THE ROLE OF L1 IN CLASSROOM (LEXICAL APPROACH IN ELT)

ELT Classes have tried and continue to try new methods and techniques so as to achieve the best possible results in ELT classrooms. Various language teaching methods have treated translation (L1) in ELT classrooms differently. With the introduction of Communicative Approach, translation and interference fell out of favour. But according to Lexical Approach, an approach which is being widely used in ELT classrooms in the world, the importance of translation or L1 in ELT classes is far from being trivial. Seen from a lexical view of language, translation and interference became fruitful again. In the past, language was considered as composed of words, but Lexical Approach has argued that, besides words, language consists of chunks (lexis). With language chunking in mind, we will consider the idea of L1 (translation) role in ELT. In this research paper will elaborate translation inevitability in classroom, L1-L2 comparison, the role the lexis play in acquiring the language, interference and L1 awareness.