THEORIES OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

THEORIES OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

1. BUILDING A THEORY OF SLA

   • DOMAINS AND GENERALIZATIONS
     • understanding of language
     • differences between adult and children and L1 and L2
     • the way people view themselves
     • second culture
     • linguistic contrast
     • communicative competences
   • HYPOTHESES AND CLAIMS
     • Lightbown's claims
     • myths about SLA
       • imitation
       • correction
       • high IQ's
       • interferences from their firts language
   • CRITERIA FOR A VIABLE THEORY
     • Diane Larsen-Freeman
     • 4 pitfalls to avoid
       • beware of false dichotonies
       • beware of linear
       • beware of overgeneralization
       • beware of reductionist thinking
     • MIchael Long's criteria
       • account for universals
       • account for environmental factors
       • account for variability
       • explain cognitive and affective factors
       • account for form-focused learning
       • account for other variables besides exposures and input
       • account for cognitive7innate factors
       • recognize that acquisition is not a steady accumulation of generalization

2. AN INNALIST MODEL: KRASHEN'S INPUT HYPOTHESIS

   • 1) the acquisition-learning hypothesis
   • 2) the monitor hypothesis
   • 3) the natural order hypothesis
   • 4) the input hypothesis
   • 5) the affective filter hypothesis
   • Seliger
     • high level of interaction

3. SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

   • cognitive variations
   • new linguistic systems
   • learning of discourse and communicative functions

4. COGNITIVE MODELS

   • McLaughlin's Attention-Processing model
     • controlled and automatic
   • implicit and explicit models
     • implicit: information that is automatically used
     • explicit: facts that a person knows about language
   • a social constructive model: Long's interaction hypothesis
     • interaction and input
     • conversation and interaction communication

5. FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

   • to join the community of theory builders
     • 1) play the believing and the doubting game
     • 2) appreciate the art and science of SLA
     • 3) trust your intuitions
       • how do you learn intiution?
         • internalize essential theorical foundations
         • live experiences by yourself
         • you must be a willing risk-take yourself