The bilingual reform: a paradigm shift in foreign language teaching

摘要

The use of mother tongue (MT) in foreign language teaching (FLT) has always been an issue of controversy, because the MT has been regarded as a primary source of interference in learning a foreign language (FL). However, the MT skills can also be viewed as a foundation for FL learning. The controversy centers around whether the MT is a help or a hindrance to FL learning. Carless (2007) takes student use of the MT as a 'perennial challenge in the school foreign language classroom' (331).