Reflection for the topic ‘’The linguistics of Second Language

Acquisition’’

Having analysed that the majority of all sentences which are used by individuals have not
been memorized, I realised that they are formed according to specific rules and principles
which speakers are usually unconscious of using and knowing. Reading that the words are
shaped by the agreement of linguists, it would be essential to us as learners not to judge any
language whether it is more or less effective for communication. This means that every
language has been created to meet and convey the needs of society so that they can express
themselves verbally or in writing. Furthermore, I have learned that acquiring a new lexicon
would not mean only memorising it, however it would be efficient if it is learnt at its definite
levels, such as: word meaning, pronunciation, grammatical category and possible occurrence
in combination with other words and in idioms. This knowledge made me apprehend the most
beneficial aspects of learning a new vocabulary which will help second language learners: to
remember the words permanently, to use the words in a comfortable way and apply them in
different contexts. Additionally, by examining the mistakes made by second language
learners, serious contributions can be made to the processes and developments in the field of
language learning and teaching. Linguists have defined this as Contrastive Analysis. This
could be explained by the common points between one's mother tongue and second language,
which can affect them positively. On the other hand, differences can also return as a negative
result. This causes difficulties in learning and the most useful solution will be to examine in
which areas students make the major mistakes by trying to solve them. I have significantly
developed my language skills by trying to apply this method. Error analysis studies guide
language teachers by identifying and classifying common mistakes made by students in the
process of learning a foreign language. Thus, it plays an important role in designing a more
effective writing education by providing feedback on writing skills to the instructors, who are
the planners of the language teaching process. Moreover, mistakes made by second language
learners should be seen as good proof that they have acquired new language structures. At the
same time, researchers have shown that individuals basically learn language through trial and
error. Most importantly, investigating learner errors with the following steps such as:
collection of a sample of learner language, identification of errors, description of errors,
explanation of errors, ambiguity in classification, lack of positive data and potential for
avoidance would give quite positive feedback.