Learning a Second Language

Learning a Second Language

1. Psycholinguistic Mechanism

   • People usually starts studying a L2 after mastering their L1. The process of construction a L2 differs from constructing a L1. (David Rivera)

2. The acquisition of Syntax

   • Innateness Hypothesis
     • the ability to acquire the language is a facility unique to human species

3. Discourse Acquisition

   • simmilarities and differences between first and second language acquisition

4. Role of chronological age

   • Age-related differences
     • how rapidly learners acquire the language according to the age
   • Critical period hypothesis
     • Around puberty, acquiring a second language becomes difficult

5. effect of instruction and acquisition

   • The morpheme order studies
     • the nature of the language being learned
   • Concious learning vs subconcious learning
     • Conscious; learner memorizes the grammatical rules
     • Subconscious: process of facilitating communication by using the grammar in the subconscious:
   • Comprehensible input
     • the language provided to learners in order to understand and acquire the language
   • Comprehensible output
     • Opportunities to produce the language
   • Developmental stages
     • Teachability hypothesis
       • an iten can only be acquired when the learner is developmental ready to acquire it
   • interaction and acquisition
     • instruction: different kind of insturctional opportunitites to teach the language
     • Acquisition:gramatical items learned by students

6. Task types and Acquisition

   • Interactional hypothesis
     • learners acquired the language by doing
   • Small group work
     • They are used to facilitate language acquisition
   • task types and discourse
     • open and transitional tasks to promote interaction

7. learning strategies and acquisition

   • learning strategies
     • Mental and communicative processes that learners deploy to learn a second language
   • learning types
     • learners' preferences to be effective in learning
   • Strategy training and task performance
     • provide students with opportunities to reflect on their learning process