Second Language Acquisition

Think about a baby acquiring his first language.

Think about a person acquiring a second

language.

What similarities and differences are there in the

two processes?

1st & 2nd Language Acquisition Characteristics L1 Learner L2 LearnerUses prior knowledge x x

Requires interaction x x

Understands more when input is modified

(caretaker talk, foreign talk) x x

Develops language in predictable stages x x

Makes developmental errors x xGenerally has a greater knowledge ofthe world xGenerally can learn and apply rulesmore easily xIs familiar with one or more other cultures xMay have a problem with motivation xIs more likely to be nervous about speaking x

Adapted from: P. Richard-Amato. (1996). Making it happen: Interaction in the second language classroom. P.27

Age and Second Language Acquisition

Is it better to learn a second language when one is young or when one is older?

Why?

Critical Period Hypothesis

• This hypothesis states that an individual must acquire a language by a certain age (before adolescence) or it will be difficult to acquire a language.

• The main advantage to learning a language when younger is that the individual is more likely to acquire a native-like accent.

Proficiency: What is it?

When is a person proficient in a second language?

How do you know a person is proficient?

Proficiency: Grammatical Competence

Mastery of language code, such as pronunciation rules, grammar rules and spelling.

Sociolinguistic CompetenceMastery of appropriate language for different contexts such as when to use formal language and when to use slang.

Discourse Competence Mastery of combining form and meaning to create different

genres of speaking (e.g. workplace English, casual English) and writing (e.g. essays, emails)

Strategic CompetenceMastery of to fix communication problems, such as using gestures or simplifying the language when someone doesn’t understand you.

Proficiency: How long does it take?

If you wanted to learn a second language, how long do you think it would take you to speak and understand that language? How long would it take you to read and write?

BICS ( Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills)

2 to 3 years

Ability to converse and understand every day discussions

CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)

5 to 7 years

Ability to read, write, speak, and listen at an academic level

Stages in Second Language Acquisition

Preproduction/Comprehension Stage Characteristics

Silent period

Can respond non-verbally

Will be able to understand more than they can produce

Early Speech Production Characteristics

Can understand more than can produce

Can produce one or two words at a time

Will make lots of errors

Interlanguage occurs (a mixture of vocabulary and structures from both languages)

Speech Emergence Characteristics

Will be able to understand more than they can produce

Interlanguage continues to occur

Longer utterances

Decreases in errors

Intermediate Fluency Characteristics

Appear orally fluent

Errors are same errors native speakers make

Struggle with content area reading and writing.

Comprehensible Input

Stephen Krashen says comprehensible input is “the only true cause of SLA”.

Input = the process of comprehending the language (reading and listening)

Comprehensible = input is at or little above the learner’s level of competence

Krashen called this i+1

Influence of L1 on L2 Learning

Do you think knowledge of your first language

makes it easier or harder

to learn a second language?

Why?

Transfer: using ideas or rules from one language learning experience influences another language learning experience. Transfer can be either positive or negative.

Positive transfer example: English and French use future tense in the same way. If you learn French, you can transfer this knowledge:

I am going to eat.

Je (I) vais (am going to) manger (eat).

Overgeneralization: Generalizing a rule in language learning beyond conventional rules or boundaries. It is the negative transfer of previously learned rules for the target language.

Example: saying "buyed" instead of "bought"

• Interference: A negative transfer that occurs when previously learned languages disrupts new language learning. The most common interference comes from the L1.

Example: When I started learning Khmer I put “jia” between subject + adjective because this is the English structure.

She is beautiful.

Koat jia* sa-at.

• Hierarchy of Difficulty: Scale to predict the difficulty of a given aspect of language.– Level 0 – Transfer (no difference btw L1 & L2)

– Level 1 – Coalescence (2 items in L1 become 1 in L2)

– Level 2 – Underdifferentation (An item in L1 is absent in L2);

– Level 3 – Reinterpretation (An item in L1 is given new shape in L2);

– Level 4 – Overdifferentation (An new item must be learned in L2);

– Level 5 –Split (An item in L1 becomes two or more in L2).

• Contrastive Analysis: – Views L1 as the primary obstacle to L2 learning– Oriented to errors– Strong version uses the hierarchy of difficulty to

predict difficulties a new learner will encounter.

• Cross-Linguistic Influence: – Looks at L1 to explain errors made in L2– Emphasis is on the influence that the L1 has on

what the learner produces, rather than on prediction.

Think about your language learning experience

• What was the most difficult parts of learning English?

• What mistakes do you still make?

SLA & Language Learning

• What is the difference between acquiring a language and learning a language?

The acquisition-learning hypothesis

• Acquisition: we acquire L2 knowledge as we are exposed to samples of the L2 which we understand with no conscious attention to language form. It is a subconscious and intuitive process.

• Learning: we learn the L2 via a conscious process of study and attention to form and rule learning.

• Krashen argues that “acquisition” is a more important process of constructing the system of a language than “learning’ because fluency in the L2 performance is due to what we have acquired not learned.

The input hypothesis

• Acquisition occurs when one is exposed to language that is comprehensible an that contains i+1

• If the input contains forms and structure of just beyond the learner’s current level of competence in the language (i+1) then both comprhension and acquisition will occur.

SLA & Teaching

• As a teacher do you need to know about SLA? Why or why not?

• How can this information help you in the classroom?