MC ELT 1

• to be on the same page = to have similar ideas or opinions
• Branches of Linguistics:

  • Phonetics: the study of speech sounds
  • Phonology: the study of the sound system of a language
  • Morphology: the study of how words are constructed from smaller units
  • Syntax: the study of how sentences are constructed
  • Semantic: the study of how the meaning of words and sentences are related
  • Pragmatics: the study of how the meaning conveyed by a word or sentence depends on aspects of the context
• First Language Acquisition: the process where children acquire their first language
• Second Language Acquisition: the process where individuals learn additional languages, involving stages like pre-production, early production, speech emergence, immediate fluency, and advanced fluency
• Stages of Second Language Acquisition:

  • Pre-production: learners may have up to 500 words in their vocabulary
  • Early Production: learners develop an active vocabulary of about 1000 words
  • Speech Emergence: learners can communicate with simple phrases and sentences, having a vocabulary of 3,000 words
  • Immediate Fluency: learners have a vocabulary of 6,000 active words
  • Advanced Fluency: takes 4-10 years to achieve cognitive academic language proficiency in the second language
• Language Aptitude:

  • Includes skills like phonetic coding ability, grammatical sensitivity, memory abilities, and inductive language learning ability
  • Strongly correlates with achievement in a second language
• Language Learning Strategies:

  • Research categorizes strategies used by learners at different levels
  • More proficient learners employ different strategies compared to less proficient ones
• Affective Factors:

  • Language attitudes and motivation play a role in explaining language learning success
  • Motivation involves desire to achieve a goal, effort, and satisfaction with the task
• What works in Other Countries:

  • Early start in foreign language study promotes higher proficiency
  • Well-articulated curriculum frameworks are important
  • The Common European Framework of Reference has had a high impact on language education
  • Rigorous teacher education is crucial for excellence in foreign language education
  • Comprehensive use of technology, including innovative technologies and media, is beneficial for language learning
• In smaller countries, many television shows are broadcast in a foreign language and subtitled rather than dubbed
• In Denmark, teachers have developed successful strategies for integrating students' informal foreign language exposure into classroom teaching
• Access to information on the World Wide Web and the use of new information technologies, especially networked computers, has increased communication among foreign language teachers and students in many countries
• The Internet has facilitated increased access to and communication in foreign languages with both native and non-native speakers through e-mail, mailing lists, discussion groups, and chat rooms
• Innovative methods for language instruction include:

  • Integration of language and content learning
  • Communicative teaching methods
  • Focus on language learning strategies
  • Building on the first or subsequent languages
• Successful approaches in language education consider students' first languages as a foundation upon which to build second language proficiency
• Other successful methods in language education include:

  • Sole use of the foreign language in the classroom
  • Modular approach to teaching based on proficiency level
  • Project-oriented learning using authentic materials through technology
• Language and education policies at national, regional, and local levels can facilitate or inhibit strong language education
• Assessment practices in foreign language education involve specific courses with grades or credit for completion assigned by teachers
• National or regional examinations that include language proficiency assessments are administered at the end of secondary school in some countries
• In China, the Matriculation English Test assesses grammar, lexis, and their use, leading to a decrease in rote memorization in English learning practice
• Programs that teach the mother tongue of speakers of languages other than the dominant one in a country contribute to foreign language success by helping maintain existing language resources and fostering achievement among minority populations
• Successful language education practices in Canada include heritage language programs within official school curricula
• Recommendations for improving language education in the United States:

  • Start language education early
  • Learn from other countries
  • Conduct long-term research
  • Provide stronger leadership
  • Identify how technology can improve language instruction
  • Improve teacher education
  • Develop appropriate language assessments
  • Designate foreign language as a core subject
  • Take advantage of the sociolinguistic context