Throughout the semester we learnt different theories, approaches and methods that sometimes conflict with one another and thanks to the Second Language Acquisition Course; I gained a different point of view in a certain extent. In this commentary essay I will express my opinions about the mainstream ideas on SLA explained in Chapter 7.
Firstly, if I accept the claim that languages are learned mainly through imitation, I should be able to explain how the novel sentences are formed by children. Hence, I cannot explain first and second language acquisition only through imitation due to the novel sentences that children make during their conversations as Noam Chomsky explained in “Universal Grammar”, that is, “children’s minds are not blank slates to be filled by imitating language”. Besides, SLA learners also form novel sentences and use structures that they have not heard. On the other hand, I partly believe the role of imitation in first and second language acquisition. Since babies and children take their parents and environment as a model especially on pronunciation and vocabulary selection during that stages, imitation contributes to their first language and for the second language learners’ imitation take part for their development of pronunciation as well.
Secondly, depending on the children’s age and the parents’ sociolinguistic background, children are sometimes corrected when they make grammatical errors. I think parents usually correct grammatical errors when their children grow up enough to understand non- standard forms. However, parents usually focus on the meaning rather than the structure until their children begin to school.
The following commentary about high IQs contribution on successful language learning has...
... middle of paper ...
...and students need to be promoted and encouraged, otherwise they may lose their motivation and students should be exposed to real form of language, not only artificial classroom language.
I think when learners are allowed to interact freely in group or pair activities; they can give useful feedback to each other’s errors. Group activities can give students more opportunities to practice meaningful language.
While students can only learn what they are exposed to, they do not completely learn everything. I think the significant point is that it is important to decide which language features involve learners’ syllabus. If they are appropriate for the learners’ ages, interest, needs, experiences and learning styles, learning or teaching can be more successful. Teachers should be aware of the fact that students eventually know far more than they are taught directly.
The 'Secondary'. The dynamic systems approach in the study of L1 and L2 acquisition: An introduction. The Modern Language Journal, 92, 179-199.
... wrong and so the educators must be very conscious of what language to use in front of the children and at choosing the right activities and attitudes in front of them. They don’t teach through explanations and commands but through doing. Teachers are also responsible to provide healthy ingredients for the children’s food which they prepare and eat together.
When most people think of the process of language development in “normal” children, the concepts that come to mind are of babies imitating, picking up sounds and words from the speakers around them. Trying to imagine that a child who cannot hear one single sound a person makes can learn to speak a language is absolutely fascinating. These children range from amazin...
On the other hand, teachers prefer using L1 for a more effective approach to teaching grammar and checking students’ understanding. Macaro (1997) commented that teachers often lack enthusiasm in using the target language for grammar explanation. Many students have difficulty in learning grammar, especially for those whose L1 system is entirely different from the TL. L1 can be more efficient, particularly when a teacher wants to discuss the learning contract with students, or tries to explore the needs of his/her students, especially those in the lower level (Harmer, 2007). Evidence provided by Harmer (2007) also indicates that the classroom environment can be enhanced through the use of L1 to establish a positive social relationship with students, which ultimately leads to a more effective teaching process.
This essay is going to illustrate the different stages in language acquisition that children pass through and elicit the theories in accordance.
In her article, “Babies Prove Sound Learners,” Sohn (2008) states, “Such studies show that, up to about 6 months of age, babies can recognize all the sounds that make up all the languages in the world” (para.24). B. K. Skinner suggests that the materialization of language is the result of imitation and reinforcement. According to Craig and Dunn (2010), “Language development is linked to cognitive development that, in turn, depends on the development of the brain, on physical and perceptual abilities, and on experiences. Biological and social factors also jointly influence the early development of emotion and personality” (p. 117). In her article, A natural history of early language experience.
Teaching students a language that is foreign can really be challenging for students as well as for the teachers. The dynamic rule for implementing instructing in a diverse class to English-learners is to use resourceful life skills such as diligence, hard work and patience. There are also methods that are involved in teaching English as a second language that can be creative for the teacher, yet beneficial to the student. First building a strong foundation that is essential to English learners will promote the language acquisition process. To do this teacher’s should always start with preparation. Advance preparation is essential in order to provide necessary adaptations in content area instruction and to make content information accessible for second language lear...
Long, M. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W.Ritchie and T.Bhatia (eds.) Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (San Diego, CA: Academic Press), 413-68.
Steven Krashen developed 5 theories of Second Language Development. The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis states that people acquire language naturally, without any formal training, simply through their interactions with others (Freeman and Freeman p.62). Language learning, however, is a more complex process which requires instruction. Both of these processes are necessary for a person to acquire a second language. Implications for teaching include creating authentic social interaction time with peers in the classroom, collaboration with peers, modeling appropriate language use and using repetition (Vose).
Language acquisition is perhaps one of the most debated issues of human development. Various theories and approaches have emerged over the years to study and analyse this developmental process. One factor contributing to the differing theories is the debate between nature v’s nurture. A question commonly asked is: Do humans a...
Still today, it is the commonly held belief that children acquire their mother tongue through imitation of the parents, caregivers or the people in their environment. Linguists too had the same conviction until 1957, when a then relatively unknown man, A. Noam Chomsky, propounded his theory that the capacity to acquire language is in fact innate. This revolutionized the study of language acquisition, and after a brief period of controversy upon the publication of his book, Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, in 1964, his theories are now generally accepted as largely true. As a consequence, he was responsible for the emergence of a new field during the 1960s, Developmental Psycholinguistics, which deals with children’s first language acquisition. He was not the first to question our hitherto mute acceptance of a debatable concept – long before, Plato wondered how children could possibly acquire so complex a skill as language with so little experience of life. Experiments have clearly identified an ability to discern syntactical nuances in very young infants, although they are still at the pre-linguistic stage. Children of three, however, are able to manipulate very complicated syntactical sentences, although they are unable to tie their own shoelaces, for example. Indeed, language is not a skill such as many others, like learning to drive or perform mathematical operations – it cannot be taught as such in these early stages. Rather, it is the acquisition of language which fascinates linguists today, and how it is possible. Noam Chomsky turned the world’s eyes to this enigmatic question at a time when it was assumed to have a deceptively simple explanation.
As a teacher language is the most important tool in order to support student learning. The book Elementary Classroom Management by Kerry Williams discusses how language is an important tool to use “language can be a powerful vehicle for activating thought, and as teachers we need to be aware of the role it is playing” (ref pg. 196). The use of words and tone that the teacher uses to the students is significant in the behaviour of students. For example if a student is displaying
It is very important for a teacher to be a good communicator.He doesn`t just stand in front of the class and lecture but tries to establish a dialogue and tofind the best group activities in which every child to be involved.Discussion,peer-to-peer coaching are the things which make the process of teaching more interesting and challenging so that all students attend classes and participate actively.
As English wasn’t their first language, I noticed that some students struggled to express themselves and put their ideas across. However, in order to tackle this issue, I would see what direction they were going in and would then suggest words to help them structure a sentence or if it was a complicated sentence, they would use a translator app. This loosely links to the cooperative principle because when English isn’t somebody’s first language and they make speech errors, I tend to ignore them and carry on the conversation. One of the reasons why I don’t mention that they have created an error is because the speaker may feel embarrassed about their mistake. On the other hand, I might also help them if I notice that they are struggling with their
According to (Wisniewski, 2007), second language learning process differs from first language acquisition, with the latter taking place usually from infancy in a community using a specific language and affected mainly by neurological developments in the brain (McCain, 2000) while the former taking place usually in schools or later in life and affected by age and associated characteristics (McCain, 2000).