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Understanding Second Language Acquisition and Its Goals

This chapter introduces the concept of second language acquisition (SLA) and explores its goals, including understanding the principles and processes of language learning, critically analyzing research findings, and bridging SLA research and language instruction. Two case studies of adult and child learners provide insight into the methodological and descriptive issues in studying SLA and explaining language acquisition.

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Understanding Second Language Acquisition and Its Goals

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  1. CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION: DESCRIBING AND EXPLAINING L2 ACQUISITION Presented by : Aulya Purnawidha D. 2201410053

  2. What is ‘second language acquisition’? In this context ‘second’ can refer to any language that is learned subsequent to the mother tongue. Whether you are learning a language naturally as a result of living in a country where it is spoken, or learning it in classroom through instruction, it is customary to speak generically of ‘second’ language acquisition.

  3. So, ‘L2 acquisition’ is defined as the way in which people learn a language other than their mother tongue, inside or outside of a classroom.

  4. What are the goals of SLA? 1) Fostering an understanding of the principles and processes that govern second language learning and use. SLA will be examined from three vantage points. • as linguistic knowledge • as a cognitive skill • as a socially and personality-meditated process

  5. 2) Developing the ability to think critically about research findings in the field. Research is a dynamic process, in which today's understandings give way to tomorrow's insights. You will be encouraged to take an inquiring and analytic approach to the readings and lecture material. 3) Understanding the relationship between SLA research and second language instruction. An understanding of the basic processes involved in second language acquisition should serve as the backdrop for reflective teaching practice.

  6. Two case studies • A case study of an adult learner (daily communication) • A case study of two child learners (classroom)

  7. A case study of an adult learner • Richard Schmidt , a researcher at the University of Hawaii, studied Wes’s language development over a three-year period from the time he first started visiting Hawaii until he eventually took up residence there. note: Wes is a native speaker of Japanese. He is an ‘naturalistic’ learner -someone who learns the language at the same time as learning to communicate in it.

  8. Among other things, Schmidt was interested in how Wes’s knowledge of English grammar developed over three years. to this end he focused on a small number of grammatical features, such as the use of auxiliary be, plural –s(ex:spoons), third person –s(comes), and regular past tense (ex:jumped).

  9. A case study of two child learners • Example of a case study of two child learners: J was a ten-year-old Portuguese boy, literate in his native language and R was an eleven-year-old boy from Pakistan, speaking (but unable to write) Punjabi as his native language. When the writer analysed J’s and R’s requests, he found clear evidence of development taking place. moreover, the two learners appeared to develop in much the same way. Initially, their requests were verbless.

  10. What do these case studies show us? • They raise a number of important methodological issues relating to how L2 acquisition should be studied. • They raise issues relating to the description of learner language. • They point to some of the problems researchers experience in trying to explain L2 acquisition.

  11. Methodological issues • Issues in the description of learner language • Issues in the explanation of L2 acquisition

  12. Issues in the description of learner language • One of the most interesting issues raised by these case studies is whether learners acquire the language systematically. These studies, then, suggest that learners do acquire aspects of an L2 systematically and, moreover, that they follow particular developmental routes, with some features, with some features being acquired before others.

  13. Issues in the explanation of L2 acquisition • The systematic nature of L2 acquisition also requires explanation. Why did Wes seem to learn some grammatical items before others? Why did J and R learn the different ways of making a request in the particular sequence they did? There are number of possible explanations.

  14. One is that learners follow a particular developmental pattern because their mental faculties are structured in such a way that this is they way they have to learn. Other explanations emphasize the importance of external as opposed to internal factors.

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