COMD 2050- Chapter 14 (Second Language Acquisition and Learning)
English as a foreign language (EFL); English as a second language (ESL); second language learning
Japanese students in an English class in Japan are learning ___, and if those same students were in an English class in the USA, they would be learning ___. In either case, they are simply trying to learn another language, so the expression ____ is used more generally to describe both situations.
foreigner talk
Input can be made comprehensible by being simpler in structure and vocabulary, as in the variety of speech called ___. (How are you getting on in your studies? --> English class, you like it?)
the learner
Instead of focusing on the teacher or the textbook, look at ___!
foreign language; second language
A distinction is sometimes made between learning in a "___" setting (learning a language that is not generally spoken in the surrounding community) and a "____" setting (learning a language that is spoken in the surrounding community).
learning
Activities (in school) result in more knowledge "about" the language.; use tests to evaluate; less of a focus on fluency
acquisition
Activities are typically experienced by young children who "pick up" the language via long periods of interaction with native speakers .
the critical period
After ___, it is very difficult to acquire another language.
learning; acquisition
Individuals whose L2 exposure is primarily a(n) ___ type of experience tend not to develop the same kind of general proficiency as those who have had more of a(n) ___ type of experience.
interlanguage
Contains traits of the L1 and traits of the L2, but has rules of its own; we call this ___.
foreigner talk
For the L2, input must be comprehensible; we use ___ by simplifying the structure and vocabulary of our speech (How did you do on your physics test? --> Test? Good?)
functions
In communicative approaches, the ___ of the language should be emphasized rather than the forms.
linguistic analysis
In this course we attempt to investigate language learning from a largely linguistic perspective. This ___ is not always appealing.
teenage/adult
L2 is usually encountered during the ___ years, but not always.
negotiated input
L2 material that the learner can acquire in interaction through requests for clarification while active attention is being focused on what is said
errors
Language produced by L2 learners can contain a large number of "___" that seem to have no connection to the forms of either L1 or L2.
applied linguistics
Look at L1 and L2 from the perspective of other fields using ___ (Look at practical issues involving language and its role in everyday life instead of phonology, morphology, syntax...)
errors
Most communicative approaches tolerate "___" produced by the students.
affective factors
Self-consciousness, lack of empathy for another culture, dull textbooks, unpleasant classroom surroundings, or an exhausting schedule of study and/or work are ____ that can create a barrier to acquisition.
fossilization
Some L2 expressions become so fixed and may contain forms that do not match the target language; this lack of progression is referred to as "___."
bilingual
Some children grow up in a social environment where more than one language is used and are able to acquire a second language in circumstance similar to those of first language acquisition. Those fortunate individuals are ____.
transfer
Some errors may be due to ___; meaning sounds, expressions, or structures from the L1 "___" and appear in the L2.
communication strategy
Some learners may just stop talking (bad idea), whereas others will try to express themselves using a ___ (good idea). (Dutch person using vocabulary she knows to refer to a horseshoe)
F; not necessarily
T/F Learning grammar rules will result in ability to use language.
false; Few
T/F Most adults reach native-like proficiency when using an L2.
true
T/F Most of us are not exposed to a second language until much later.
true
T/F Our ability to use a second language, even after years of study, rarely matches ability in our first language.
false; typically much different
T/F The experience with an L2 is very similar to that of L1.
a shift from concern with the teacher, the textbook, and the method to an interest in the learner and the acquisition process
The most fundamental change in the area of L2 learning in recent years has been ____.
10-16
The optimum age for learning may be during the years from about ___ to ___ when the flexibility of our inherent capacity for language has not been completely lost, and the maturation of cognitive skills allows a more effective analysis of the regular features of the L2 being learned.
learning
The term ___ applies to a more conscious process of accumulating knowledge of the features of a language, such as pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar, typically in an institutional setting, with teachers. (mathematics)
acquisition
The term ___ is used to refer to the gradual development of ability in a language by using it naturally in communicative situations with others who know the language.
in-between
There is some sort of ___ system used in the L2 acquisition process.
communicative competence
When the learner builds this ___, they are exercising their ability to use language accurately, appropriately, and flexibly
some success in L2 communication
Those who experience ___ are among the most motivated to learn.
task-based learning
Using ___ (learners learn from each other's mistakes), L2 learners tend to learn more AND better.
grammatical, sociolinguistic and strategic competence
What are 3 components of communicative competence?
Choose four of these: insufficient time is devoted to the process (a few hours each week rather than the constant interaction experienced as a child); insufficient focus on the process (adults have a lot of other things to do and think about, unlike very young children); insufficient incentive (adults already know a language and can use it for their communicative needs); the "critical period" for language acquisition has passed; affective factors, such as self-consciousness, create more inhibitions for an adult than a young child
What are 4 typical barriers to acquiring an L2 as an adult compared to L1 acquisition as a child?
negative and positive
What are the 2 kinds of transfer?
grammatical, socio-linguistic, and strategic competence
What are the 3 domains of communicative competence?
