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First and Second Language Acquisition - 1
First and Second Language Acquisition - 1
First and Second Language Acquisition - 1
Prof. R. Hickey
SS 2006
• Describing errors
• classification into types – 2 ways:
1. classification into grammatical categories
2. try to identifiy general ways in which the learners utterances differ from
target-language utterances
- omission -> leaving out items which are required for
grammatical correctness
- misinformation -> use of one grammatical form instead of
another
- misordering -> putting words in a wrong order
The Nature of
Learner Language
Errors and error analysis II
• Explaining errors
• systematic errors
-> L2 learners create rules on their own – different to the rules of
the target language
• universal errors
-> L2 learners commit the same grammatical errors
• Error evaluation
-> purpose: to help learners to learn an L2.
• Global errors
• Local errors
The Nature of
Learner Language
Developmental patterns I
A model of L2A:
convergence divergence
Social aspects of interlanguage
2. determination of the input by social factors
social distance
Social aspects of interlanguage
3. social identities
subject to subject of
investment
Discourse aspects of interlanguage
2. Richard SCHMIDT
consciousness as: intentionality, attention, awareness
a) intentionality: intentional vs incidental
b) attention: conscious attention to features of the input is always required
subconscious learning is not the same as learning without conscious attention!
c) awareness
whether the learner is conscious of acquiring L2 knowledge
explicit knowledge can at least help indirectly to process the input and the intake!
Psychoanalytic aspects of
interlanguage
Processing operations
a) Operating principles:
• SLOBIN (L1): general strategies to extract and segment linguistic information
from the input, eg `avoid interruption and rearrangement of linguistic units´,
`avoid exceptions´
• ANDERSEN (L2): macro principles
eg one-to-one-principle (one meaning—one form)
b) Processing constraints:
• multidimensional model able to explain learners´ differences
• rules either sequential or at any stage to acquire
1. Developmental axis: to move from one stage to another
2. Variational axis: socio-psychological factor (wilingness to integrate)
Psychoanalytic aspects of
interlanguage
Two Types of Computational Model
• mental processes involved in constructing and using an interlanguage
• not directly to be viewed but inferred from learners´ behaviour
• Cognition = black box: extracts information from the input, works on it,
stores it and uses it in input
1. Serial processing:
Series of sequential steps which results in some kind of rule or strategy
Main question: Are children able to learn a language (L1) only on the basis
of input or do they rely on innate knowledge of language (as
Chomsky maintains). The argument is that children can not acquire
their L1 successfully only with the help of input.
Chomsky: Children can not learn the full grammar of their mother tongue
only through input. They must have some information about
grammar in their biological endowment.
Instrumental motivation
learning for some functional reason, e.g. to get a
better job
Integrative motivation
interest in the people and culture
Resultative motivation
motivation is the result of learning
Intrinsic motivation
interest in learning activities
Individual differences in
L2 acquisition
Learning strategies