TPR教学法
buchiApplied Linguistics
A Study of the Application of TPR Teaching Method
in English Classroom of Primary School
班级：1101班
姓名：吴婷婷
学号：2011030112
日期：6月18日
coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activities. (Asher, 1966; 79-84) Developed by James Asher, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California, people can acquire a foreign language by acquisition of comprehensible input through reacting imperative drills and other activities in classes, which is just like babies learn their first language.
1.2 Background of the Study
Some educators believe that one of the most important aspects of foreign language acquisition depends on listening comprehension first.
The importance of the language learning order was emphasized by Harold E. Palmer. He suggested that in order to acquire main speech skills, listening and speaking, learners should study step by step through the four phases: perception, recognition, imitation and reproduction. (Palmer, 1925) He further claimed that perception and recognition should come before imitation and reproduction. Imperative drills he proposed aimed at establishing the foundation for internalizing a foreign language through the first two phases. In this sense, some similarities can be found between imperative drills and TPR.（WATANABE and KAWABUCHI; p53-54）
Palmer also referred, such as subconscious comprehension, which is defined as 'the art of understanding connected speech (spoken or written) without conscious effort, analysis or translation' and 'the incubation period', during which time 'a vast number of units are cognized in all their aspects: sounds, combinations, and successions of sounds, and the semantic values represented by all of these. (Palmer, 1917)
More recently, Krashen could be seen to have agreed Palmer in proposing similar constructs: the input hypothesis and the silent period. Krashen assumed that learners can acquire the target language through large quantities of comprehensible input, which is slightly above the learner's present level of competence. (Krashen, 1982)