Language and Interlanguage

Language and Interlanguage

1. Interlanguage and sources of problems

   • Most of the problems are interlanguage problems that occur between the source language and the target language and are based on both.
     • Problems
       • Learners show different types of transfe.
         • English to Spanish: use S' possessive.
           • Confussion for interlingual origin sentir and sentar overgeneralize with silent-
             • Cuecopying: students copy teachers phrases avoiding the risk of error.
               • Mislearning: si + present indicative or past subjunctive to si + present subjunctive. Example: Si estudias/ estudiaras to Si estudies.
                 • Similarities in language backgrounds omitting articles, prepositions and auxiliaries.

2. Comparing and contrasting languages

   • Contrastive analysis: compares and contrast two language systems
     • Descriptions, similarities and differences between languages A and B
   • Correspondences between languages
     • Language A has a feature X matched closely by an X in Language 2.
       • Language A has a feature X that resembles in B, but with different details.
         • Language 1 has a feature X that Language 2 lacks and operates different.
           • Some languages have common ancestors , cultural crosses , coincidences.
             • Spanish and English stress in U vowel like to and tool.
               • In Spanish distinguishes ser-estar and sound rr.
                 • English distinguishes make-do and his-her-their and sound b/v.
   • Implications of the correspondences
     • Implications of the correspondences
       • Predicting degrees of difficulty: English distinguishes comparative - superlative for example más and most. Spanish distinguishes pre and postposed adjectives for example altos precios = high prices.
         • Identification of the specific problem: grammatical description is incomplete, students get confused where write H or accent mark.
           • Determining how a unit works in its own system: The use of the progressive is not as essential in Spanish as in English.
             • Asisgning priorities on the basis of functional load: communicative weight or functional load, makes a mood contrast possible in both languages.
               • Dealing with variation: linguists describe the actual rules that native speakers apply to their communication.
                 • Understanding errors: error analysis helps to detect students' errors and problem.
       • Individual tend to transfer the forms and meanings from language 1 and culture to language 2

3. Limits of linguistics in language teaching

   • Contrastive analysis
     • Error analysis
       • SLA theory
     • This are intended for teachers to understand what happens and why in language learning.
       • Helps to improve activities, presentations, syllabi and remediation.

4. Language, lets and linguistics

   • Language is a communication system by sounds as a medium
     • Subsystems
       • Phonology: spech sounds and rules.
         • Morphology: word inflection and derivation.
           • Syntax: word order, phrase and sentence construction.
             • Lexicon: vocabulary.
               • Semantics: wording sentence meaning.
                 • Pragmatics: sociocultural conventions.
                   • Orthography: system of written marks.
     • The system varies is not homogeneous
       • Dialects: particular regions.
         • Sociolects: social groups.
           • Genderlects: sexual differences.
         • Lects: all varieties.
   • Linguistics branches
     • Theoretical Linguistics: studies the nature of the components.
       • Descriptive Linguistics: studies how the components operates. It could be Synchronic: describes existing patterns. Diachronic: how system has changed over the time.
         • Applied Linguistics: insights of theoretical and descriptive linguistics, applies them to such areas as translation like: speech pathology, literary analysis, computer technology, sociopolitical issues, and language instruction.