Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PD Day Second Language Acquisition and Learners Beliefs
PD Day Second Language Acquisition and Learners Beliefs
PD Day Second Language Acquisition and Learners Beliefs
Acquisition &
Learners Beliefs
Mr. Kenneth Em
PhD Candidate EAL
MA. TESOL
MA. AVM (Pursuing)
BA Criminology
Overview
So one of the aims is the description of L2 acquisition, one collects and analyses
samples of learners language (the language learners produce when they have to
use an L2 in speech or writing).
Another aim is explanation one figures out internal and external factors which play
a role for learners who acquire an L2:
a) Internal factors like cognitive mechanisms and knowledge
b) External factors like the social milieu and the input
Introduction: describing and
explaining L2 acquisition
Two case studies
Definition:
• Identifying errors
• comparison of sentences produced by the learners with the "correct" sentences in the target language
• distinction: error <–> mistake
• Describing errors
• classification into types – 2 ways:
• Global errors
• Local errors
The Nature of
Learner Language
Developmental patterns I
The concept of interlanguage draws directly on the mentalist theory with elements from
cognitive psychology !
Interlanguage
What is interlanguage ??
Results:
Concept offers a general account of how L2A takes place, but it does
not offer a precise explanation!
Can be viewed as a metaphor of how L2A takes place!
A model of L2A:
convergence divergence
Social aspects of interlanguage
social distance
Social aspects of interlanguage
3. social identities
subject to
subject of
investment
Discourse aspects of interlanguage
Example 1
Baseline talk:
-> You won’t forget to buy the ice-cream on your way home, will you?
Ungrammatical foreigner talk:
-> No forget buying ice-cream, eh?
Grammatical foreigner talk:
-> The ice-cream – You will not forget to buy it on your way home – Get it when
you are coming home. All right?
Example 2
A: A man is drinking coffee with the saucer of the coffee set in his knee.
B: in him knee
A: uh on his knee
B: yeah
A: on his knee
B: so sorry: on his knee.
Psychoanalytic aspects of
interlanguage
Psycholinguistics: study of mental structures and processes involved in
the acquisition and the use of language
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
1. Serial processing:
Series of sequential steps which results in some kind of rule or strategy
PROCESSING OPERATIONS
operating principles
processing restrictions: Multidimensional model (developmental & variational axis)
TWO TYPES OF COMPUTATIONAL MODEL
a) serial processing
b) parallel distributing process
Linguistic aspects of interlanguage
How does language influence development?
It is not really clear if or how far the accessibility hierarchy influences the
acquisition of relative clauses.
But it is an important example of the relation between SLA and linguistics.
Linguistic aspects of interlanguage
Universal Grammar
Based on Noam Chomsky´s theory of Universal Grammar which says that there
are “highly abstract principles that provide parameters which are given particular
settings in different languages”
Reflexives: `Local binding`, for example, is permitted in English, whereas `Long –
distance binding` is forbidden. But other languages, such as Japanese, permit both.
Learnability
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