LINGUISTICS 4TH JATHLA A.

MAHMOOD

SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

What is the difference between learning in a
“foreign language” setting and a “second
language” setting?

• FOREIGN LANGUAGE SETTING is ​when we

learn a language that is not spoken in the
community surrounding us, for example, our
linguistics/English class here in Iraq.

• SECONG LANGUAGE SETTING is when we learn

a language that is

spoken in the community surrounding us. Imagine

that you are studying

this class in US as an example.

Because in both settings we are just trying to learn a

language, second

language learning is used to refer to both.

ACQUISITION VS. LEARNING
• Acquisition refers to “the gradual ​development of
ability in language by using it naturally in
communicative situations with ​others who know the
language.”

In an acquisition experience, young children or those

who acquire a second language (L2) ​through long
periods of interaction with others ​who know the
language tend to be more proficient/ fluent in the
language.

• Learning refers to “more conscious process

of accumulating knowledge of the features, such as

vocabulary and ​grammar, of a language typically in
an institutional setting (mathematics?!).”

Learning activities used when teaching a language

in schools tend to result in ​more „knowledge‟ about
the language than „fluency‟ in actually using the
language.
ACQUISITION BARRIERS ​For most
people, their L2 acquisition is substantially
different from ​their L1 acquisition experience
and that could be due to some barriers such as:
1. Insufficient time; a few hours of school
time each week usually during teenage or adult
years. 2. Insufficient focus; a lot of other things
going on. ​3. Insufficient incentive; a language is
already available for everyday
communicative requirements. 4. The critical period
for language has passed; it becomes very difficult
to fully acquire a language during puberty as our
inherent language ​capacity gets dominated by
features of L1 and as a result a loss of the flexibility
or openness to receive features of L2.

Although there are barriers to the L2 acquisition,

very few adults seem to ​reach to a native- like level

of proficiency using the L2. some may achieve great

expertise in writing but not speaking (what about

Joseph Conrad?). This may suggest that some L2

features such as grammar and vocabulary are

easier to learn than others such as pronunciation.

AFFECTIVE FACTORS
Even during the optimum age for L2 learning (from
about 10-16) there may

exists a different kind of acquisition barrier/ affective

factors.
What are some of these affective factors?

1. Self-conciousness and stressed: if there‟s any

embarrassment or
unwillingness in the production of sounds of an L2, it
may dominate whatever physical and cognitive
abilities there are.

2. Being uncomfortable and lacks empathy with the

L2 culture: feeling no
identification with its speakers and customs and not
wanting to sound like a Russian or an American
strongly inhibits learning.

3. Unmotivated: dull textbooks, unpleasant

classroom surroundings,
exhausting schedule of study or work.

The presence of the above factors makes it unlikely

to learn very much. Although adults can sometimes
overcome their inhibition, they are more constrained
by affective factors than children.
FOCUS ON METHOD ​The
grammar-translation method: ​➢ Here, the learning
target is vocabulary lists and grammar rules. ➢
Encourages memorization. ➢ Emphasizes written
rather than spoken language. ​Outcome: although
this method produced many successful L2 users, it
leaves the students at loss in terms of the actual use
of the language in everyday conversation.

The audiolingual method: (mid 20​th ​century) ​➢

Emphasizes the spoken language. ​➢ Involves the
presentation of L2 structures (from simple to more
complex)
in the form of repeating oral drills for hours in a
language laboratory. Outcome: isolated practice of
oral language drills is totally different from the ​actual
use of spoken language in interaction in addition to
being very boring.

Communicative approaches: ➢ Emphasizes

Language functions (what it is used for) rather than
language
form (correct structures). ➢ Organizes lessons
around concepts (asking for things)in different social
settings rather than (forms) in different sentences.
Outcome: such changes have fit with attempts to
provide L2 learning ​materials that has specific
purposes such as “English for medical personnel”.