Education paper by Molnár, Erzsébet
The Role of the Mother Tongue in Foreign Language Teaching
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
A distinction has been made between the instinct way of language acquisition and the organized, partly conscious form of language learning. Mother tongue has an indispensable and inevitable role in foreign language teaching and learning. During this process foreign language teachers must always anticipate the effects of the native language as it has an impact on second language acquisition; in a positive and a negative way, as well. Knowing the scientific background of language acquisition significantly helps language teachers better understand students’ mistakes and hardships with receptive and productive skills.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
MOLNÁR, ERZSÉBET (b. 1953) is a Senior Lecturer at the University of
Miskolc, Hungary. She has degrees from Esterházy Károly Teacher Training College
(B.A.) in Eger, as well as from the University of Budapest (M.A.) and the
University of Szeged (M.A.). She received her Ph.D. from Pannon University in
Veszprém, based on a dissertation about the great Transylvanian-Hungarian
Polymath, Sámuel Brassai (1797-1897). After teaching on the secondary school
level, in 1999 Dr. Molnár was appointed to the Department of English
Linguistic and Literature at the University of Miskolc. Her specialty is language
pedagogy and the main issues of foreign language teaching. Her publications
include textbooks, related articles in English and Hungarian, as well as a book on the topic of her dissertation, Sámuel
Brassai. The Last Transylvanian Polymath (2008). She is a frequent participant at
various international conferences, including those in Great Britain,
Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Albania, Malta, Canada, and the United States.