Module 4: Second Language Acquisition

• Second Language Acquisition


  It refers both to the study of individuals and groups who are learning a language after learning their first one as young children, and to the process of learning that language
• Second Language


  Language that is necessary for educational, occupational, and fundamental functions
• Target Language


  Any language that is the specific target or objective of the learning process
• Foreign Language


  Language that is not commonly spoken in the learners' immediate social environment
• Monolingualism


  Refers to the ability to use only one language
• Bilingualism


  Refers to the ability to use two languages
• Multilingualism


  Refers to the ability to use three or more languages
• Schools of Thought in Second Language Acquisition

  • Structural Linguistics and Behavioral Psychology
  • Generative Linguistics and Cognitive Psychology
  • Constructivism: A Multidisciplinary Approach
• Structural Linguistics


  • Language could be broken down into small pieces or components
  • Only observable linguistic behaviors can be studied
• Behaviorism


  • Children learn language based on behavior reinforcement
  • Correct utterances are positively reinforced
• Generative Linguistics


  • Language could not be explained only by observable facts
  • Language is not behavior but a mental process
  • Learning cannot be equated with behavior
• Cognitive Psychology


  • Meaning, understanding, and knowing are important psychological data
  • Studying competence reveals the hidden level of meaning and thought (deep structure) that generates the observable performance
• Cognitive Constructivism


  • The emphasis is placed on the importance of learners constructing their own representation of reality
  • Learning is a developmental process that involves change, self-generation, and construction, each building on prior learning experiences
• Social Constructivism


  • The importance of social interaction and cooperative learning in constructing both cognitive and emotional images of reality
  • When a student is in the zone of proximal development for a particular task, providing the appropriate assistance will give the student enough of a "boost" to achieve the task
• In constructivist approach, learning environment should emphasize on students directly, the importance of context, authentic problem and task, discovery learning, student's prior knowledge, group projects and discussion, student's choice and authentic assessment
• One of the most important principles of the constructivist approach in language teaching is action-oriented, which means that students' creative and active participation in classroom activities is highly treated
• First language influence appears to be strongest in complex word order and in word-for-word translations of phrases


  First language influence is weaker in bound morphology
• Roles of L1 in L2 acquisition

  • To explain the SLA with the behavioral theory, focusing on the role of conditions
  • To explain the interaction of SLA, emphasizing communication and social needs
  • To explain the SLA with the cognitive theory, emphasizing the logic and thinking processes
  • With the nativist theory or biological theory to explain SLA, stressing the inherent genetic capacity
  • To emphasize the learner and learning strategies
  • L1 transfer in L2 acquisition of phonetics, lexicology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics
• Academic Competence


  The knowledge needed by learners who want to use the L2 primarily to learn about other subjects, or as a tool in scholarly research, or as a medium in a specific professional or occupational field
• Interpersonal Competence


  The knowledge required by learners who plan to use the L2 primarily in face-to-face contact with other speakers. The knowledge of the language which will enable them to actively participate in listening and speaking activities is of high priority and the level of language used could be formal or informal, depending on the situation
• Types of Communicative Competence

  • Reading
  • Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
• Saville-Troike (2006) came up with a table showing the priorities for L2 communicative activities in academic and interpersonal competence
• General Guidelines for L2 Learning and Teaching

  • Consider the goals that individuals and groups have for learning an additional language
  • Set priorities for learning/teaching that are compatible with those goals
  • Approach learning/teaching tasks with an appreciation of the multiple dimensions that are involved: linguistic, psychological, and social
  • Understand the potential strengths and limitations of particular learners and contexts for learning, and make use of them in adapting learning/teaching procedures
  • Be cautious in subscribing to any instructional approach which is narrowly focused or dogmatic. There is no one "best" way to learn or teach a second language
  • Recognize achievement in incremental progress. And be patient. Learning a language takes time
• Five Stages of Second Language Acquisition

  • Preproduction (silent period, speaks basic words)
  • Early Production (focus on listening, starts using more words)
  • Speech Emergence (simple sentences, good comprehension, grammar error often occurs)
  • Intermediate Fluency (speech is fairly fluent, minimal errors, use complex sentences)
  • Advanced Fluency (near-native level of speaking, language use is automatic)
• Five Main Hypothesis on Second Language Acquisition

  • Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
  • Monitor Hypothesis
  • Input Hypothesis
  • Affective Filter Hypothesis
  • Natural Order Hypothesis
• Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis


  Adults have two distinctive ways of developing competencies in second languages… acquisition, that is by using a language for real communication… and learning, knowing about language
• Monitor Hypothesis


  Conscious learning can only be used as a monitor or an editor
• Input Hypothesis


  Humans acquire language in only one way- by understanding messages or by receiving "comprehensible input"
• Affective Filter Hypothesis


  A mental block, is caused by affective factors that prevents input from reaching the language acquisition device
• Natural Order Hypothesis


  We acquire the rules of language in a predictable order
• Application of Krashen's Hypothesis to the Language Classroom