To Use or Not To Use Arabic in English Language Teaching

This paper discusses one of the most controversial issues in English language teaching, namely, the use of L1, in this case, Arabic, in teaching English as a foreign language. It first reviews the role of Ll in some major language teaching methods. The paper then presents the rationale for using L1 in English language teaching. This includes motivation, psychological effects, and the influence of L1 on second language acquisition. The paper concludes by presenting empirical evidence from a field study conducted by Tushyeh (1990) in which Arab teachers of English indicate the extent to which they use L 1, Arabic, in teaching English as a foreign language.