2nd Language Acquisition

Second language
acquisition (SLA)
What is it?
 Second language acquisition (SLA) is a
process where a second language is learned
or acquired, in addition to having a first
language
How long does it take?
 The length of time it takes to acquire
English varies from learner to learner. It
can take from “…four to seven years or
more.”
The difference between a foreign language
(FL) and a second language (SL)
 A foreign language:
 (learning a language that is not generally
spoken in the surrounding community)
 A second language:
 (learning a language that is spoken in the
surrounding community)
Example
 That is, Japanese students in an English class
in Japan are learning English as a foreign
language (EFL) and, if those same students
were in an English class in the USA, they
would be learning English as a second
language (ESL). In either case, they are simply
trying to learn another language, so the
expression second language learning is used
more generally to describe both situations.
Acquisition VS learning
 There is a difference between acquisition and
learning
 Second Language Acquisition is a subconscious

learning process
 Second Language Learning involves a conscious

process
 Although, many in education use the two terms

synonymously
Acquisition and learning
 Acquisition : the gradual development of
ability in a language by using it naturally in
communicative situations with others who
know the language.
 Learning: the process of gaining knowledge
of the features, such as vocabulary and

grammar, of a language, typically in an
institutional setting or classroom.
(Mathematics, for example, is learned, not
acquired.)
Factors that influence SLA
 Motivation
 First language experiences
 Language distance and attitude
 Access to the language
 Age of acquisition
 Personality and learning styles
 Peers and role models
 Quality of instruction
1.Motivation
 Motivation contributes to successful development of English
language proficiency as follows:
◦ English language learner`s positive attitude towards native-

English speakers
◦ English language learner`s aspirations to become a member of
the English speaking community
◦ English language learner will find more success when he wants to
be a part of the new target society,
◦ English language learner tries to gain something practical or
concrete from learning English
2. First Language Experiences
 First language can impact the learning of
English
◦ vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar, as well as
language structure and use
 Native language proficiency can affect
acquisition of English
 The more academic knowledge and the more
proficiency the learner of 2nd language has in

his first language, the more he will be able to
learn a second language (Walqui, 2000)
3.Language distance and attitude
 Depending on their native language, English language learners(ELLs)
may have an shorter or more time learning English
 The more similar English is to the English language learners` native

language, the shorter time they will have learning the language
 The English language learner’s language attitudes toward school,

peers, and the community can affect learning English
 Attitudes can have both positive and negative effects on English

learning progress
 It does not necessarily mean losing the first language, but rather
learning an additional one
4.Access to the language
 English language learners will have access to
the language at school, but support from home
will increase their success
 While some educators may advocate that

parents of English language learners speak
English at home, it is more important for
English language learners and their parents to
value and maintain their native language in
order to keep the lines of communication open
5.Age of Acquisition
 In general, when it comes to pronunciation,
experts agree that the development of
pronunciation is highly depending on the age at
which the learner begins learning English
 It is believed that if an English language learner

learns English before adulthood, the learner will
attain a native-like accent, whereas English
language learners who learn English after the
onset of adulthood, will most likely always speak
English with a marked accent
6.Personality and Learning Styles
 English language learners come from a variety of different and
diverse backgrounds
 Learning a second language varies greatly from individual to

individual
 This is due to individual`s analytic orientation or global

orientation
 Analytically oriented English language learners will breakdown

learning English into words and sentences
 Globally oriented English language learners will use patterns of

the language to gain meaning
7.Peers and Role Models
 English language learners in their teens will be strongly
influenced by their peers in order to establish a sense of
belonging
 It is essential for English language learners to have role

models who are both positive and realistic that
demonstrate successful bilingualism
 This connection can also be made through literature and

personal experiences
 Role models will aid the ELL in developing an

understanding of their own successes and challenges
8.Quality of Instruction
 English language learners are not learning English from memorization or
drills
 English language learners learn through meaningful interaction inside and

outside of the classroom
 Although teachers cannot control the interaction outside the classroom
 In the class, teachers can foster the growth and development of their
English language learning through their own instruction in the
classroom
 They can create a classroom environment that is rich in language and

collaborative in nature, rather than relying on lecture and recitation
during instructional activities
End
EXPLAINING SECOND LANGUAGE
LEARNING
Different theories have been proposed:
1. The behaviorist perspective
2. The innatist perspective
3. The cognitive/developmental perspective
4. The sociocultural perspective
The Behaviorist Perspective
 Learning is explained in terms of imitation, practice,
reinforcement, and habit formation
 It had a powerful influence on second and foreign
language teaching between the 1940s and the 1970s.
 The Audiolingual method.
 Students memorized dialogues and sentence patterns
by heart.
 Learning a language is a process of habit formation:
habits of L1 will surely interfere with the new habits
of L2 that the learner wants to form=}
 Contrastive Analysis hypothesis
The Innatist Perspective
 Chomsky, 1959
 Humans are born with innate knowledge of
the principles of Universal Grammar: UG

 The existence of an innate ability containing
principles that are universal to all languages.

 UG allows all children to acquire the language
of their environment during a critical period

of their development Critical Period
Hypothesis.

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Second language

spoken in the surrounding community)

 Second Language Acquisition is a subconscious

 Second Language Learning involves a conscious

 Although, many in education use the two terms

of the features, such as vocabulary and

◦ English language learner`s positive attitude towards native-

proficiency the learner of 2nd language has in

 The more similar English is to the English language learners` native

 The English language learner’s language attitudes toward school,

 Attitudes can have both positive and negative effects on English

 While some educators may advocate that

 It is believed that if an English language learner

 Learning a second language varies greatly from individual to

 This is due to individual`s analytic orientation or global

 Analytically oriented English language learners will breakdown

 Globally oriented English language learners will use patterns of

 It is essential for English language learners to have role

 This connection can also be made through literature and

 Role models will aid the ELL in developing an

 English language learners learn through meaningful interaction inside and

 Although teachers cannot control the interaction outside the classroom

 They can create a classroom environment that is rich in language and

the principles of Universal Grammar: UG

principles that are universal to all languages.

of their environment during a critical period

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