Agenda for May 1

1
Foreign language teaching/learning 2003

• Session 4

2
Agenda for May 1

• Attendance check
• Submit assignment 3
• Warm-up game (anagram)
• Discussion 2 Impact of age
• Victors case
• Consolidation

3
Answer Key to DS2.
4
Q1. What does the critical period hypothesis say
about language acquisition?

• There is a period when language acquisition is
  easy and complete. Beyond certain period,
  language acquisition becomes difficult and
  incomplete.
• ???

5
Q2. Find the definitions of acquisition (p.67)
in your mono-lingual dictionary. Copy the major
two definitions of it.

• The act of getting new knowledge, skill etc.
  Second language acquisition.
• The act of getting land, power, money etc. the
  acquisition of new territory.
• Mergers and Acquisitions (MA) (Source
  Longman)

6
Q3. How have researchers conducted research on
the relationship between age and the rate of
acquisition of languages?

• They have investigated people who lost their
  linguistic capabilities as a result of accident.
• ?Wernicke Aphasia
• ?Broca Aphasia

7
Q4. About what age does puberty (p.67) indicate?

• Infant lt7
• Child lt12, 13 (elementary)
• Puberty 12, 13 (Jr. high)
• Adolescent 12-19
• Adult gt19

8
Q5. What was Genies mother tongue?

• English
• Native language
• Mother tongue
• Target language

9
Q6. When did Genie start learning her first
language?

• At the age of thirteen.

10
Q7. What is the difference between immigrants
(p.68) and emigrants?

• Immigrants
• People who come to live and work in a country.
• Emigrants
• People who leave their own country to live in
  another country.
• (Source Collins)

11
Q8. According to the studies of immigrants in the
U.S., what would happen if they arrive before
puberty?

• They could achieve native-like pronunciation and
  grammar.

12
Q9. According to Ellis (the author), cant people
achieve native-like English ability if they start
learning after puberty?

• Yes, they can. Some actually achieved native-like
  English proficiency.

13
Q10. Do you think first and second languages are
acquired in the same way?

• They depend on different mechanism, maybe.

14
Questions

• When is the best time to start learning second/
  foreign language?
• How about external factors?
• Social milieu
• In the U.S.?
• In Canada?
• In Japan?

15
Victors case

• Answer Key to DS3.