education materials for academicians

1. 1. THE COGNITIVE CODE
The cognitive approach of 1970s emphasizes that language learning involves active
mental activities . this approach the reaction by scholars who were opposed to audio
lingual method. E.g Noam Chomsky, who was born on 7th
December, 1928 is an
American linguist who supported the philosopher of cognitive code. He studied at the
university of pennysyvinia from 1951- 1955. cognitive code is something to deal with
mental.
It is also concerned with the process of knowing. It involves mental activities such as
understanding , reasoning and remembering . the mental process of knowing includes
aspect such as awareness and judgement. The cognitive code uses psychological
processes in acquisition of language. E.g using existing knowledge and generate new
knowledge.
TRANSFORMATION GENERATIVE GRAMMAR(TGG)
Transformation generative grammar is view which supports cognitive code approach.
It is intended as a model for the processes through which human being construct
sentences. TGG helps the innateness of the behaviorist domination of language
learning . it is concerned with the structure of language. It also states how the success
of grammar should be.
What is grammar?
In linguistics, grammar is a set of structural rules governing the composition of
sentences. Jeremmy Butterfield state that grammar is often a way referencing to any
aspect of English that people object to. However , linguists, use the world grammar in
a more specific sense. E.g speakers of the language-have of international rule for
using that language. Rules of the given language govern the linguistic behaviour of a
specific language.
E. g subject+verb+object
Mulenga was wearing a hat
S V O
 Syntax has a relationship with grammar because it deals with rules governing
sentences.
 syntax is the arrangement of words in sentences, clauses, and phrases, and the
study of the formation of sentences and the relationship of their component parts.

2. DEEP STRUCTURE AND SURFACE STRUCTURE
In 1957 Noam Chomsky published syntactic structures at two levels: deep structure
and surface structure.
Deep structure represent the semantic relationship of a sentence which should have
sound( phonology), meaning (semantics) and syntax( rules). further more the
properties of a language are revealed in the deep structures. E.g look at the sentences
and examine the mistakes.
1. Mulenga goed home now.
2. Muke is the house.
FURTHER EXAMPLES OF DEEP AND SURFACE STRUCTURES.
Rewrite :Mr phiri was attacked by the lion
 A lion attacked Mr phiri.
Surface
 Most of the food which is served in such restaurant have cooked already.
Deep
 The food served in such a restaurant is cooked in advance.
3. SITUATION LANGUAGE TEACHING APPROACH
Situation language teaching approach can be defined as a theory where language
teaching should be taught in situation content. The theory focuses attention on ideal
for the learners to practice language. Ideal situation implies real life situation.
 Situation language approach utilized material that centre around a real situations.
BRIEF BACKGROUND OF SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING
APPROACH
 SLTA was supported by scholars like Palmers and A.s Hornby and other British
linguists.
 Dissatisfaction with both audio lingual and cognitive approach could have lead to
the introduction of the situation language teaching approach.
MERITS OF SLTA
a) SLT uses language to achieve function of language. E.g getting information
b) SLT is practical in the sense that learners perform and illustrate language items
being taught.

3. c) Participation from learners is imperatives as they are involved in the lesson from
the introduction on wards.
d) It is child centred as children participate in the lesson at every stage.
e) It is motivating because the learners associate meaning to function of the
language.
f) It is called linguistic knowledge because learners use language appropriately.
DEMERITS OF SLTA
i. Resources to use may be difficult to obtain.
ii. It is difficult to find an appropriate situation for every lesson or topic.
iii. It needs a lot of preparations on the part of the teacher.