CHAPTER 10 SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION What is SLA (second language acquisition)? new SLA is a new branch (1970s). acquired vs. learned Most second language is achieved by learning. SLA & LAD LAD (language acquisition device) exposure ( an L2 environment) acquisition (acquire the second language)
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What is SLA (second language acquisition)? new SLA is a new branch (1970s). acquired vs. learned Most second language is achieved by learning. SLA & LAD.
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CHAPTER 10 SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
What is SLA (second language acquisition)?
new
SLA is a new branch (1970s).
acquired vs. learned
Most second language is achieved by learning.
SLA & LAD
LAD (language acquisition device)
exposure ( an L2 environment) acquisition (acquire the second language)
SLA (second language acquisition)
It refers to any language acquired not as a mother tongue.
e.g. Taiwanese students
L1: Southern Min /Hakka /one of the Formosa
languages
L2: Mandarin (most literature on English learning in
Taiwan refers to English as a second language)
L3: English
SLA ≈ LA (the early stage)
At the early stage, the main methods of SLA essentially follow those on L1 studies: observations & experiments.
new term: interlanguage (Selinker, 1972)
focus:
SLA model ( L1 ) interlanguage ( L2 )
main issues:
(a) internal device
(b) input, process & output
(c) individual difference in cognition
(d) personalities
(e) the difference between L1 & L2 acquisition
(f) teaching environments & pedagogical theories
OUTLINE
1. universal grammar and SLA
2. the role of mother tone
3. input and output
4. individual difference
5. personalities and strategies
6. a comparison between L1 and L2 acquisition
7. types of teaching
8. teaching approaches
9. summary
1. UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR & SLA
SLA lies in the LAD & UG in the brain.
1.1 Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
1.2 Universal Grammar (UG)
1.3 LA (L1) &SLA (L2)
1.1 LAD (Language Acquisition Device)
LAD
innate in the brain like other biological organs
grow get matured fade away
UG in the LAD
LAD & LA / SLA
LAD (language acquisition device)
exposure ( an L1 / L2 environment) acquisition (acquire the language)
1.2 Universal Grammar (UG)
There is Universal Grammar composed of
universal principles & parameter settings
in LAD.
(1) universal principles
the grammar unit of internal structure
(2) parameter settings
different parameter settings different grammatical configurations
(1) universal principles
the grammar unit of internal structure
English: NP (noun phrase) + VP (verb phrase)
Japanese: NP (noun phrase) + VP (verb phrase)
(2) parameter setting basis
Different parameter settings give rise to different tree
configurations.
different parameter settings different tree configurations
English: an SVO (subject + verb + object) language
Japanese: an SOV (subject + object + verb) language
1. 3 LA (L1) & SLA (L2)
L1: need not to learn (no grammar)
UG fluently (V)
the universal grammar would help generate all the
possible grammatical structure of that language in
accordance with the parameter setting
L2: need to learn (L1 grammar)
L1 grammar fluently (X) accent
most SLA learners fail to speak the target language
fluently
foreign accents: transfer of the first language
SLA studies
If two grammars (L1 & L2) are put in a language acquisition device (LAD), what would happen?
L1 grammar
L2grammar
?LAD
2. THE ROLE OF MOTHER TONE
Three theories in SLA
Learners got a grammar of mother tongue
interference of L1 grammar
2.1 Contrastive Analysis (CA)
2.2 Marked Differential Hypothesis (MDH)
2.3 Speech Learning Model (SLM)
2.1 Contrastive Analysis (CA)
compare L1 & L2
It emphasizes the importance in comparing the first
language (L1) with the second language (L2) and the
knowledge of which structure appears in the target
language but absent from the mother tongue.
core idea
A structure present in the target language (L2) but
absent from the first language (L1) will be difficult
for SLA learners.
language L1 L2
structure X V
SLA: difficult to acquire
a support in phonetic contrast :[, , , t, ,d, r, v]
CAH prediction: Chinese students acquire English consonants [, , , t, ,d, r, v] with more difficulties.
languages
consonantsChinese
(L1)English
(L2)
[, , , t, ,d, r, v]
X V
CAH prediction
these consonants are problematic for learners
a support in phonology
diphthong formation of five vowels [, , a, , ]
AC (Assimilatory Constraint)
Only vowels sharing with the same backness can
constitute a diphthong.
DC (Dissimilatory Constraint )
Vowels sharing the same backness are prohibited
from forming a diphthong.
language Mandarin Southern Min Englishconstraint assimilation dissimilation assimilationprediction (V) easy (X) difficult (V)
Mandarin diphthongsThe four Mandarin diphthongs are either [+ back] or [- back].
Southern Min diphthongVowels with different value in backness are allowed for a Southern Min diphthong, which is different from the constraint of Mandarin diphthong structure.
CAH predictionSouthern Min speakers vs. English a problem with diphthongs [ou] & [ei] (violate the DC) a deletion (deleting the less sonorant vowel)
Southern Min speakers vs. boat [bout] & bought [bt] (X)
Can CAH explain all errors or difficulties? (X)
e.g. *He teaches students must be patient.
(by a Taiwanese student, a direct translation
from Chinese: 他教學生必須有耐心 )
In structure:
a. He who teaches students must be patient.
b. He teaches students to be patient.
Error Analysis (EA)
Corder (1964)
Corder proposed that we had to collect and examine student’s errors before CA was applied to account for the possible errors.
