation of sounds and the classification of vowels and consonants. This technical knowledge
is found in linguistics.

3. Language teaching use linguistics theories as basis/ support for language teaching approaches.
Language teachers make use of language pedagogies. Over the years, linguistics became the
support or basis of these pedagogies. In fact, in the year 1940 - 1960, language teaching implies
linguistic theories. For example, the audiolingual method had its roots in Saussere's
Structuralism. The cognitive theory of language learning is based on Chomsky's Transformational
Generative Grammar. Communicative language teaching, which is widely used nowadays, is
supported by John Oller's study on Pragmatics.

4. Language teaching approaches change as new linguistic theories emerge.

Throughout the history of language teaching, approaches rise and fall as new linguistics theories
have emerged. This happens because linguistic theories provide practical application to
language teaching. Also, linguistics theories had an important implication on how language
teaching is viewed. As Levenson asserted, "linguistic theories have their own relevance to
language teaching situations." For example, ancient and traditional grammar had become the
basic references in developing and managing language teaching before structural linguistics and
Transformational Generative Grammar came.