Words as Weapons
DLI’s Method to Equip Learners with Real-World Fluency
Image by: David Dibert
By Hanyu Tales (3rd April 2025)
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), or DLI for short, teaches members of the Department of Defense (as well as other federal agencies) to speak foreign languages, as explained in this thesis:
“The mission of DLIFLC is to educate, sustain, evaluate and support foreign language specialists under the guidelines of the Defense Foreign Language Program”
In volume 11 of the DLI Foreign Language Center’s journal Applied Language Learning, the following details about their language-learning program are given: “Basic programs are 25, 34, 47, or 63 weeks in length, depending largely on the degree of difficulty for a native speaker of English to learn the target language. […] Studies show that the proficiency of DLIFLC’s Basic Program graduates exceeds that of foreign-language major graduates of universities and colleges in the United States.”
It seems that the DLI aim to provide a short-term program that offers long-term results. In this article, we will delve into various articles published in the DLI’s Applied Language Learning (ALL) journal, examining the theory behind their approach to language learning, while also looking at some external research on the efficacy and results of the program. Audio-lingual methods
One of the distinctive features of DLI’s approach is its emphasis on speaking and real-world communication. In volume 26 of ALL, Martine Danan offers insight into how this is achieved, namely through the “audio-lingual base” that is built with:
“Heavy emphasis on repetition, pattern drills, and inductive grammar instruction—"learning by doing" and internalizing structures.”
Constant repetition and learning by using the target grammar is an intense yet efficacious form of active learning. However, given the focus on real-world communication, it is crucial to cement useful patterns for easy-access during conversation. Furthermore, a firm grasp of content is crucial for listening when stakes are high and comprehension is crucial because, as Danan goes on to explain: “Listening requires the ability to convert a continuous stream of sounds into meaningful units of information in real time.”
Therefore, while pattern drills, repetition, and learning by doing can be exhausting, they are effective exercises that serve a purpose. However, you should be sure to balance them with more passive learning if you wish to avoid burnout. Multimodal learning
In a report on the DLI, Deborah Gill mentions the DLI’s emphasis on culturally rich content to provide students with both linguistic and cultural insights. In order to achieve this, multimodal learning is utilised by the DLI. In volume 31 of ALL,(U) Hamid Mohammed-Adhmed writes:
“Multimodal learning uses various tools—videos, images, social media, gestures, etc.—to teach not just language, but how it functions in real social and cultural contexts.”
This type of learning is brilliant for all students, as when students reach intermediate or advanced levels of proficiency, an awareness of culture becomes vital for understanding more nuanced uses of the language. In addition, it is always interesting to gain historical and societal knowledge while studying a foreign language. Fairness of Assessments
Assessing language students in a fair and useful manner is a deep research topic. The DLI takes this topic seriously, as shown in this article by Thomas W. Stovicek in volume 31 of ALL, which offers a critical examination of how bias can creep into assessments, sometimes through race or class. Stovicek mentions the possibility of blind testing, and whether we need to reconsider what it means to be “native-like”. This is important, as many learners are discouraged when they do not sound like a native, despite the fact that advanced proficiency does not mean a student is not allowed to sound foreign.
Intensity
In an article in The Modern Language Journal, James J. Asher shares that in some twelve-month language programs, DLI students study languages for forty hours per week. It is therefore useful to remember that for a typical foreign language learner with a full-time job, the DLI’s high-intensity approach is not feasible. Even for students who do not work full-time, or students enrolled in one of these twelve-month programs, it can sometimes be difficult to stay focused for so many hours on intense, active tasks. As Leo van Lier shares in volume 2 of ALL, keeping students focused means “making things interesting and comprehensible, setting high expectations, motivating the students”. This offers a reminder that intensity cannot make up for a badly designed study plan. Learning needs to be at a suitable level, it needs to be interesting, and it needs to include rest time.
Another thing worth noting is that learners will always perform better when they are relaxed and confident. Given intensity of the course, students may feel anxious while enrolled in the DLI’s language-learning course. In fact, this article revealed that even a 3-hour workshop to prepare students for the course’s intensity was not enough to prevent the anxiety some students felt towards foreign language learning after beginning it. On the other hand, intense study protocols often limit students in terms of freedom to supplement their learning with content of their choice, which can have a negative impact. This was shown in a qualitative case study on students learning Korean which discovered that although students found the course effective—particularly with regard to listening and reading—the lack of autonomous skills reduced some students’ likelihood of success. Flexibility and free time allow students to improve their self-study skills, meaning while a rigid routine and high intensity approach can be helpful at times, they are more beneficial when combined with opportunities for relaxed, personalized learning.
Another thing worth noting is that learners will always perform better when they are relaxed and confident. Given intensity of the course, students may feel anxious while enrolled in the DLI’s language-learning course. In fact, this article revealed that even a 3-hour workshop to prepare students for the course’s intensity was not enough to prevent the anxiety some students felt towards foreign language learning after beginning it. On the other hand, intense study protocols often limit students in terms of freedom to supplement their learning with content of their choice, which can have a negative impact. This was shown in a qualitative case study on students learning Korean which discovered that although students found the course effective—particularly with regard to listening and reading—the lack of autonomous skills reduced some students’ likelihood of success. Flexibility and free time allow students to improve their self-study skills, meaning while a rigid routine and high intensity approach can be helpful at times, they are more beneficial when combined with opportunities for relaxed, personalized learning.
Closing Thoughts
In the first volume of DLI’s Applied Language Learning journal, Albert Valdman opens an article with the following quote:
“Learning to communicate in a foreign language is a perilous adventure in which the voyager must navigate a straight course between the Seylla of grammatical inaccuracy and the Charybdis of functional ineffectiveness.”
This raises two main points. First, both grammar and function are important. Second, the DLI takes things very seriously and, given the context their students are in, this is unsurprising. Ultimately, the DLI’s comprehensive, immersive approach to language learning and the focus on active learning through drills and repetition using culturally rich, multimodal material will absolutely boost your skills. However, most learners are in a situation in which they do not need to consider their language-learning journey to be a “perilous adventure”. Be thorough, be consistent, but remember to enjoy the process—you do not gain extra points for suffering.