CA predictions (V & X)
CA cannot always make correct predictions
The tenet of EA
It is to collect and sort out the error data that SLA students have made in the production of the target language.
EA & CA
EA (to collect & examine the errors) CA (to account for the possible errors)
the procedure
The procedure of error data collection
(1) finding out the errors
(2) pointing out why such errors emerge
(3) sorting out the error data
(4) trying to explain what causes errors to happen
(5) evaluating the impact on SLA
EA (V) Errors are of patterns (the DC).
e.g. Taiwanese students’ difficulties:
diphthongs [ou] (boat), [ei] (day), [ie] (yes)
contribution:
preventing students from fossilizing the errors
EA (X) Errors can hardly be sorted.
e.g. (X) *John taked Mary to the park yesterday.
the error: taked
the short knowledge of past tense (?)
the spelling of take suffixed with -ed (?)
CA & EA (two sides of a coin)
From the perspective of speech production (V)
have contributions in SLA (V)
always make correct predictions (V & X)
e.g. the consonants [, , , t, ,d, r, v]
(X, absent from Chinese inventories)
In CA, they are treated equally difficult,
but which one is the most difficult to acquire?
In EA, how many errors can constitute a pattern?
How can teachers help prevent errors from
happening in the class?
To what extent can an error be?
2.2 Markedness Differential Hypothesis (MDH) Any component of a grammar can be divided into
two types: marked & unmarked.
(1) marked:
It refers to those sounds or syntactic structures
appearing in fewer languages.
(2) unmarked:
It is the part shared with most languages.
marked appear in fewer languages rare ones
unmarked shared with most languages common ones
MDH rule:
Between A and B, A is marked if A occurs then B occurs, while not vice versa.
a linguistic data: [b, d, g] & [p, t, k]
stopslanguage
[b, d, g] marked
[p, t, k] unmarked
English[b, d, g]
(bate, date, gate)
[p, t, k] (spy, stick, sky)
Mandarin X[p, t, k]
(pai ‘to beat’, tai ‘to lead’, kai ‘to
cover’)
MDH tenet: the unmarked components can be acquired with ease the marked components are acquired with difficulty
[]: this consonant is highly marked
(it does not appear in most languages)
MDH: [] > [, , , t, d, r, v]
([] is the most difficult one)
CAH: [, , , t, ,d, r, v]
(equally difficult)
components marked(rare )
unmarked(common)
SLA difficult easy
[]: the lax front vowel [] of English is also marked.
(It is not one of the Cardinal vowels.
It is not phonemic in most languages.)
MDH: For English learners in Taiwan,
[] is usually substituted with [e],
resulting in the confusion between [] & [e]
(get vs. gate).
(unmarked ones easy to be acquired)
(the more marked the more difficult to be acquired)
2.3 Speech Learning Model (SLM)
perspective
perception: SLM
production: CA & EA
2 types
(1) new sounds (X in L1)
entirely absent from the inventories of the mother
tongue (those ones absent from L1)
(2) old sounds (= or ≈ in L1)
identical with or similar to the sounds of the mother
tongue (those ones similar or identical with L1)
a new sound:
unfamiliar
judged new
put in a new category
an old sound:
familiar
pass the L1 filter
(equivalence classification)
categorized into one of the mother tongue inventories
The Primary Idea of SLM
The new sounds are difficult to acquire at first but can mastered at last, on the contrary, the old sounds, especially similar ones, are easy to be acquired at first but difficult to be mastered at last (Chung, 2006).
new: difficult to be acquired in the beginning,
but can be learned eventually
old: easy to be acquired in the beginning,
but difficult to be mastered eventually
sounds in the beginning at last
new X V
old V X
acquisitiontheory CAH MDH SLM
difficult to be acquirednew
soundsmarked sounds
old sounds
easy to be acquiredold
soundsunmarked
soundsnew
sounds
Predictions:learning difficulties of CAH, MDH & SLM
, , , , , , ,
three predictions of a study on Taiwanese students’ acquisition of English fricatives & affricatives
CAH: All the sounds of , , , , , , , are
equally difficult because they are absent from
Mandarin.
MDH: is the most difficult, because it is marked.
SLM: , , can be mastered, while , , ,
cannot, because , , , are similar (old)
sounds.
The Findings
(1) most students are able to produce , , , well to
such an extent that there is no significant difference
between Taiwanese students and American natives
(2) there is no significant difference between junior and
senior high school students in terms of English
fricative and affricate production
The findings fall in the prediction of SLM.
3. INPUT AND OUTPUT
SLA processing works in the model of
( Input ) interlanguage ( Output)
3.1 Input Hypothesis
3.2 Output Hypothesis
3.3 Interaction Hypothesis
3.1 Input Hypothesis
Interlanguage (autonomous, independent)
(1) A language system which is neither the first language
nor of the second (target) language, but might share the
specific properties of the first and the second language
(the target language is not entirely captured or acquired).
L1 ≠ interlanguage ≠ L2
(2) a stage children’s language is not clear enough to be
comprehensible
children’s language ???
(3) an analogy
L1 (orange juice) + L2 (grape juice) = ?
Input Hypothesis
(1) mother tongue & input
Any LA is in need of input.
Children acquire L1, mother tongue works as input.
Parents usually provide children with simplified input.
(2) one single manner for SLA
The input should be comprehensible to the learners.