lesson 8 SLA a

Second Language Acquisition

Leo SchmittBMCC

Language and Culture Lesson 8

Yule Chapter 14

• What do you call someone who speaks two languages?– Bilingual

• What do you call someone who speaks three languages?– Trilingual

• What do you call someone who speaks one language?– American– This joke demonstrates the cultural difference of being American (or really

any English-language speaker) in learning second languages.

Second Language Learning

• Some children grow up with two (or more) languages and are bilingual

• But most of us approach a second language (L2) later in life

• It certainly seems harder than the first language

• There is no system of “knowledge” that we learn better at two or three years old than at eighteen or thirty

Acquisition and learning

• Acquisition usually means to learn a language naturally through communicating with others who speak the language.

• Learning applies to a more conscious effort to learn the grammar, vocabulary, morphology, etc. of a language.

• Much of second language learning helps learners learn more about the language than actually use it.

Work Questions

• Talk in your group to see if anyone grew up with two languages. If so compare the differences in learning a second language. Some of you are heritage speakers (meaning your parents speak another language). How does that impact your learning of your parents’ language? Do you think you learned or acquired your second language?

Acquisition barriers

• Meeting a second language a few hours of week in class as a teenager is very different from constant interaction with loved ones.

• Some learners come very close to native speakers, but most do not.

• Even highly fluent speakers usually have an accent.

• Early teenage years may be the best time, because our capacity for language is still flexible, but we have improved cognitive skills.

Affective Factors

• People (and especially teenagers) may feel embarrassed about speaking another language, especially if they do not respect the other culture.

• This reaction may be made worse by dull textbooks or unpleasant classroom surroundings.

• These affective factors can be a challenge to overcome.

Work Questions

• What affective factors have you encountered in learning a second language? How about in this class, what affective factors help or hurt you in learning about linguistics?

Focus on Method

• Grammar-Translation: Learn using vocabulary lists and grammar rules. Memorization is encouraged. More written language

• Audiolingual Method: More spoken language. Much repetition of structures, moving from simple to more complex.

• Communicative Approaches: Many different ways, but the essence is to create meaningful communication experiences that help to learn the language.

Work Questions

• Think about your formal second language learning experiences. Which method did your teachers use? What are some examples of why you think it was closer to this?

Focus on the learner

• Recently, the big change is a shift from focusing on the teacher, textbook, and method to the learner and how he/she acquires the language.

• Shift from errors as something to be eradicated to seeing them as part of the learning process.

• E.g. in the room there are three womens.

Transfer

• Transfer means using sounds, expressions, or structures from the first language (L1).

• Positive transfer is when L1 and L2 are similar.– E.g. Adding an inflectional morpheme to nouns for

plurals. Gatos = cats

• Negative transfer is when the differences make it harder to understand. – E.g. Using one negative for all negatives.

– No puedo ir. I don’t can go.

Work Questions

• Think of some examples of transfer when you have learned a second language. Can you give some examples of positive and negative ones?

Interlanguage

• Many utterances are not directly related to L1 or L2.

• They are part of the natural growth of the L2 and is part of an in-between system.

• It is called interlanguage and “is now considered to be the basis of all L2 production.” p191

• If the interlanguage does not continue to grow closer to the L2, it may become fossilized, meaning it stays in a level not recognized as L2.

Work Questions

• Think about your interlanguage. Can you think of some phrases that you use (or hear other people say) that are examples of this? Are you aware of any fossilization that you have (or hear in others)?

Motivation

• Motivation is important in all learning.

• Intrinsic motivation is when you learn because it makes you feel good. You love learning.

• Extrinsic motivation is when you learn for something outside of learning (a job, a grade, a reward, etc.)

Motivation

• You may learn a language with instrumental motivation: That is to achieve another goal such as understand a movie or pass an exam.

• You may also learn a language with integrationalmotivation: That is, you want to be part of the language-speaking community.

• Receiving positive feedback can improve motivation, while negative feedback often hurts it. This is another reason for moving away from error eradication.

Work Questions

• Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated in this class? What are some examples that make you think that? What are some extrinsic motivations for doing well in this class?

Input and Output

• Input is the language that the learner hears and reads.

• Input must be comprehensible. العربية• This may lead to foreigner talk.

– How are you getting on in your classes? becomes– English class, you like it?

