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Developed by Asher (though perhaps inspired by Palmer and Palmer), this method for beginners, emphasizing meaning and aural/oral skills, rests on the assumptions that first language acquisition involves physical (before verbal) responses to commands; second language acquisition should mirror this process; motor activity strengthens recall; listening and responding physically to acquire the language profile should precede production; language acquisition can be stress-free if there is no compulsion to ‘produce’ early on. Learners execute teacher commands for about 120 hours before conversation is encouraged. The commands are simple initially, but become increasingly sophisticated, involving hypotactic as well as paratactic constructions. ( 1965 ). The strategy of the total physical response: an application to learning Russian . International Review of Applied Linguistics , 3 , 291 – 300 . ( 1969 ). The total physical response approach to second language learning . Modern Language Journal , 53 , 3 – 17 . ( 1959 ). English through Actions . London : Longmans, Green , [ First published in 1925. ]. ... log in or subscribe to read full text