Second Language Acquisition

Objectives

• explain expected stages and patterns of language development as related to first and second language acquisition (critical period hypothesis– Proficiency levels).

• explain how first language development affects development of English (Transferability Theory- Threshold Hypothesis).

Age and Second Language Acquisition

To Think About:

Is it better to learn a second language when one is young or when one is older? Why?

Discuss your ideas with a partner.

Age and Second Language AcquisitionThe Critical Period Hypothesis (Eric Lenneberg

(1967)

Lenneberg stated that:

L2 is best learned between age 2 and puberty

Ability to learn language is negatively affected by the completion of process of lateralization

Age and Second Language Acquisition

• Critical Period Hypothesis• Laterialization is when each side of the brain

develops its own specialized functions

• Young learners use the same part of the brain for learning both languages

• Older learners use different parts of the brain

Age and Second Language Acquisition

• Lenneberg stated that• Lateralization is completed by puberty• Therefore, an L2 should be learned between

age 2 and puberty (according to Lenneberg)

• More recent research has indicated that lateralization actually is completed by age 5

Age and Second Language Acquisition

Therefore, young learners (before age 5) are actually native speakers of both languages

They learn both L1 and L2 the way a native speaker does

J. Lessow-Hurley. (2005). The foundations of dual language instruction

Age and Second Language Acquisition

• Advantages to being a younger learner

• More likely to develop a native-like accent

• Less to learn to be considered proficient• More likely to receive comprehensible

input

Age and Second Language Acquisition

• Advantages to being an older learner

• Can consciously use strategies to aid learning• Has knowledge from L1 to draw from• Has greater control over input

Proficiency: What is it?

To Think About:

When is a person proficient in a second language?

How do you know a person is proficient?

Discuss your ideas with a partner.

Proficiency

• Proficiency includes grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse and strategic competence

• Age appropriate competence in each of these areas needs to be developed to be considered proficient in a second language

Proficiency

Grammatical Competence•Mastery of language code

Lexicon (vocabulary)Word formation rulesSentence formation rulesPronunciation rulesSpelling

Proficiency

Sociolinguistic Competence

• Mastery of appropriate language use in different contexts• How to speak to a friend• How to speak to someone in authority• How to speak socially vs. professionally

Proficiency

Discourse CompetenceMastery of how to combine meanings and forms

to create a text in different modes

Examples:

Telephone inquiry

Narrative text

Oral report

Proficiency

Strategic CompetenceMastery of verbal and non-verbal strategies to compensate for breakdowns in communication

Examples:

How to ask for helpHow to rephrase a statement

Proficiency: How long does it take?To Think About:

If you wanted to learn another language, how long do you think it would take you to speak and understand that language? How long would it take you to read and write? Discuss your ideas with a partner.

Proficiency: How long does it take?BICS ( Basic Interpersonal Communication

Skills)

2 to 3 years

Ability to converse and understand every day discussions

Proficiency: How long does it take?CALP (Cognitive Academic Language

Proficiency)

4 to 10 years

Ability to read, write, speak, and listen at an academic level

Stages in Second Language Acquisition• How can you identify a learner’s language

acquisition level?

• Discuss with a partner how the language acquisition level can be determined. In other words, how do you know if a learner is a beginner, an intermediate, or advanced learner of the L2?

Stages in Second Language Acquisition• Instead of using beginner,

intermediate and advanced, a more specific classification system can be used.

• A learner can be at the preproduction, early speech, speech emergence or intermediate fluency stage

Stages in Second Language AcquisitionPreproduction/Comprehension Stage

Characteristics• Silent period

• Can respond non-verbally

• Will be able to understand more than they can produce

Stages in Second Language Acquisition• Preproduction/Comprehension Stage

• The teacher should NOT force the learner to talk

• The teacher should ask the learner to draw, point, act out, label

Stages in Second Language Acquisition• Early Speech Production • Characteristics

-Can understand more than can produce

-Can produce one or two words at a time

-Will pick up phrases (He cutted.)

Stages in Second Language Acquisition• Early Speech Production

• The teacher should ask the learner yes/no questions

• The teacher should ask the learner choice questions (Is this a ___ or a ___?)

Stages in Second Language Acquisition• Speech Emergence

• Characteristics-Speaks in phrases-Makes lots of errors-Interlanguage occurs (a mixture of vocabulary and structures from both languages)

Stages in Second Language Acquisition•Speech Emergence

•The teacher should ask the learner questions such as What is this? What does ___ do?

Stages in Second Language Acquisition• Intermediate Fluency

• Characteristics-Appear orally fluent

-Errors are same errors native speakers make

-Struggle with content area reading and writing.

Stages in Second Language Acquisition• Intermediate Fluency

• The teacher should modify higher level questions. For example, instead of asking a student to compare two items, the teacher should ask the student how two items are the same. Then the teacher should ask how they are different.

First Language Development

To Think About:

Do you think the child’s first language is a hindrance or a help in terms of learning a second language? Why?

Discuss your ideas with a partner.

Common Underlying Proficiency/Transferability Theory

Look at the next slide which illustrates a Dual Iceberg Representation of first and second language development. What does this illustration mean?

Common Underlying Proficiency/Transferability Theory

common underlying proficiency

Dual Iceberg Representation

surface features surface features L1 L2

Common Underlying Proficiency/Transferability Theory

• Many skills and concepts are common or interdependent across languages.

• A skill or concept learned in one language transfers to another language when the requisite vocabulary is acquired

Common Underlying Proficiency/Transferability Theory

• For example, a learner only learns to read once. If a learner can read, he/she can read in another language, once the vocabulary is learned.

• What needs to be explicitly taught in the other language are the features that are different.

What Literacy Skills Transfer?

Directionality

Sequencing

Ability to distinguish shapes and sounds

Knowledge that written symbols correspond to sounds and can be decoded in order and direction

What Literacy Skills Transfer?Activation of semantic and syntactic knowledge

Knowledge of text structure

Learning to use cues to predict meaning

Awareness of the variety of purposes for reading and writing

Confidence in oneself as a reader and writer

What Skills Do Not Transfer?

Critical and Cultural Literacy(interpretation of text given a specific cultural world view)

From: C. Roberts. (1994). Transferring literacy skills from L1 to L2: From theory to practice. In The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, v. p. 209-221

Threshold Hypothesis

• The threshold hypothesis states there is a threshold level of ability that needs to be reached in one language in order for a learner to be successful in another language

• The threshold hypothesis also states that high levels of bilingualism have positive cognitive effects

Threshold Hypothesis

• The better developed the L1, the better developed the L2 can be.

• High level of proficiency in L1-high level of proficiency in L2 is possible

• A low level of proficiency in L1-lower level of proficiency in L2

What have you learned?

•With a partner, list three new things you have learned today.

Assignment 11. Compare between first language learner and second language learner in terms of the following characteristics:-constructs language from prior conceptual knowledge-is an active learner who tests and revises hypotheses-requires interaction-uses cognitive strategies (i.e., overgeneralization)-understands more when input is modified (caretaker talk,

foreigner talk)-develops language in predictable stages- makes developmental errors- experiences a silent period-is familiar with one or more other cultures- may have a problem with attitude/motivation- is more likely to be inhibited or Anxious

Assignment 1

2. Select a topic that you will teach (for example, fairy tales, plant life, animals, etc.). Then, think of how you would involve a learner at each language proficiency level in the lesson. For example, you might think of questions that you could ask learners at each proficiency level. Or, you might think of an activity in which learners at each proficiency level could participate.