The grammar-translation or classical method of teaching a foreign language has long been and remains one of the most widespread in the Soviet and Russian education system and is successfully used in the study of a written foreign language. Supporters of the method rightly believe that language learning should develop logical thinking and memory in students and contribute to the improvement of general culture.

As can be seen from the names of the main representatives of this method (Johann Seidenstucker, Karl Plotz, H.S. Ollendorf and Johann Meidinger), the grammar-translation method originated in the German methodological school [1].

The essence of this method, based on the cognitive approach to teaching, is the acquisition of grammatical structures and vocabulary in the process of reading foreign-language texts, with their subsequent consolidation, including in translation exercises. It is important to use authentic texts, as they demonstrate the functioning of the language in the form accepted by native speakers, activate speech-thinking activity, while the emphasis is on the main, most typical structures, the skill of their recognition is developed on the basis of forms and lexical environment, in other words, the skill of a well-founded linguistic guess, contributing to the mechanical connection of a foreign word with its Russian equivalent, as well as understanding the text as a single semantic whole. With this approach, the teacher is assigned a dominant role: he determines the pace of the lesson, corrects students’ mistakes, and involves them in conversation [2].

Within the framework of the grammar-translation method of teaching a foreign language, the so-called «contextual approach» is distinguished, according to which all grammar rules are illustrated with examples in an oral or written context. Examples show how this or that linguistic phenomenon is used by native speakers in appropriate communicative situations.

To remove additional difficulties, it is envisaged to present all grammar rules and tasks with exercises in the native language, which play a central role in the system of the grammar-translation method. The main goal of training is to read texts and translate them into the native language, which is achieved through knowledge of grammar. This is the essence of the grammar-translation method.

Having analyzed the features of teaching a foreign language using the grammar-translation method, its supporters substantiated its main principles:

• the basis of training should be grammar, the mastery of which allows you to translate texts and perform grammar-oriented exercises;
• synthesis and deduction are considered as the leading teaching tools – first, students must memorize words and grammar rules, and then learn to construct sentences based on them;
• the main method of revealing the meanings of lexical units and grammatical forms is literal translation, and the means of storing them in memory is memorization.

The didactic material on which the training is based consists of texts translated into the native language with subsequent analysis of grammatical structures and vocabulary. They serve as a means of familiarizing students with a foreign language culture and reflect its specificity. This method allows you to learn grammar at a fairly high level, promotes the development of logical thinking in students for whom the perception of language as a set of grammatical formulas is natural. The main features of the grammar-translation method are some techniques for working with the text (analysis and translation of difficult passages, searching for the studied lexical and grammatical material in the text, etc.) [3].

Thus, the method allows creating a good basis for mastering the grammatical structure of the language, as well as vocabulary. It is also necessary to take into account the specifics of the language being studied. In the case of English and German, it is obvious that from the very first lessons, students encounter a large number of grammatical paradigms that must be mastered in a short time. The importance of this is due to the fact that these paradigms are necessary for literate speech even at the level of the simplest everyday situations. In this regard, grammar practice should be more systematic and emphasized already at the initial stage of training. The grammar-translation method is one of the most optimal for such practice [4].

When considering the educational and psychological basis of the grammar-translation method of teaching, it can be argued that it is based on certain general ideas and beliefs derived from practice. These include the following statements. The student must understand and consciously approach what he is learning – he must be able to verbally explain each of his steps, be able to compare his native and foreign languages, since skills and abilities are acquired only through knowledge of them. Learning must be difficult, knowledge and abilities must be acquired through great spiritual tension, due to which the inner feeling of the students must be so sharpened that they seem to merge with the educational material, which is involuntarily deposited in their subconscious. In order for knowledge to be fully absorbed and for there to be no mistakes in its reproduction, students must be «trained» to give the correct answer (psychologically speaking, it is necessary to develop an accurate reaction to a certain stimulus, which resembles the principles of behaviorist psychology). Learning a foreign language is a suitable means for developing the ability of logical and abstract thinking. The native language of the learners is a means of instruction, the medium on the basis of which an understanding of what to learn occurs. It is used to explain grammar, semantization and comparisons of the native and foreign languages, which should accelerate and optimize the process of learning a foreign language.

