Teach English in Haikou Zhen - Anqing Shi

1st Language VS 2nd Language AcquisitionChildren acquire first language through immersion, constant hearing, and interaction in the native language. They acquire second language by being exposed to the language when they already have a first language (Denham & Lobeck, 2010). It is discussed that first language acquisition is completely successful but not second language acquisition because of the incomplete grammar acquiring and slower progress after certain stages in life (Schachter 1988). Experiments show that second language (L2) learners acquire language in a similar sequence as first language (L1) learners (Cromer, 1970). An example of similar confusion between L2 and L1 learners is that both learners confuse the difference between the sentences ?John is easy to please.? and ?John is eager to please.? in the beginning and then understand it later (Cook, 1973). Both languages learners, L2 and L1, first confuse ?John? as the subject of the verb ?please? in both of the above sentences and later understand the difference by realizing that ?John? is not actually the subject but the object in the first sentence ?John is easy to please.? (Cook, 1973; d?Anglejan & Tucker, 1975). Another similarity between L2 and L1 learners is placing the negative ?no? at the beginning of the sentence in their early stage of learning, such as in ?No the train moving.? and then placing it within the sentence in their later stage of learning, such as in ?I?m no sleepy.? (Wode, 1981). For first language acquisition, learners are exposed to the language in a natural setting, hearing and learning it at a regular basis, but for second language acquisition, learners are mostly exposed to the language in a formal setting such as a classroom, hearing and learning it for a limited time during the class time or practicing it outside class but not using it constantly at a regular basis. Second language learners are usually older than first language ones because they learn the L2 at a later time after their L1. It is also important to mention that L1 learners can become bilingual in acquiring two languages simultaneously as a first language, and that is different than learning the second language at a later time. Bilingualism is considered as having two languages as first language since they are simultaneous, but acquiring L1 then L2 at a later time is a separate process (Swain, 1972). L1 learners are the ones with only their single first language in their mind, but L2 learners are the ones with two languages, one that they are learning and the first one that they have in their mind. It is effective to learn the second language in the same way as the first one by using and communicating only with it as the single available language, rather than switching between the first and second languages as need arises. Unlike L2 learners with their second language, normal L1 learners master their first language perfectly and achieve successful fluency because they don?t have any other language backup, but L2 learners don?t master their second language perfectly because of their first language backup and the possibility of them learning the L2 for specific purposes and not needing to be perfectly accurate or competent in it. That is why normally L2 learners cannot acquire and speak the second language as native speakers of that language do (Bley-Vroman, 1989, 42-44). The table below categorizes the differences between L1 and L2 acquisition by Ellis (1994), based on Bley-Vroman (1998), and updated by Vivian Cook (2009). Feature L1 acquisition L2 (foreign language) acquisition Vivian Cook's objections 1. Overall success children normally achieve perfect L1 mastery adult L2 learners are unlikely to achieve perfect L2 mastery All implicitly see 'success' in the sense of what a mono-lingual native speaker does, not an L2 user 2. General failure success guaranteed complete success rare 3. Variation little variation in degree of success or route L2 learners vary in overall success and route 4. Goals target language competence L2 learners may be content with less than target language competence or more concerned with fluency than accuracy 5. Fossilisation unknown common, plus backsliding (i.e. return to earlier stages of development And L2 users too have L1 attrition 6.Intuitions children develop clear intuitions about correctness L2 learners are often unable to form clear grammaticality judgments But bilingual children are better at this than monolinguals 7. Instruction not needed helpful or necessary All depends! 8. Negative evidence correction not found and not necessary correction generally helpful or necessary Recasts are in fact based on L1 acquisition ideas 9. Affective factors not involved play a major role determining proficiency Again measured against monolinguals References ? Bley-Vroman, R. (1988), ?The fundamental character of foreign language learning?. In Rutherford, W. and Sharwood-Smith, M. (eds.) Grammar and Second Language Teaching: a Book of Readings, New York: Newbury House/Harper & Row, 19-30 ? Bley-Vroman, R. (1989), ?The logical problem of second language learning?, in S. Gass & J. Schachter (eds.) Linguistic Perspectives on Second Language Acquisition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 41-68 ? Cook, V.J. (1973), ?The comparison of language development in native children and foreign adults?, International Review of Applied Linguistics, XI, 1, 13-28. Online ? Cromer, R.F. (1970), ?"Children are nice to understand": surface structure clues to the recovery of a deep structure?, British Journal of Psychology, 61 ? d?Anglejan, A. & Tucker, G.R. (1975), ?The acquisition of complex english structures by adult learners?, Language Learning, XV/2 ? Denham, K. & Lobeck, A. (2010), ?The human capacity for language?, Linguistics for Everyone: An Introduction, Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 44 ? Schachter, J. (1988), ?Second Language Acquisition and its relationship to Universal Grammar?, Applied Linguistics, 9, 3, 219-235 ? Swain, M. (1972), Bilingualism as a first language. PhD Dissertation, University of california, Irvine ? Wode, H. (1981), Learning a Second Language, Tübingen: Narr Websites ? Cook, V.J. (2009), ?First and second language acquisition?, ? Cook, V.J. (2010), ?The relationship between first and second language learning revisited?,