Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject American Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,7, Humboldt-University of Berlin (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: HS Second Language Acquisition, language: English, abstract: Until today, there is no unified theory, which fully explains second language acquisition, even if some attempts of writing comprehensible theories have been made. This research paper outlines the history of Second Language Acquistion, providing an overview of some of the most influential learning theories, such as the Natural Approach, Behaviorism, Error Analysis, Morpheme Studies, Krashen's Monitor Model, Universal Grammar and The Competition Model. The aim of the paper is to help the reader to better understand recent developments, find out if and to which extent theories have influenced each other, and to disclose similarities that go beyond the respective disciplinary boundaries. How much more do we know today about how languages are learned than we did over fifty or one hundred years ago?
Learners' Errors from 1967 and Larry Selinker's 1972 article Interlanguage.4 In
his essay, Corder claims that language instruction would not move forward until
researchers understand the preconditions, which enable or disable learners to ...
of. Second. Language. Acquisition. 2.1. Nineteenth. Century. Reforms. and. the.
Natural. Approach. Following the Reform Movement in the last quarter of the
nineteenth century, having turned away from traditional teaching methods such
as ...
This volume was conceived as a first book in SLA for advanced undergraduate or introductory master’s courses that include education majors, foreign language education majors, and English majors. It’s also an excellent resource for practicing teachers. Both the research and pedagogy in this book are based on the newest research in the field of second language acquisition. It is not the goal of this book to address every SLA theory or teach research methodology. It does however address the myths and questions that non-specialist teacher candidates have about language learning. Steven Brown is the co-author of the introductory applied linguistics textbook Understanding Language Structure, Interaction, and Variation textbook (and workbook). The myths challenged in this book are: § Children learn languages quickly and easily while adults are ineffective in comparison. § A true bilingual is someone who speaks two languages perfectly. § You can acquire a language simply through listening or reading. § Practice makes perfect. § Language students learn (and retain) what they are taught. § Language learners always benefit from correction. § Individual differences are a major, perhaps the major, factor in SLA. § Language acquisition is the individual acquisition of grammar.
Children learn languages quickly and easily while adults are ineffective in comparison -- A true bilingual is someone who speaks two languages perfectly -- You can acquire a language simply through listening or reading -- Practice makes ...
Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,3, University of Cologne (Englisches Seminar), course: Research in Language Acquisition, 20 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: If we take for granted that children acquire their first language with the help of an innate language acquisition device containing Universal Grammar, is it likely that the acquisition of a second language works in the same way? Is Universal Grammar still the driving force or did the prerequisites for the acquisition change in a way that learners need to consult other means and resources, like only their general cognitive abilities and learning strategies? There are many points in which first and second language acquisition differ...It is these differences that made linguists doubt that first and second language acquisition are entirely the same process. This paper is concerned with the question whether Universal Grammar is still available for second language learners and whether the mental grammar of L2 learners shows signs of impairment. After a short introduction to the concept of Universal Grammar in first language acquisition, it will turn to Universal Grammar in second language acquisition. In this context it will be considered whether the interlanguage grammar might be impaired and whether UG is probable to influence second language acquisition. Several theories of second language acquisition will be presented in advance to the discussion whether learners are likely to have full access, partial access or no access to Universal Grammar. Before being concluded it will take a short look at the problems that arise in second language research.
If we take for granted that children acquire their first language with the help of an
innate language acquisition device containing Universal Grammar, is it likely that
the acquisition of a second language works in the same way? Is Universal ...
This volume, as a sequel to Fossilization in Adult Second Language Acquisition by Han (2004), brings together a collection of most recent theoretical and empirical studies on fossilization, a classic problem of second language acquisition. It covers a wide range of perspectives and issues. The analyses discussed herein address key concerns of many second language researchers and teachers with regard to just how far anyone can go in learning a new language.
USHA LAKSHMANAN A widely held assumption about the acquisition of a
second language beyond one's native language is that children, but not adults,
are typically successful with respect to ultimate attainment of the grammar of the
target ...
