(SLA) INTRODUCTION: DESCRIBING AND EXPLAINING L2 ACQUISITION

Name    : Safitri Dyah Utami

NIM       : 2201411058

Introduction to Second Language Acquisition

Summary Chapter 1

Introduction: describing and explaining L2 acquisition

Ø  What is ‘second language acquisition'?

In this context ‘second’ can refer to any language that s learned subsequent to the mother tongue. Thus, it can refer to the learning of a third or fourth language.

Ø  What are the goals of SLA?

1.       Description of L2 acquisition

2.       Explanation; identifying the external and internal factors that account for why learners acquire an L2 in the way they do.

·         External factors : the social milieu in which learning takes place. For example, it is one thing to learn a language when you respect and are respected by the native speakers of that language.

Another external factor is the input that the learners receive, that is, the samples of language to which a learner is exposed. For example, the learners get some benefit from the authentic language of native-speakers communication.

·         Internal factors : learners possess cognitive mechanism which enable them to extract more information about the L2 from the input to notice. For example, the plurality in English is conveyed by adding an –s to a noun. Learners possess communication strategies that can help them understand the L2 input. For example, when the learners never know the meaning of “art gallery” before, They may be able to describe it by their own term (for example, ‘picture place’)

It can be concluded that the goals of SLA are to describe how L2 acquisition prceeds and to explain this process and why some learners seem to be better at it than others.

Ø  Two case studies

A case study is a detailed study of a learner’s acquisition of an L2. It is typically longitudinal, involving the collection of samples of the learner’s speech or writing after a period of time, sometimes years.

1.       A case study of an adult learner

Wes was a thirty-three year-old artist from Japan who comes to Hawaii in connection with his work, that he had regular opportunities to use English. Wes, then is an example of ‘naturalistic’ learner (someone who learns the language at the same time as learning to communicate in it). He had little or no knowledge at the beginning of the study of most of the grammatical structures. He was still far short of native speaker accuracy three years later. For example, he continued to omit the –s from plural nouns and the third person singular verbs. Although he did not learn much grammar, he develop in other ways. For example, he use of formulas-fixed expressions such as ‘Hi! How’s it?’, ‘So, what’s new?’. Wes was adept at identifying these fixed phrases and practiced them consciously.

2.       A case study of two child learners

There are two child learners in a classroom context. J was a ten-year-old Portuguese boy and R was an eleven-year-old boy from Pakistan. J was an adventurous and confident learner, willing to communicate in English, even when he had limited resources. While R lacked of confidence, using his native language extensively and relying on his sister to help him communicate in English. The focus of the study was about the ability of child learners to use requests in English.

There are some development which experienced by child learners. Firstly they will use verbless requests or just pointed at something to make hints. After that they learn to use imperative verbs in their requests such as using ‘Give me…’. Sometimes they use ‘Can I have…?’.  In short, the two learners still far from native-like competence at the end of the study.

These case studies show us:

Ø  Methodological issues

Language is such a complex phenomenon that researchers have generally preferred to focus on some spesific aspect rather than on the whole of it. There is a problem in determining whether learners have ‘acquired’ a particular feature. Learners made considerable use of fixedexpressionsor formulas. They may manifest use the feature in a formula without haivng acquired the ability to use it productively. Another problem is in trying to measure whether ‘acquisition’ has taken place concerns learners overuse of linguistic forms.

Ø  Issues in the description of learner language

Both of these studies set out how to describe how learners’ use of an L2 changes over time and what this shows about the nature of their knowledge of the L2. Learners still make errors of different kinds. Wes failed to use grammatical features at all and used others incorrectly. Then J and R failed to use requests in a socially appropriate manner. The most interesting issues raised by these case studies is whether learners acquire the language systematically.

Ø  Issues in the explanation of L2 acquisition

An explanation of L2 acquisition also requires explanation must account for both item learning and system learning and how the two interrelate. The learners follow a particular developmental pattern because their mental faculties are structured in such a way that this is the way they have to learn. Then the acquisition in these learners was incomplete, that is because they simply neededmore time to learn. Perhaps, it is only possible to acquire native-speaker competence if learners start very young.