If the linguistic basis of this teaching method is considered, then its linguistic justification was based on linguistic structuralism, which reigned in the first half of the 20th century. The priority role was played by the perception of language as a system of forms and relations at the syntagmatic and paradigmatic levels. Structuralism became the linguistic basis for the grammar-translation method. Structuralism influenced linguodidactics by placing grammar and grammatical structures filled with lexical units at the center of study. Accordingly, structuralism confirmed and linguistically substantiated the orientation of the approach to concentrated development and consolidation of grammatical form, while practically no place was given to content, meaningful speaking in conditions close to natural communication, and development of the norms of a living language. The orality of the language and its inclusion in a dialogical situational context do not play a role. Although vocabulary may be introduced in context or with examples, these examples are rarely authentic, socio-culturally and pragmatically adequate, and the latter quality is very important for correct memorization. The main characteristic of such a structuralist approach can be formulated: form for the sake of form – it does not matter what they say, it is important how they say it. Everything is limited to grammar with a superficial consideration or complete non-consideration of the problems of correct semantization, socio-culturally and pragmatically adequate use of a foreign language. Positive aspects include good command of language structures, high accuracy at the grammar level, the ability to think and withstand great mental strain required to perform translations from the native language in a limited time [5].

Based on the designated pedagogical, psychological and linguistic foundations of the grammar-translation method of teaching a foreign language, its following didactic-pedagogical and methodological characteristics are built. It is expected that students will achieve a high level of translation, retelling and writing skills, and at the same time will develop accuracy, attentiveness, concentration, endurance and meticulousness. Such an assessment of the grammar-translation method as an adequate concept of learning a foreign language ensures its guaranteed place in the system of teaching foreign languages ​​in the relevant educational institutions to this day.

The main advantages of the grammar-translation method in teaching English to students include the creation of the necessary basis for understanding and mastering the grammatical system of the English language, teaching writing skills and reading texts of general topics and professional orientation. Among the disadvantages of the grammar-translation method, it is necessary to note the low level of mastering professional vocabulary and weak communication skills of students at both the general conversational and professional levels [6]. In our time, this is especially noticeable, since intercultural communication comes to the fore, which is impossible to imagine without oral speech.

The method allows and even recommends overstraining the students for the purposes of both faster progress and education, preparation for difficulties and competitive struggle in life. The method is reproductive and at advanced stages reproductively productive (exercise level). As a result of training, the student should understand the grammatical structure of a foreign language, which is achieved, among other things, through comparisons with the native language. He should consistently reconstruct for himself the grammatical-lexical system of a foreign language and reproduce correct sentences, applying the rules; subsequently retell or memorize texts, write essays, tell topics, define vocabulary. The approach is focused on developing primarily linguistic language competence in students – i.e., it is not about using the language, but about systemic knowledge of the language.

The method does not provide for the presence of productive communicative tasks. This method assumes that the language is mastered through a detailed analysis of its grammar rules, reinforced by translating sentences and texts from the native language into a foreign language and vice versa, by memorizing entire texts. Language learning includes memorizing rules in order to understand morphology and syntax and developing the ability to use the acquired knowledge in translations, grammatical transformations, as well as reading and retelling texts in detail. Vocabulary is selected exclusively on the basis of reading texts, words are memorized in the form of bilingual lists, and at advanced stages – definitions. A typical text of the grammar-translation method is accompanied by rules and illustrations of new grammar material, a bilingual or monolingual defined list of words, translation and transformation exercises, as well as assignments for retelling and writing essays on a given topic; retelling a topic composed by the student is possible. The method is deductive, explanations of grammar are built according to the «rule – exercise» scheme. Grammar is studied deductively in a cyclical progression. Each text contains new grammatical complexities, studied sequentially, in an organized and systematic manner. The most common forms of exercises are: two-way translation, grammatical transformations, definition, retelling/memorizing, composing and retelling topics, writing essays. The focus of the method is the development of such types of speech activity as reading and writing. As a rule, no attention is paid to listening and productive communicatively meaningful speaking, or it is not paid systematically [5].

In general, it can be concluded that the grammar-translation method can be effective and successfully applied in teaching English to students in technical fields of study in combination with other methods aimed at developing spoken language.