Key terms/concepts in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) & Early SLA Theories. Week #3

Transcription

1 Key terms/concepts in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) & Early SLA Theories Week #3

2 Week #2 Recap: What do we remember about Structuralism/Structural Linguistics (Saussure) Contrastive analysis/language transfer Behavioristic notions of learning and cognition (e.g., B.F. Skinner); Audio Lingual Methodology (ALM); Innatist/Generativist/Nativist views of language acquisition (e.g., Chomsky & his followers).

3 1.2 Understanding Human Language (Ortega, 2009) Description, Evolution, & Acquisition D: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, etc. E: origins from animal communication? fundamentally different capability? A: development (1 st or 2 nd acquisition)

4 1.1 What is Second Language Acquisition (SLA)? Second Language Acquisition (SLA): the scholarly field of inquiry that investigates the human capacity to learn languages other than the first, during late childhood, adolescence or adulthood, and once the first language or languages have been acquired. It encompasses the study of naturalistic and formal language acquisition in second, foreign, and heritage learning contexts. It seeks to understand universal, individual and social forces that influence what gets acquired, how fast, and how well, by different people under different learning circumstances (Ortega, 2009, p. 10).

5 1.1 What is SLA? Began in1960s: borrowed from L2 teaching, linguistics, psychology, child language acquisition 1980s/1990s: expanded to reach status as autonomous discipline

6 1.3 First language acquisition, bilingualism, & SLA (Ortega, 2009) F (or child) Language Acquisition: well-defined stages, : phonology, one-word production 1-2: 2-words, vocabulary explosion 2-3: syntax & morphology 3-6: subtle pragmatics & syntax 6+ : fewer common patterns, more diversity

7 1.3 First language acquisition, bilingualism, & SLA (Ortega, 2009) B Language Acquisition: more-or-less simultaneous acquisition of 2 or more languages during early childhood. 2 key questions: How are both lang. represented in one brain? How do bilinguals switch between languages? B can also includes child/adult bilingual processing and other variables (e.g., psychological, social, and educational factors)

8 1.3 First language acquisition, bilingualism, & SLA (Ortega, 2009) SLA: learning a second or third language once first language(s) have become established Can overlap with B, but SLA focuses on late starts learning/development process(es) rather than product (use) the language actively being learned

9 1.4 Main concepts & terms SLA (field) vs. L2 acquisition (process) Mother tongue = first language = L1 Additional language = second language = L2 L2 learners, users, speakers, writers, participants

10 1.4 More concepts & terms Naturalistic vs. instructed learners Foreign vs. second vs. heritage contexts Interlanguage: A learner s developing mental grammar of the L2 which is also the special variety that it generates when learners speak or sign, interact, write, negotiate and express themselves in the L2 (Ortega, 2009, p. 6). L1..interlanguage (IL)..L2

11 1.5 Interdisciplinarity in SLA (Ortega, 2009) Linguistics, 1st language acquisition (Chomsky/UG) Cognitive psychology (perception) Language teaching (skills; theory informs practice) Bilingualism (representation) Psycholinguistics (processing) Education (classroom processes) Pragmatics (development of L2 pragmatic competence) Anthropology (ethnography, language as culture) Sociology (social relations, dynamics)

12 Question(s) to ponder 1. In your opinion (and possibly in your own experience), what are some factors/variables that can make it difficult for an adult learner to acquire a second language as an adult learner? 2. What are some factors/variables that can make it easier for an adult learner to acquire a second language?

13 Early Theories in Second Language Acquisition VanPatten & Williams (2007)

14 Review of some early theories of linguistics and/or human behavior Behaviorism *stimuli and responses (associations established via a conditioning process) *habit formation/frequency of response or lack of response *reinforcement or punishment *feedback needs to be immediate

15 Review of some early theories of linguistics and/or human behavior Structuralism *presented language as based on a finite set of predictable patterns (aka structures) *success or lack of success of learning a new language depended upon positive or negative transfer (i.e., L1 L2)

16 Review of some early theories of linguistics/sla Early theories/significant historical developments in SLA: A. Contrastive analysis & language transfer B. Errors and error analysis C. Morpheme order studies D. Krashen s Monitor Theory/Theory of Second Language Acquisition

17 Stephen Krashen Early Krashen Mid-life Krashen Emeritus Krashen (late70s/early 80s) (1990s) (2000s-Present)

18 Krashen s Monitor Theory/Theory of Second Language Acquisition 1. The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis Acquisition takes place naturally and outside of awareness; it is the L2 knowledge that is acquired subconsciously. It emerges spontaneously when learners engage in normal interaction in the L2, where the focus is on meaning. Learning involves gaining explicit knowledge about language such as its rules and patterns. It occurs when the L2 is the object but not necessarily the medium of instruction.

19 Krashen s Monitor Theory/Theory of Second Language Acquisition 1. The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis The two knowledge systems the acquired system and the learned system can never interact. According to Krashen, an example of this is why learners may know rules (i.e., be able to articulate them) but may nevertheless be unable to use them in spontaneous production.

20 Krashen s Monitor Theory/Theory of Second Language Acquisition 2. The Monitor Hypothesis According to Krashen, learned knowledge is not very useful. Its primary function is editing acquired knowledge during language production. Learners make use of their learned knowledge (a concept termed Monitor) when they have sufficient time to consult their rule knowledge such as during an untimed writing assignment.

21 Krashen s Monitor Theory/Theory of Second Language Acquisition 3. The Natural Order Hypothesis Research in both 1 st and 2 nd language acquisition demonstrated that learners follow predictable sequences in their acquisition of specific forms. E.g., Acquisition order studies of English: -ing -s (plural) -irregular past - s (possessive) -ed

22 Krashen s Monitor Theory/Theory of Second Language Acquisition 4. The Input Hypothesis Humans acquire language in only one way by receiving comprehensible input. i + 1 i = learner s current level of proficiency +1 = linguistic content just beyond the learner s current level

23 Krashen s Monitor Theory/Theory of Second Language Acquisition 5. The Affective Filter Hypothesis When learners are anxious or nervous in a language learning context, their affective filters are high and therefore inhibit their processing of comprehensible input. When they are not nervous or stressed, then they will process comprehensible input much more efficiently and acquire more language.

24 Summary of Krashen s ideas of L2 learning

25 Question 1. Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis 2. Monitor Hypothesis 3. Natural Order Hypothesis 4. Input Hypothesis 5. Affective Filter Hypothesis What would a foreign language classroom look like if the teacher based his/her methodology on the theoretical views/constructs put forth in Krashen s views of L2 learning?

26 Summary of Krashen s ideas of L2 learning Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill. Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language natural communication in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding. The best methods are therefore those that supply 'comprehensible input' in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to hear. These methods do not force early production in the second language, but allow students to produce when they are 'ready', recognizing that improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production.

27 -Take a break here-

28 Activity: Comprehensible Input -Do Comprehensible Input/teaching activity here-

29 5 Questions in VanPatten and Williams (2007) chapter -Discuss these 5 questions-