Kussainova V.M., Yekibayeva N.A.

Eurasian National University

Astana, Kazakhstan

THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN TEACHING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The questions arisen in this article concern the role of science in teaching a foreign language.

The word “science” comes from the Latin word “scientia”, which means “knowledge”. During 34 years we have been making observations and collect facts in phonetic systems of English, Russian and Kazakh languages. Then we arranged facts orderly and tried to express the connection between the facts and to work out theories in correct pronunciation of combinations of vowels. Then we have to prove the facts or theory correct and make sufficient and sound evidence. So scientific knowledge is always growing and improving.

Science has great influence on our life. It provides with base of modern technology, materials, sources of power and so on. Modern science and technology have changed our life in many different ways. During the present century, our life changed greatly.

Thanks to radio and television we can do a great number of jobs; it was radio and TV that made it possible to photograph the dark side of the moon and to talk with the first cosmonaut while he was orbiting the Earth. On of the wonders or our age is the “electronic brain”, or giant calculating machine, which can to some extent duplicate human senses.

The desk computer is expected to function as your personal librarian, to carry out simple optimization computations, to control your budget or diet, play several hundred games, etc.

It is natural that the advent of minicomputers with extensive memories and possibilities will lead to a new higher level in information culture. Among other things, we shall be able to organize educational process in the country’s colleges and universities and also in the system of school education on a new basic. Knowledge is the most valuable wealth, and minicomputers will help us to make it accessible for everyone. Agricultural scientists develop better varieties of plants. The development of antibiotics and other drugs has helped to control many diseases. Studies in anatomy and physiology have let to amazing surgical operations and the inventions of lifesaving machines, which can do the work of such organs as heart, lungs and so on. Nuclear fission when a tremendous amount if energy is setting free is very important discovery.

Science improved the living standards, communications, promoted contact between people and government, knowledge and culture, made it possible to discover and develop new sources of energy, made it possible to prolong man’s life.

Nevertheless, science also has some disadvantages. It produces mass culture: painting, music, literature. Some scientific inventions increase the ecological problems, provide with new diseases like AIDS, increased the danger of violent death.

The greatest scientists were very persistent and were sure in their success. Even without any serious education we made great inventions. Even during times of disappointing experiments and unacknowledgement by other scientists, we didn’t give up and went on working out theories. In addition, we were always ready to begin everything from the very beginning. We worked a lot, and this work wasn’t for money.

The aim, the main object of the greatest scientists of all times was always to find out the troth and no personal prejudices can be allowed. Therefore, the science grows, prospers, and is the engine of progress.

The problem of learning a correct pronunciation of combinations of vowels of languages is very important today. The teaching of it is necessary now especially when the progress in science and technology has led to an explosion of knowledge and has contributed to an overflow of information. The total knowledge of mankind is known to double every seven years. Foreign languages are needed as the main and the most efficient means of information exchange of the people of our planet.

Today English is the language of the world. Over 300 million people speak it as mother tongue. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada, the South African Republic. As the second language it is used in the former British and US colonies.

It is not only the national or the official language of some thirty states which represents different cultures, but it is also the major international language for communication in such areas as science, technology, business and mass entertainment. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization and other political organizations. It is the language of literature, education, modern music, international tourism.

Russia is integrating into the world community and the problem of learning English for the purpose of communication is especially urgent today.

So far, there is no universal or ideal method of learning languages. Everybody has his own way. Sometimes it is boring to study grammar or to learn new words. However, it is well known that reading books in the original, listening to BBC news and English speaking singers, visiting an English speaking country, communicating with the English speaking people will help a lot.

When learning a foreign language you learn the culture and history of the native speakers.

Care must be taken to introduce to some outstanding problems of comparative typology of studying phonetic systems of different languages. Much attention is given to the problem in the appropriate places.

References:

1. Swan, M. 1997. “The influence of the mother tongue on second language vocabulary acquisition and use” [in:] N. Schmitt, M. McCarthy (eds.) Vocabulary: Description Acquisition and Pedagogy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

2. Ellis, R. 2005. Understanding Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

3. Zalewski, J. P. 1995. Enhancing Linguistic Input in Answer to the Problem of Incomplete Second Language Acquisition. Opole: Uniwersytet Opolski.

4. De Bot, K., W. Lowie and M. Verspoor. 2005. Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge.

5. Bell, R. 2004. “Error analysis: a recent pseudoprocedure in applied linguistics”. ITL Review of Applied Linguistics -135p.