How to teach a foreign language

The work surveys the movement to reform modern-language instruction, critiques traditional grammar-and-translation practices, and advocates a more direct, phonetic, and imitative approach that privileges spoken practice and concrete context. It outlines the multiple influences and labels attached to the new methods, explains key principles such as phonetics, oral conversation, and sensory presentation, and reconciles theoretical linguistics with classroom techniques. Practical recommendations address lesson structure, materials, and teacher practice, while commentary traces how scholarly ideas were adapted by educators to produce more effective and engaging language lessons.