the foundations of second language acquisition

二语习得思维导图，SLA是在幼儿阶段学习第一门语言后，再学习一门语言的个人和群体，以及学习该语言的过程。

Introducing Second Language Acquisition(SLA)

• Chapter 1-Introduction
  • SLA focuses on learners and learning, rather than teachers and teaching
  • SLA is the study of what is learned and what is not learned of a second language
  • What is SLA?
    • Definition: refers both to individuals and groups who are learning a languauge subsequent to learning their first one as young children, and to the process of learning that language.
    • it could be the second, third, fourth... tenth language
    • target language vs second language: any language that's the aim or goal of learning; sla includes informal l2 learning(naturalistic contexts) and formal l2 learning(classrooms)
    • 3 basic questions: [highly complex, no conclusive answers yet]
      • What exactly does the l2 learner come to know?
      • How does the learner acquire this knowledge?
      • Why are some learners more succesful than others?
    • highly complex, differ from theory and research mehods
    • multidisciplinary / transdisciplinary nature of SLA:
      • linguists: linguistic competence (underlying knoledge) & linguistic performance (actual production) [differences & similarities]
      • psychologists: mental, cognitive, brain
      • sociolinguists: variability in learner linguistic performance, scope of study of communicative competence
      • social psychologists: group-related phenomenon, such as identity and social motivation, the interactional and larger social contexts of learning
    • related industries : education, English teaching and learning, publishing, dictionary, advertising, publicity, military science, educational philosophy
  • What is a second language? (SL)
    • a second language: official or societally dominant needed for education, employment, other basic purposes; acquired by minority group members or immigrants who speakd another language natively
    • a foreign language: for future travel, other cross-cultural needs, curricular requirement, elective method; not widely used in the learners' immediate social context; with no immediate or necessary practical application
    • a library language: functions primarily as a tool for further learning through reading; when books or hournals in a desired field are not commonly published in the learner's native language
    • an auxiliary language: one which learners need to know for some official functions in their immediate political setting or for wider communication
    • other languages (专门用途语言): designated language for specific purposes
      • French for Hotel Management
      • English for Aviation Technology
      • Spanish for Agriculture
      • English for Academic Purposes
  • What is a first language?
    • first language vs native language vs primary language vs mother language
    • L1s: time: acquired during early childhood ; before 3 ; learned as part of growing up
    • simultaneous multilingualism vs sequential multilingualism
  • 3 disciplinary perspectives: linguistic, psychological, social
  • diversity in learning and learners: the circumstances under which SLA takds place need to be taken into account
    • exposure to TL
    • naturalistic, or formal instruction
    • language policy (social, cultural, economic factors)
    • status of both languages and learners
• Chapter 2-Foundations of Second Language Acquisition
  • The world of second language
    • multilingualism: >=2 languages ; bilinguilism: 2 languages; monolingualism: only 1 language
    • status quo: more than half —— multilingualism [ normal and common ]
    • G. Richard Tucker—— bilingual, multilingual > monolingual
    • Vivian Cook——introduced the concept of multilingual competence, which is used to refer to "the compound state of a mind with two [or more] grammars and differed from the "monolingual competence"
    • ! people with multicompetence are noe simply equivalent to two monolinguals but are a unique combination
      • knowledge; metalinguistic awareness; cognitive process [different]
    • Chinese( L 1）, English（ L 2 ), Spanish, Hindi (commonly used)
    • MOTIVATON to add second language at an older age:
      • invasion
      • contact in economic or other specific domains
      • immigration
      • adoption of religious beliefs
      • educational experiences
      • occupational or social advancement
      • knowing more about peoples abroad
    • reasons for uncertainty in reporting language data:
      • linguistic information is often not officially collected
      • answers to questions seeking linguistic information may not be reliable
      • there is a lack of agreement on definition of terms and on criteria for identification
  • The nature of language learning
    • L 1 acqusition: without any conscious effort
    • how children accomplish the early mastery of L1(s) has changed radically
      • natural desire to please their doting parents (x)
      • urge to communicate their wants and needs (x)
      • learn by immitation (x) [stimulusresponse theory]
    • the role of natural ability / innate capacity
      • learning L1 at the same age, same way whether English or other languages
      • master the basic phonological and grammatical opreations in their L1 by the age of 5 or 6, regardless what the language is
      • children can understand and create novel urrtances, systematically differ from adults
      • there is a cut-off age for L1 acquisition
      • acquisition of L1 is not simple a facet of general intelligence
      • a hypothesis : many abstract principles are common to all languages, opposes are language-specific
      • child-grammar
        • differences between children and adulta are not viewed as failures
        • but normal putput of children at that level of development
        • children mature, language abilities
        • Jean Piaget——what normal children need is additional time, not additional stimuli
        • rate, order, vary, individual factors
    • the role of social experience
      • appropriate social experience (L1 input ＋ interaction)
      • sources vary depending on cultural and social factors(mothers' talk, fathers and older siblings)
  • L1 versus L2 learning
    • initial state——underlying knowledge about language structures and principles
      • L1: innate capacity
      • L2: innate capacity? L1 knowledge; World knowlege; interaction skills
    • intermediate state——all stages of basic language development, process
      • child grammar vs learner language (or interlanguage / il）
      • muturation vs transfer (basic processes) 【positive ， negative/interference】
      • input; reciprocal interaction vs input (necessary conditions)
      • L2: feedback; aptitude; motivation; instruction (facilitating conditions)
    • final state——outcome of L1 and L2 learning
  • The logical problem of language learning
    • how is it possible for children to achieve the final state of L1 development with general ease and complete success, given the complexity of the linguistic system which they acquire and their immature cognitive capacity at the age they do so?
    • 1. Children's knowledge of language goes beyond what could be learned from the input they receive
    • 2.Constraints and principles cannot be learned
    • 3.Universal patterns of development cannot be explained by language-specific input
  • Framework for SLA
  • behaviorism —— Skinner, srr (stimuli, response, reinforcement), audiolingual method (repetition and habit formation)
• native competence vs multilingual competence

