ROLE-PLAY IN FOYEIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

In this article I would Iike to suggest that not only is ’role-play’ useful in the learning of language but it is essential. Coming from a theatre background I am particularly concerned with language as a means of rem communication. When we are Children we learn our native language unconsciously; we learn grammar by having our mistakes corrected by our parents and by the necessity of making ourselves understood. But, when we are learning a second language our ability to learn unconsciously is impaired by our adult minds. However, we can simulate the way a child learns by learning the second language in-countrg but this is often difficult to achieve. So, ’role-play’ must be the next best thing.