Both linguistics and foreign language teaching study language from both theoretical and practical aspects: linguistics studies language phenomenon itself, while foreign language teaching is the research and practice of specific foreign language teaching and learning. Therefore, linguistics is of guiding significance to foreign language teaching in epistemology and methodology. This paper briefly introduces transformational generative grammar and its application in foreign language teaching.

Cognitive teaching method of keyword conversion generative grammar in foreign language teaching

1. Transformational Generative Grammar In the late 1950s, Chomsky found that it was limited to classify structural components only according to the principles of distribution and substitution. The publication of Syntactic Structure marked the beginning of Chomsky's revolution and gradually established the famous transformational generative grammar.

Since its birth, transformational generative grammar has gone through five stages of development. Classical theory aims to make linguistics a science. The standard theory discusses how to study semantics in language theory. The extended standard theory focuses on discussing common language phenomena and grammar.

The revised extended standard theory mainly discusses jurisdiction and constraint. The latest stage is the simplest scheme and a further revision of the previous theory.

The main features of Chomsky's transformational generative grammar are as follows: First, language is defined as a set of rules or principles. Secondly, the goal of linguistics is to produce a generative grammar that reveals the default knowledge of native speakers about their own language. This involves language acquisition and language universality. Thirdly, Chomsky and his followers are interested in any language material that can reveal the default knowledge of native speakers. Fourthly, Chomsky's research method is hypothesis-deduction method, which runs at two levels: 1. Put forward the hypothesis about language structure-the general theory of language, which is verified by the grammar of individual languages; 2. Every single grammar is a hypothesis about the general theory of universal grammar.

Second, the relationship between transformational generative grammar and foreign language teaching Chomsky's transformational generative grammar regards language as an internal rule system. According to Joe, a native English speaker has language ability. Children are born with a certain language talent, and constantly revise their grammar in the process of language acquisition. Therefore, language acquisition is not a process of habit formation, but an activity of constantly establishing and testing hypotheses. As for the composition of sentences, transformational generative grammar holds that sentences are composed of deep structure, surface structure and transformation rules.

Some linguists have found that transformational generative grammar has brought some useful concepts to foreign language teaching. For example, when designing teaching materials, we can closely link sentence patterns with the same deep structure, such as active sentences and passive sentences. This also provides a new way of thinking for literature teaching, especially for the style analysis of works. For example, the style can be determined according to various types of transformations that frequently appear in the author's works. However, the influence of this form and abstract grammar on language education is still limited.

Third, the application of transformational generative grammar in foreign language teaching (1) The theory and principles of cognitive teaching method.

Chomsky criticized the structuralist teaching method theory while opposing the structuralist view of language learning. Inspired by his theory, some educators put forward a cognitive teaching method as opposed to listening and speaking method. Its teaching theory and principle can be summarized as: 1. Language is a system governed by rules, so we should pay attention to the understanding and mastery of grammar rules in the learning process. Practice is a necessary condition for foreign language learning, but it is by no means a meaningless mechanical exercise, but a meaningful exercise based on understanding the rules.

It is advocated that teachers should first guide students to discover laws from language materials and make a little analysis and explanation, and then let students practice these laws in certain communication occasions and real life. This does not mean that students should memorize the rules in grammar by rote, but should pay attention to cultivating students' ability to use rules creatively in practical environment.

Listening, speaking, reading and writing should be equally important. Adults and children learn languages differently. Children can only read and write by listening and speaking. But for adults, listening, speaking, reading and writing at the same time will be more conducive to mastering a foreign language.

In the process of learning, mistakes are inevitable. Teachers can solve problems by analyzing mistakes. Once students realize their mistakes, they can get inspiration from them. From the perspective of communication, mistakes can be divided into two types: one is to affect the progress of communication, and the other is the opposite. What needs to be corrected should be the former. Correcting mistakes will make students feel nervous. In order to avoid making mistakes, students will learn new sentence patterns and dare not use language boldly, which will affect the cultivation of communicative competence.

4. In the teaching process, we should completely change the teacher-centered way in the past and take students as the center. Teachers should consider students' requirements, understand students' psychology, stimulate students' interest in learning and help them master scientific learning methods. In language activities, teachers' roles are consultants and collaborators, not commanders or absolute authorities.

(2) The four stages of cognitive teaching process.

1. Let students understand the meaning, composition and usage of language materials and grammar rules on the basis of teachers' suggestive explanations. It is futile to do a lot of exercises without fully understanding foreign materials.

2. Check students' understanding in various forms. Teachers must consciously and systematically create opportunities and environments for students to review, so that students can consolidate what they have learned and lay a foundation for practical application.

3. Cultivate students' ability to use language knowledge. The replacement exercise of listening and speaking method only emphasizes the use of sentence patterns, which is too stylized. Cognitive approach emphasizes meaningful exercises, such as connecting sentences, looking at pictures and speaking, and retelling the text.

4. Cultivate students' real communicative competence. Just because students have mastered the language materials they have learned and acquired the language ability does not mean that they can use the language correctly. To cultivate communicative competence, we should carry out communication training without texts. For example, conduct practical dialogue in the form of group activities; Play a role in the game, have an appropriate dialogue, etc.

Four. conclusion

On the surface, cognitive teaching method is not much different from traditional grammar translation method in some aspects, but it overcomes the one-sidedness of translation method that overemphasizes the teaching of language knowledge and ignores the cultivation of language skills. Based on the latest theories of linguistics and psychology, it makes foreign language teaching more scientific. In short, the emergence of each school has its reasonable side. As a foreign language teacher, we should understand the historical background and theories of each school, and absorb the reasonable parts of each school in combination with our own actual situation.

Only in this way can the teaching quality be continuously improved and foreign language teaching keep pace.

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