The Significance and Relevance of the Language Laboratory The significance of the language laboratory has been much felt in the domain of communication. We live in a multilingual and multicultural world, which is being shrunk to the size of a village by the advancement of science and technology. The language laboratory exists to help one to use technology effectively to communicate. It is not merely for learning a single language, but can be used for teaching a number of languages efficiently. To acquire a sensibility for the sounds and rhythm of a language, one has to hear the best samples of a spoken language (Richards, 2001). This is precisely the function of the language laboratory. Some highlights of the language laboratory are given below: It is a tool designed for teaching any language. It helps one to learn pronunciation, accent, stress and all other aspects of the phonetics of a language. Effective communicative training programmes for the general public, private and corporate sectors, junior and senior level officers can be given through the lab. Web-content creation, the setting up of in-house news magazines, corporate publicity and identity, and teaching materials can be generated through the language laboratory. General documentation, software documentation and all forms of technical documentation can be done. Experts can utilize the laboratory for creating and editing scientific and technical materials for teaching language. The language laboratory enables one to conduct courses for various groups of people like students, faculties, businesspeople, etc. Short-term and long-term coaching classes for international examinations like IELTS, TOEFL and other competitive examinations can be organized. 9. Online courses and paperless examinations can be conducted through the language laboratory. As the ability to communicate effectively has become the prerequisite for anyone who ventures into a new profession, the need for developing such a skill is a much-felt phenomenon today. Both governmental and private institutions focus their attention on students developing their communicative skills. As technology has entered into every aspect of human life, it has extended its advanced products into the field of communication. So everyone strives to get the best on the market. It is a fact that most students who do not find a placement after completion of their technical studies are very much dependent on their ability to express themselves and their knowledge efficiently. While emphasizing the importance of employment-oriented education, Dr. Thiruvasagam, the Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, explained that personality development and communication skills are equally important for students in finding respectable jobs in addition to their academic records (The Hindu, 25/09/06). He also urged all the principals of affiliated colleges to have a language laboratory on the campus and to motivate management to appoint a trained instructor specifically for the laboratories. The Anna University in Chennai has circulated a note to all its affiliated colleges to set up language laboratories on their premises to enable students to develop their communicative skills. The vice-chancellor of Bharathiar University has requested the board of studies for English to reduce the conventional teaching of English prose and poetry, and has allocated 50% of the teaching time for communicative English (The Hindu, 11/09/06). Almost all technical colleges in the Coimbatore region have already opened language laboratories. Though the cost of the installation of a language laboratory is very high, institutions have invested in them for their students benefit. Conclusion The language laboratory is a very helpful tool for practicing and assessing ones speech in any language. It provides a facility which allows the student to listen to model pronunciation, repeat and record the same, listen to their performance and compare with the model, and do self-assessment. Since the language laboratory gives every learner of any language freedom to learn at their own pace, it is flexible and does not necessarily require a teacher all the time. At the same time, it is possible for teachers to provide assistance individually and collectively. The language laboratory allows every participant his or her privacy to speak and listen.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 16:14:18 +0000
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