What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Bilingual And The Monolingual Approach

INTRODUCTION

The issue of whether the learners’ L1 should be used in the ESL environment is a source of ongoing debate. Opinions divide between supporters of the Monolingual Approach and supporters of the Bilingual Approach (Miles, 2004: 7-11; Rhalmi: 2009). Some of the arguments that the latter put forward in favour of L1 use are that learners approve of its use, rely on translation when learning vocabulary and grammar structures and feel more at ease in class, as they can use a language they master when dealing with important classroom information (Gill, 2005; González Davies, 2002; Miles, 2004: 9). However, those who prefer the Monolingual Approach believe that exposure to the L2 is a key element in the learning of any language and, therefore, L1s should be excluded from the classroom (Miles, 2004: 4; Rhalmi: 2009).

In considering L1 use in the ESL environment, this paper will explore the benefits and drawbacks of the Bilingual and the Monolingual Approach and will provide discussion on the way the L1 should be used in class.

BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF THE BILINGUAL APPROACH

Detractors of the Bilingual Approach believe that L1 use hinders language learning and acquisition. They explain that, when L1s are overused in class, learners tend to think the ideas they want to communicate in their language and then rely on translation, which may result in L1 transfer (Gill, 2005; González Davies, 2002; Rhalmi: 2009). Moreover, language acquisition is affected negatively by L1 use,