1、General questions in SLA research,What do second language learners acquire? How do learners acquire a second language? What differences are there in the way in which individual learners acquire a second language? What effects does instruction have on second language acquisition?,General questions in
2、 SLA research,What do second language learners acquire? How do learners acquire a second language? What differences are there in the way in which individual learners acquire a second language? What effects does instruction have on second language acquisition?,What effects does instruction have on se
3、cond language acquisition?,Acquisition :informal/formal learning Classroom instruction=formal learning Does classroom instruction have any benefits for SLA?,Does classroom instruction have any benefits for SLA?,1. general language proficiency in acquisition-rich or acqusition-poor environments child
4、ren or adults,2.production accuracy,Instruction only aids the acquisition of features that are formally easy to acquire. It denpends on the complexity of the target structure. formal instruction has an effect on accuracy in planned but not unplanned production. Formal instruction has a delayed effec
5、t. Formal instruction can also impede acquisition by making learners too conservative and learners tend to simplify if going beyong their current language level.,If the structure is simple in the sense that it does not involve complex processing operations and if the formal instruction is extensive
6、and well-planned, it is likely to result in accuracy. If the instruction is directed at a difficult grammatical structure which is substantially beyond the learners current interlangage, it is likely that it will only lead to improved accuracy in planned language use.,Do learners acquire some target
7、-language features before others? The order of acquisition (学习者习得多个不同语言项目时的次序) How do learners acquire a particular TL linguisitic feature? E.g. interrogatives The sequence of acquisition(学习者习得某个特定语言项目时所经历的动态发展过程),3. the order & sequence of acquisition 第二语言习得顺序,助动词be, 冠词a/an the,进行时-ing，复数s,系动词be,动词
8、过去式的不规则形式,动词过去式的规则形式-ed,动词现在时第三人称单数s,所有格s,S 1: he work today?Sir play football today? S 2: What you (are) doing?Where you go? S 3: Can you speak English?How can you say that? S 4: Does she like where she lives?,The sequence of learning English interrogatives,1.Instructed learners manifest the same o
9、rder of morpheme acquisition as naturalistic learners. 2.Grammmar instruction may prove powerless to alter the natural sequence of acquisition of developmental structures. 3.Premature instruction may cause learners to avoid using structures and so may inhibit acquisition. 4.Grammar instruction can b
10、e effective in enabling learners to progress along the natural order more rapidly. 5.Formal instructions directed at features that are not subject to developmental constraints can succeed irrespective of the stage the learner has reached.,4. the durability of formal instruction,For the effects of in
11、struction to be lasting, learners need subsequent and possibly continuous access to communication that utilizes the features that have been taught.,4. the durability of formal instruction,For the effects of instruction to be lasting, learners need subsequent and possibly continuous access to communi
12、cation that utilizes the features that have been taught.,The learner Input Interaction Output,The nature of language learning,natural ability,social experience,The nature of language learning,The role of natural ability The role of social experience,1. linguists and the chimpanzee 2. Why cant 狼孩 lea
13、rn to speak?,The role of natural ability,UG ,LAD The natural ability is genetic. Around the age of puberty, process in language development usually begins to slow sharply, no matter which level has been reached.,Chomsky LAD: language acquisition device UG:universal grammar,There is a cutoff age(crit
14、ical period) for L1 acqusition, beyond which it can never be complete. Children begin to learn their L1 at the same age,and in much the same way,whether it is English, Chinese or any other language in the world. Children master the basic phonological and grammatical operations in their L1 by the age
15、 of about 5 or 6, regardless of what the language is.,ABCDEFG,!#%$#&%$#&%*,=?,Children can understand and create novel utterances: they are not limited to repeating what they have heard, and indeed the utterances that children produce are often systematically different from those the adults around t
16、hem. Acqusition of L1 is not simply a facet of general intelligence.,Given the complexity of language, it is no wonder that even adults with their mature intellects seldom attain native fluency in a new language. But almost all children, with their limited memories, restricted reasoning powers, and
17、as yet almost nonexistent analytical abilities, acquire perfect fluency in any language to which they are adequately exposed, and in which they interact with others.,Given the complexity of language, it is no wonder that even adults with their mature intellects seldom attain native fluency in a new
18、language. But almost all children, with their limited memories, restricted reasoning powers, and as yet almost nonexistent analytical abilities, acquire perfect fluency in any language to which they are adequately exposed, and in which they interact with others.,ABCDEFG,!#%$#&%$#&%*,The logical prob
19、lem 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 linguisitic system which they acquire and their immature cognitive capacity at the age they do so?,1.Poverty of the stimulus,ungra
20、mmatical input grammatical input simplified input finite number of sentences Only positive evidence,Grammatical input Abstract grammatical rules Infinite number of sentences,Childrens knowledge of language goes beyond what could be learned from the input they receive.,2.Children use language in acco
21、rdance with general universal rules of language even though they have not yet developed the cognitive ability necessary to understand these rules.therefore, we know these rules are not learned from deduction or imitation.,3. Patterns of childrens language development are not directly determined by t
22、he input they receive. The age at which children begin to produce particular language elements does not correspond to their frequency in input. Thus, we must assume that something besides input triggers the developmental order in childrens language.,The logical problem of language learning,How is it
23、 possible for children to achieve the final state of L1 development with general ease and complete success, given the complexity of the linguisitic system which they acquire and their immature cognitive capacity at the age they do so?,The role of social experience,Input -Krashen Output-Swain Interac
24、tion-Long,Intentional L1 teaching to young children is not necessary and indeed may have little effect. Some parents correct their childrens immature pronunication and grammar,no effect. (V3) Some adults simplify language,吃饭饭，吃果果，etc. no benefit. (Mother talk) children have their own developmental o
25、rder. Pronunciation is influenced by the regional and social varieties of their social context. As long as children are experiencing adequate L1 input and interaction from people around them, the rate and sequence of their phonological and grammatical development does not appear to vary greatly.,Int
26、entional L1 teaching to young children is not necessary and indeed may have little effect. Some parents correct their childrens immature pronunication and grammar,no effect. (V3) Some adults simplify language,吃饭饭，吃果果，etc. no benefit. (Mother talk) children have their own developmental order. Pronunc
27、iation is influenced by the regional and social varieties of their social context. As long as children are experiencing adequate L1 input and interaction from people around them, the rate and sequence of their phonological and grammatical development does not appear to vary greatly.,The nature of la
28、nguage learning,The role of natural ability The role of social experience,Questions to review,Why cant 狼孩 learn a language, not even his mother tongue? Why do you think a child can learn the mother tongue without difficulties? Do parents need to teach their babies how to speak their mother tongue? What is the logical problem of language learning?,First language acqusition vs. SLA,Are they the same?,
