the field of second language acquisition
TRANSCRIPT
The Field of
SLAGregg Brekke
Assistant Professor
SLA Vocabulary
• L1 = Mother tongue(s) learned from birth
also a NS = Native Speaker
• L2 = second language; sequential multilingualism (not learned at a young age)
NNS = non native speaker
• TL = Target / goal language being learned (1st, 2nd, etc.)
SLA Vocabulary
• Bilingualism = speaking more than one language
• Communicative competence = the ability to use language in a variety of settings, relationships
• ELL = English Language Learner
Types of Second Languages
• L2 = official or socially dominant language needed for education, employment, etc.
• Foreign language = not widely used in the learner’s environment; instructed language
• Library language = functions primarily as a tool for further learning through reading
• Heritage language = language of ancestors learned as an L2
Related fields
Bilingualism
1. Children before age three or four
2. Mature language competence and behavior of children and adults
3. Interaction of all languages of an individual
SLA
1. Late starting learners = 6 yrs. – adult
2. Pathways to becoming competent in L2
3. Incipient stages
4. Oriented toward L2 as target language rather than L1
What does SLA try to answer?
• Second = Why = sociology, anthropology
• Language = What = linguistics
• Acquisition = How = psycholinguistics, psychology, education
What does SLA try to answer?
The Language
What exactly does the L2 learner come to know about the language system and its use?
• Linguistic competence (underlying knowledge)
• Linguistic performance (production/use)
SLA investigates the similarities and differences between child language acquisition and L2 learning
•Do older kids and adults learn the same way as children?
•Are children always better and faster learners than teens and adults?
•Can adults learn an unaccented natural L2?
SLA investigates
L2
L1Interlanguage
Inter-language transfer
Cross-linguistic influences
SLA investigates
Acquisition orders
Third person singular -s
Plural -s
What does SLA try to answer?
The Acquisition process
How do learners acquire/learn second languages?
Psychologists and psycholinguists emphasize the mental or cognitive processes involved in acquisition and the representation of languages in the brain.
grammar
meaning
SLA InvestigatesCognitive Processes
Procedural language knowledge(unconscious)
Declarative language knowledge (conscious)
Learning rates L2 variations Ultimate states of L2
SLA investigates a probabilistic system for systematic explanations
Fossilization ?
SLA investigates Learner Characteristics
• Intelligence/aptitude
• Learning styles
• Personality
• Motivation and attitudes
• Learner beliefs
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What does SLA try to answer?
Why are some learners more successful than others?
Sociolinguists and social psychologists emphasize the variability of a L2’s linguistic performance in social settings, including identity and social motivations, and larger social contexts of learning.
Communicative competence
SLA investigates Socio-cultural and Political contexts
*Identity and ethnic group affiliation
*School culture: programs, attitudes, peers, teachers
Community and family
*National and state attitudes toward immigrants and language
SLA investigates Learning Contexts
learners in formal settings
learners in informal settings
Explicit Instruction of forms (grammar) with focus on accuracy
“Natural learning” with focus on meaning