TOPIC 6: Aportaciones de la lingüística a la enseñanza de las lenguas extranjeras.

El proceso de aprendizaje
lingüístico: semejanzas y diferencias entre la adquisición de la primera lengua escolar y de la lengua extranjera.
6. LINGUISTICS. CONTRIBUTION OF LINGUISTICS TO FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING. THE PROCESS OF LINGUISTIC LEARNING: SIMILARITIES AND
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ACQUISITION OF THE FIRST LANGUAGE AND THE LEARNING OF THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE.

1. INTRODUCTION

The present essay aims to study the processes of learning and acquiring a language in both first and foreign
language. For this purpose, this topic will be divided in four sections. First, I will deal with linguistics and
communicative competence. Second, I will focus on language learning. Third, I will emphasize on the differences
and similarities between first and foreign language acquisition. Then, I will explore the influence of linguistic
theories on modern teaching. Finally, I will compile some conclusions and the references used to develop this topic.

2. LINGUISTICS, GRAMMAR AND COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE,

After having provided some background information about the relevance of this topic, I will start the essay analyzing
linguistics.

Linguistics can be defined as the systematic study of language. It is a broad area of knowledge that includes several
issues. Some of them are: the historical evolution of a language; how language and society influence each other; the
transmission of artistic and cultural features through literature and the mental functions that are involved in the
process of learning a language.

Concerning linguistic theories, we can mention four main tendencies.

SAUSSURE Structural view put the emphasis on the fact that linguistic items cannot be studied in
isolation. On the contrary, they are all interlinked, and their meanings must be
understood when they are used together.

BLOOMFIELD Processing focused on analyzing how speakers are able to communicate orally,
view converting their theoretical knowledge of the language into actual
performances.
CHOMSKY Generative was the first linguist who highlighted our creativity, as we are able to create
view infinite expressions using a finite set of words and linguistic structures.
HALLIDAY Functional view concerned on language as a social and cultural phenomenon.

All these views involve their own idea of grammar. Grammar can be understood as a theory and a description of a
language. In other words, it is a set of rules that must be followed by a speaking community in order to
communicate effectively.

The main components of grammar are:

• Semantics: it deals with meanings at word and sentence level.

• Morphology; it is concerned about the construction of words.
• Syntax: it studies how words are joined to create sentences.
• Phonetics: this component treats the sounds of the language.

Consequently, we have to understand grammar as a broad field. In fact, our main concern as teachers of English is
not teaching purely linguistic or concepts, but to promote communicative competence as a whole. Now, I will
analyze how this relevant notion has evolved.(COMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE*)

Ausubel Cognitive theory was the main author of this theory, which stated that language acquisition is an internal
mental activity which involves several cognitive abilities (transferring information,
elaborating, summarizing, grouping) and metacognitive processes (advanced preparation,
selective attention, self- monitoring, self-management...). As a consequence of that,
learning cannot be achieved by simple and passive reception of the contents. On the
contrary, students need to be mentally active by participating in meaningful, relevant and
comprehensible learning tasks.
 4. DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISTION.

In the following part of the essay, I would like to provide a more detailed comparison between first and second
language acquisition, following Gass' studies.

• First, I will present some differences between first and second language acquisition.
1.Age factor: at the age of five, we have internalized enough linguistic elements in order to communicate effectively in our
mother tongue. On the other hand, we normally start acquiring a foreign language when we are older. This influences the
way in which the language is learnt, because the earlier we start, the easier it becomes to catch some linguistic features,
especially the phonetic ones.
GASS 5 2.Transference: when we learn a language for the first time, there is a complete absence of preconceived ideas, but in
DIFFERENCES second language acquisition, our mother tongue influences the process of learning. In other words, we tend to transfer what
we already know in our language to the foreign language.
3.Fossilization happens when students internalize and use a wrong structure because they have made a mistake on their
predictions, or because they have transferred the content from their mother tongue. This situation is difficult to revert, since
the learner believes that the structure is correct.
4.Learning environment, the first language is learnt in a natural setting by being involved in real communicative situations,
whereas the second language is quite frequently presented in an artificial one (the classroom).
5.Amount of input: from the moment we are born, we are immersed in the first language. The linguistic input we receive in
the second language is much lower, and that conditions our learning.

• As regards similarities, we can point out:

1.The development of an Interlingua: in both cases, human beings try to communicate as early as possible, so they develop a
linguistic code that is full of incorrect and inaccurate elements before they are able to speak fluently.
GASS 3
2.Subconscious mental processes: the internal processes that occur in the brain in order to store and organize the language are
SIMILARITIES quite similar, irrespective the language we are learning.
3.Personal and contextual factors: it has been proved by many linguists-and pedagogues that the social context and the
personality of the le learner play an important role in the acquisition of a language. Learning is not just a cognitive process, but it
also depends on social, affective and personal factors.

5. INFLUENCE OF LINGUISTICS ON MODERN TEACHING.

All the theories analyzed in this essay have been important for the development of modern approaches on teaching
English. Now, I will present some of those aspects.

• In the current communicative approach, the achievement of communicative competence is considered the main
goal, and that aim is realized setting up a balance between conscious learning and unconscious acquisition.
• There is also a great concern on using an integrated model (integration with other areas of the curriculum and
integration of the four main skills).
• Contextualizing the activities and tasks is also crucial. Moreover, the contents are closely related to the
experiences and realities of the students.
• Modern approaches advocate for a constructivist and cognitivist model of learning. Therefore, students must
participate in active and meaningful tasks.
• Teachers promote the autonomy of the students, and the development of learning to learn abilities.
In the class, teachers try to maximize the input that the students receive, speaking in English as much as possible. In
a similar way, the instruction of a second language starts as early as possible.
• In order to link new and previous contents, syllabus designs are constructed as a spiral.
• Personal, social, and affective factors are taken into account, as learning is considered to be a global process of
maturation.

To finish the essay, I would highlight some methodological principles that fit the principles presented above. They
are the following.
SONGS used for presenting and revising the contents in an appealing way. They facilitate
memorization and reduce the affective filter of the students.
GAMES which fun and variety to the class, promoting participation
and motivation.

DRAMA like simulations and role-plays, which allow teachers to set up a contextualized learning
 ACTIVITIES environment. They are a great opportunity for the pupils to experience the language in a
meaningful way.
LITERATURE that can be used in many different ways (story-telling, reading passages, writing poems). It
promotes the cultural awareness and expression competence of the students since it
introduces the poetic function of the language.
PAIR & GROUP it encourages the children to communicate with their partners while they learn to work in
WORK groups, promoting the personal, social and learning to learn competence.
PROJECTS involve putting into practice several cognitive and meta-cognitive abilities.

INFORMATION & blogs, wikis, interactive activities and games and other computer-based materials are
COMM beneficial from the point of view of the promotion of the digital competence, but also
TECHNOLOGIES because they engage the students in working.

SELF-ACCESS such as a listening, reading or a games corner will give students the opportunity to practice
CORNERS autonomously. They are especially useful to provide additional work to fast-finishers, as well
as treat the diversity of the class with revision, reinforcement and extension activities and
tasks.
CRAFTS they foster students' creativity and cultural competence and they can be used to revise the
contents.

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