• Sometimes the learner tries to work out what the input means by engaging in a conversation. This allows practice of the output as well. As both sides work on what they can understand, they create negotiated input. (see page 193)

Work Questions

• Think of some comprehensible input in your second language. What does that tell you about your level?

Communicative Competence

• Communicative Competence is the ability to use language “accurately, appropriately, and flexibly.”

• This includes grammatical competence, the ability to use the appropriate words and structures.

• It also includes sociolinguistic competence, the ability to use the right phrase in the right context with the right people.

• There is also strategic competence, which is the ability to work around any language gaps to ensure the message is properly communicated.

Work Questions

• Think about a second language you have studied. Do you have communicative competence in that language? Why or why not?

Work Questions

• Think about your grammatical, sociolinguistic, and strategic competence in English. Is it perfect? Think of areas that can give you trouble, even if you are a native speaker.

Foreign AccentsFML Chapter 31

• Shibboleths are used to tell people apart.

• Zeeze seengs vs deeza tings vs these things

• Can be comedic, comedic.

• It is possible to overcome these accents, but native-like accent is very difficult.

Work Questions

• Think about your own experiences with second languages, either speaking them or hearing someone else speak your language. What parts of language give problems? Try to use some of our phonetics and phonology language!

Curing Monolingualism5ML Chapter 32

• Adults learn L2 differently from a child learning L1

• But adults have the advantages of time, phonetics, syntax, and vocabulary

• Our job learning L2 is to focus on the differences and practice!

• We can learn a second (or third, or fourth) language!

Work Questions

• Leave the critical period issue to one side. What psychological advantages and disadvantages do adults have over teens and children in learning a second language?

Learning a Language Well5ML Chapter 33

• Some can spend years studying a language and not be able to speak

• Others never take a class, but speak several languages

• Don’t believe the 4 weeks to mastery ads

• Need to learn structure and practice

• 600 hours for French or Spanish proficiency

• Twice as long for Arabic, Chinese, Korean, etc.

• This means motivation and time

Language Learning through the Years5ML Chapter 34

• In the U.S., at first learned Algonquin

• Then came Greek and Latin. Learning to read.

• Then learning to read modern languages

• By World War 2, speakers were required of many languages. (Windtalkers)

• Started as building blocks before communication.

• Now moved toward communication, even at the beginner level. Language is desperately needed today by the US government and business

Why Study Languages Abroad?5ML Chapter 35

• Some formal study before going abroad can be a big help

• Living abroad, you can experience the language in its own context

• It can be tiring doing all foreign language

• Find out details about the study abroad program

• Research immersion programs at home

Foreign AccentsFML Chapter 31

• Shibboleths are used to tell people apart.

– Perejil.

• Zeeze seengs vs deeza tings vs these things

• Can be comedic, comedic.

• It is possible to overcome these accents, but native-like accent is very difficult.

Work Questions

• Think about your own experiences with second languages, either speaking them or hearing someone else speak your language. What parts of language give problems? Try to use some of our phonetics and phonology language!

Curing Monolingualism5ML Chapter 32

• Adults learn L2 differently from a child learning L1

• But adults have the advantages of time, phonetics, syntax, and vocabulary

• Our job learning L2 is to focus on the differences and practice!

• We can learn a second (or third, or fourth) language!

Work Questions

• Leave the critical period issue to one side. What psychological advantages and disadvantages do adults have over teens and children in learning a second language?

Learning a Language Well5ML Chapter 33

• Some can spend years studying a language and not be able to speak

• Others never take a class, but speak several languages

• Don’t believe the 4 weeks to mastery ads

• Need to learn structure and practice

• 600 hours for French or Spanish proficiency

• Twice as long for Arabic, Chinese, Korean, etc.

• This means motivation and time

Language Learning through the Years5ML Chapter 34

• In the U.S., at first learned Algonquin

• Then came Greek and Latin. Learning to read.

• Then learning to read modern languages

• By World War 2, speakers were required of many languages. (Windtalkers)

• Started as building blocks before communication.

• Now moved toward communication, even at the beginner level. Language is desperately needed today by the US government and business

Why Study Languages Abroad?5ML Chapter 35

• Some formal study before going abroad can be a big help

• Living abroad, you can experience the language in its own context

• It can be tiring doing all foreign language

• Find out details about the study abroad program

• Research immersion programs at home

Work Question

• If you could study overseas, which country would you like to go to? What challenges do you think that you would have? What benefits do you think you would get?