It must be set in the broader context of communicating which involves both listening and speaking. It is merely necessary to survey a few basic categories of communicative function to appreciate the validity of the oral approach in relation to the needs and objectives of most language learners. The role of reading as an aid to vocabulary learning is emphasized by many teachers. Note that some Ss can recognise the written form of a word, but cannot recognise the word when they hear it spoken. Chanting the Koran.
Most adults prefer the support of the written word when learning languages.