Understanding Second Language Acquisition (Rod Ellis, 1985)

Understanding Second Language Acquisition (Rod Ellis, 1985)

1. 1) Theories of Second Language Acquisition

   • Explanation-Description-learner develops the linguistic categories he does. What-How-When-Why, Theory-then-research Approach
   • theory-then-research Approach. Dogmatic thinking-Popper, 1976.
     • 1. Develop an explicit theory 2. Testable prediction from theory 3. Conduct research to test prediction 4. Modify (abandon) the theory 5. Test a new prediction
     • Acculturation Model
       • Brown (1980). becoming adapted to a new culture. Language-culture John Schumannn (1978) Nativization Model: degree of learners acculturatization. 
       • Language-culture-acculturation
         • social-psycological distance
         • Social factors
           • 1. When the target language and L2 groups view each other as socially equal
           • 2. The target language and L2 groups are both desirous the L2 group will assimilate
           • 3. Share social facilities
           • 4. the L2 group is small and not very cohesive
           • 5. Culture is congruent
           • 6. Both groups have positive attitudes to each other
           • 7. Migration processes?
         • Phycological factors
           • 1.Language shock
           • 2. Culture shcok
           • 3. Motivation
         • contact with the target language
           • Pidgin languages
             • fossilization
               • Social distance
               • Pshycological disatance
               • 1. Communicative Function
               • 2. Integrative function
               • 3. Expressive Function
     • Discourse Theory
       • the development of communication
       • Interlanguage
     • The variable competence Model
       • Ellis (`984)
       • Language use
         • the way the language is learnt is  a reflection of the way it is used lingustic knowedge and use of it
         • Unplanned discourse
         • Planned discourse
       • Product
     • The Universal Hypothesis
       • Target language-first language Language faculty chomsky 1965 Interlanguage
     • Neurofunctional theory
       • Lamendella (`977) Language funtion and neural anatomy
   • research-then-theory approach
     • 1. Select a phenonon for invetigation 2. Measure its characteristics. 3. Collect data and look for systematic patterns 4. Formalize significant patterns as rules describing natural events.
     • Accommodation Theory
       • Howard Giles. Intergroup used of language in multilingual communities. Canadian context.  Intergroup uses of language-ethnic communication. 
       • learner's social group-the target language community
         • identity
         • Motivation in ethnic terms
         • Identification
         • Inter-ethnic comparison
         • Perception of ethno-linguistic vitality
     • Monitor Model
       • Krashen (1982)

2. 2) Factors affecting second/foreign language acquisition. Khasinah, S. (2014)

   • Learning
     • learning is a conscious study through formal instruction such as language classroom learning.  
   • Acquiring
     • Second Language Acquisition:  is subconscious study through which a person acquires L2 or addi- tional languages.  
   • Motivation
     • Integrative
       • People and culture
       • Additive bilingualism
         • no harm to the mother tongue
     • Instrumental
       • functional and useful-job, tests, foreign news paper
       • subtractive bilingualism
         • mother tongue is replaced by the target language. 
     • Intrinsic
       • no apparent reward
     • Extrinsic
   • Attitude
     • beliefs about the target language  culture, their own culture, and teachers and learning tasks.
     • community and people who speak L2
     • learning and language concerned
     • languages and language in general
   • Age
     • younger age is better at language acquisition, but adults are better at learning lan- guage rules and systems.  
   • Intelligence
     • general ability to master academic skills (Ellis, 1985).  Lunguistic-mathematical abilities. Learners with high IQ achieve better resuts on language tests. Garner (1983) Frames of mind.
     • Linguistic
     • Logical-mathematical
     • Spatial
     • Musical
     • Bodily-kinesthetic
     • Interpersonal
     • Naturalistic
   • Aptitude
     • specific ability a learner has for learning a second language (Ellis, 1986)
     • phonemic coding ability
     • grammatical sensitivity
     • indictive language learning ability
     • rote learning ability
   • Learning Styles
     • cognitive style.  It is said that if teachers match their teaching methods to the students’ learning styles, the students will be more successful and more interested in the language.  
     • audio learners
     • Kinesthetic learners
     • Visual learners
   • Personality
     • set of features that chracterize an individual.  Affective states. Introvert and extroverts, self-esteem, inhibition, risk-taking, anxiety and empathy (Ellis, 1986)
     • self-esteem
       • People develop their sense of self-esteem as a result of the information they receive about them- selves from others  
     • Inhibition & Risk-taking
       • The higher self-esteem the lower walls of inhibition and greater success in learning a foreign language.  
     • anxiety
       • feelings of uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt and worry (Brown, 1994)  
     • Empathy and extroversion
       • the willingness and capacity to identify with others” (Stern, 1993) Native-like pronunciation.  

3. 3) Principles or Language Teaching and Learning (Haycraft, 1978)

   • 1. Student's involvemnt
     • Motivation
     • Psychological resistance
     • The need for realism
     • The need to give confidence
     • The need to maintain interest
   • 2. The language
   • 3. Course Content
     • Skills
     • Structure
     • Vocabulary
     • Phrases, idioms and colloquial usages
     • Pronunciation
   • 4. Sequence for new language
     • Selection
     • Presentation and explanation
     • Practice
     • Remedial work
     • Revision of language
   • 5. Language teacher uses
     • mother tongue use of aids

4. Learner errors and teacher's treatments

   • Child's speech is not a faulty version of adult's. Errors are not signs of learning failure Developing system-data of language. (Intralingual-interlingual)
   • Overgeneralisation-intralingua
     • Knowledge about the second language
     • Transfer-Interlingua
       • Mother tongue-begginers
       • Ambiguous source of many errors
         • Simplification by omission-intralingua
   • Non-systematic errors
     • Communication Strategies
     • Performance Errors
   • Errors due to the effects of teaching
   • Terminology
     • 1. Transitional Competence: systems of rules that the learner has developed 2. Idiosyncratic dialect:  3. Approximative System: botjh mother tongue and knowledge of second language.