The ability of an adult L2 learner to master aspects of the written language, but to speak with a distinct L1 accent, as exemplified by the writer Joseph Conrad.
What aspect of language learning do you think "the Joseph Conrad phenomenon" refers to?
An interlanguage fossilizes when it contains many forms that do not match the target language and no further progress is being made.
What happens when an interlanguage fossilizes?
Positive transfer is when the learner tries to use knowledge about a feature of the L1 that is similar to the L2. Negative transfer is when the learner tries to use an L1 feature that is really different from the L2.
What is the difference between positive and negative transfer?
Mathematics is learned through a conscious process of accumulating knowledge, typically in an institutional setting. It is not acquired, because ability doesn't gradually develop without conscious effort, as in the development of an L1 by young children.
Why do we say that mathematics is learned, not acquired?
Negotiated input
___ is L2 material that the learner can acquire in interaction through requests for clarification while active attention is being focused on what is said.
Interlanguage
___ is not designed to fossilize.
strategic competence
ability to organize a message effectively and to compensate, via strategies, for any difficulties
audiolingual method
an approach to L2 learning which emphasizes the spoken language; became popular in the middle of the twentieth century; involved a systematic presentation of the structures of the L2, moving from the simple to the more complex, in the form of drills that the student had to repeat
applied linguistics
concerned with practical issues involving language and its role in everyday life; using other fields such as communication studies, education, psychology, and sociology in order to investigate the complex nature of second language learning
interlanguage
considered the basis for all L2 production
task-based learning
create different types of tasks and activities in which learners have to interact with each other, usually in small groups or pairs, to exchange information or solve problems
input
hearing the L2; used in L1 acquisition to describe the language that the learner is exposed to; has to be comprehensible, because we can't process what we don't understand
positive transfer
if the L1 and L2 have similar features, then the learner may be able to benefit ex: marking plurals on the ends of nouns
positive transfer
if the L1 and the L2 have similar features (marking plural on the ends of nouns)
interlanguage
in-between system used in the L2 acquisition process that certainly contains aspects of the L1 and L2, but which is an inherently variable system with rules of its own
grammatical competence
involves the accurate use of words and structures
integrative motivation
learners who want to learn the L2 for social purposes, in order to take part in the social life of a community using that language and to become an accepted member of that community
instrumental motivation
learners who want to learn the L2 in order to achieve some other goal, such as completing a school graduation requirement or being able to read scientific publications, but they are not really planning on engaging in much social interaction using the L2
fossilization
learners whose interlanguage has developed a fairly fixed repertoire of L2 expressions, containing many forms that do not match the target language and seem not to be progressing any further (most likely basis of a foreign accent)
English as a foreign language (EFL)
learning a language that is not generally spoken in the surrounding community (German, Russian, Mandarin)
English as a second language (ESL)
learning a language that is spoken in the surrounding community (Spanish, Cajun French)
grammar-translation method
learning an L2 in the same way as any other academic subject; use of vocabulary lists and sets of grammar rules, memorization is encouraged, written language is emphasized; Some say it leaves students quite ignorant of how the language might be used in everyday conversation.
communicative approaches
partially a reaction against the artificiality of "pattern practice" and also against the belief that consciously learning the grammar rules of a language will result in an ability to use the language; based on a belief that the functions of language (what it is used for) should be emphasized rather than the forms of the language (correct grammatical or phonological structures); Learning grammar rules will not necessarily result in ability to use language
strategic competence
pausing, stop talking completely, or they try to use a communication strategy; basically overcoming potential communication problems in interaction. strategy (water bird)
output
speaking the L2
audiolingual method
strongly influenced by a belief that the fluent use of a language was essentially a set of "habits" that could be developed with a lot of practice; Isolated practice shows no resemblance to interactional nature of actual spoken language use; BORING!
strategic competence
the ability to organize a message effectively and to compensate, via strategies, for any difficulties
sociolinguistic competence
the ability to use appropriate language
socio-linguistic competence
the ability to use appropriate language according to the social context
communicative competence
the general ability to use language accurately, appropriately, and flexibly
negative transfer/interference
transferring an L1 feature that is really different from the L2 (putting the adjective after the noun); may make the L2 expression difficult to understand
negative transfer
transferring an L1 feature that is very different from the L2, resulting in an L2 expression that is difficult to understand ex: putting the adj. after the noun
transfer
using sounds, expressions, or structures from the L1 when performing in the L2 ("take it from the side inferior")