Chapter 2-Foundations of Second Language Acquisition

• The world of second language
  • multilingualism: >=2 languages ; bilinguilism: 2 languages; monolingualism: only 1 language
  • status quo: more than half —— multilingualism [ normal and common ]
  • G. Richard Tucker—— bilingual, multilingual > monolingual
  • Vivian Cook——introduced the concept of multilingual competence, which is used to refer to "the compound state of a mind with two [or more] grammars and differed from the "monolingual competence"
  • ! people with multicompetence are noe simply equivalent to two monolinguals but are a unique combination
    • knowledge; metalinguistic awareness; cognitive process [different]
  • Chinese( L 1）, English（ L 2 ), Spanish, Hindi (commonly used)
  • MOTIVATON to add second language at an older age:
    • invasion
    • contact in economic or other specific domains
    • immigration
    • adoption of religious beliefs
    • educational experiences
    • occupational or social advancement
    • knowing more about peoples abroad
  • reasons for uncertainty in reporting language data:
    • linguistic information is often not officially collected
    • answers to questions seeking linguistic information may not be reliable
    • there is a lack of agreement on definition of terms and on criteria for identification
• The nature of language learning
  • L 1 acqusition: without any conscious effort
  • how children accomplish the early mastery of L1(s) has changed radically
    • natural desire to please their doting parents (x)
    • urge to communicate their wants and needs (x)
    • learn by immitation (x) [stimulusresponse theory]
  • the role of natural ability / innate capacity
    • learning L1 at the same age, same way whether English or other languages
    • master the basic phonological and grammatical opreations in their L1 by the age of 5 or 6, regardless what the language is
    • children can understand and create novel urrtances, systematically differ from adults
    • there is a cut-off age for L1 acquisition
    • acquisition of L1 is not simple a facet of general intelligence
    • a hypothesis : many abstract principles are common to all languages, opposes are language-specific
    • child-grammar
      • differences between children and adulta are not viewed as failures
      • but normal putput of children at that level of development
      • children mature, language abilities
      • Jean Piaget——what normal children need is additional time, not additional stimuli
      • rate, order, vary, individual factors
  • the role of social experience
    • appropriate social experience (L1 input ＋ interaction)
    • sources vary depending on cultural and social factors(mothers' talk, fathers and older siblings)
• L1 versus L2 learning
  • initial state——underlying knowledge about language structures and principles
    • L1: innate capacity
    • L2: innate capacity? L1 knowledge; World knowlege; interaction skills
  • intermediate state——all stages of basic language development, process
    • child grammar vs learner language (or interlanguage / il）
    • muturation vs transfer (basic processes) 【positive ， negative/interference】
    • input; reciprocal interaction vs input (necessary conditions)
    • L2: feedback; aptitude; motivation; instruction (facilitating conditions)
  • final state——outcome of L1 and L2 learning
    • native competence vs multilingual competence
• The logical problem of language learning
  • how is it possible for children to achieve the final state of L1 development with general ease and complete success, given the complexity of the linguistic system which they acquire and their immature cognitive capacity at the age they do so?
  • Noam Chomsky —— Universal Grammar
    • 1. Children's knowledge of language goes beyond what could be learned from the input they receive (filter, simplify, finite, infinite, positive evidence, negative evidence)
    • 2.Constraints and principles cannot be learned （Jackendoff: paradox of language acquisition)
    • 3.Universal patterns of development cannot be explained by language-specific input
  • there is an innate capacity involved in L1 acquisition by young people, but there is less certainty about the continued availability of that capacity for acquiring an L2
• frameworks for SLA
  • approaches
    • structuraliam —— Bloomfield
    • behaviorism —— Skinner, srr (stimuli, response, reinforcement), audiolingual method (repetition and habit formation)
    • sociocultural theory —— interaction
  • linguistics : internal and external focus
    • transformational-generative grammar (Chomsky)
    • principles and parameters model
    • minimalist program
    • universal grammar
    • functionalism program
  • psychological
    • languages and the brain
    • learning processes
    • learner differences
  • social
    • microsocial
    • macrosocial