Fremdsprachenunterricht auf wissenschaftlicher Grundlage

The article is a personal account of the author's ideas that have taken shape in over thirty years of teaching and teacher training. They are based: 1) on classroom research and teaching practice; 2) on a study of the history of foreign language teaching ; 3) on a comparison of formal instruction and first and second language development in in-formal situations. It is my belief that there are universal principles at work in language acquisition. This article deals with affective factors, learner autonomy, and the role of L1 in acquiring a foreign language. Reflecting on HUMBOLDT's principle of "making infinite use of finite means", the author presents a practical example of bilingual pattern practice intended to bridge the gap from isolated sentences to communication.