Effect of the neurolinguistic approach on FLE learners’ limbic system in Iran

پژوهش های زبان و ترجمه فرانسه

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 10 April 2025

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/rltf.2025.91316.1133

Authors

Behrooz Rahnama^{* 1}; Roya Letafati²; Hamid Reza Shairi²; Parivash Safa²

¹Department of French, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

²Department of French, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Considered as a new approach in the field of teaching, learning and acquisition of foreign/second languages, the neurolinguistic approach (NLA) is essentially based on significant advances in neuroscience. In fact, this approach is part of a specific teaching program (FI/Intensive French) in Canada; the promising results of this program (especially in terms of spontaneous communication skills) was expanded to other regions of the world in 2010; in the context of this research, we aimed to address the impact of the principles and strategies of the NLA on the limbic system (paleomammalian cortex) of Iranian adult learners of FLE (levels A1 and A2). The study audience includes 38 FLE learners who were trained at Chitsazan and Ocean language institutes in Tabriz. It is worth noting that our work was carried out in 2023 and 2024 by adopting a hypothetical-deductive approach through questionnaires, documents, observations and tests for two consecutive semesters (108 hours). The results of this study show that the application of the two fundamental principles of the neurolinguistic approach, specially "the authentic communication situation" and "social interactions", causes "the desire to communicate", "the activation of the limbic system" and "motivation" in the learners of the experimental group; the learning/acquisition process and the effective use of the French language are therefore improved.

Keywords

Neurolinguistic approach; Limbic system; Iranian learner; French language; motivation