Chapter 3 The linguistics of second Language Acquisition

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Chapter 3 The linguistics of second Language
Acquisition
Chapter Preview -we survey several approaches
to the study of SLA (Liguistic influence since
the middles of the 20th C) -Contrastive
Analysis Error Analysis, Interlanguage,
Morpheme Order Studies, Monitor Model -UG,
internal focus, language faculty -External Focus
Systemic Linguistics, Functional Typology,
Function-to-Form Mapping,
and Information
Organization
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The Nature of Language

• What is it that we know when we say we know a
  language?
• What is it that we learn when we learn a
  langugage?
• Languages are systematic symbolic social

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In actual use all levels must interract and
function simultaneously.

• Lexicon
• Phonology
• Morphology
• Syntax
• Semantics
• Pragmatics
• Discourse

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Early approaches to SLA

• Contrastive Analysis (CA 1940s-1960s)
• Robert Lado (1957), Linguistics Across Cultures
• CA btw. L1 L2 will let us predict and describe
  the patterns that will cause difficulty in
  learning, and vice versa.
• Patterns surface forms

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Structuralism Behaviorism

• Stimulus-Response-Reinforcement (S-R-R)
• pracatice makes perfect
• Transfer of L1 to L2
• - positive, facilitating transfer
• - negative, interference transfer

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Types of Interference

• ltpotential learning problemsgt
• Same form and meaning, different distribution
• Same meaning, different form
• Same meaning, different form and distribution
• Different form, partial overlap in meaning
• Similar form, different meaning

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Weak points of CA

• Cannot explain the logical problem of language
  learning
• Unable to be validated by evidence from actual
  learner errors

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Error Analysis (EA)

• Based on the description and analysis of actual
  learner errors in L2.
• Replaced CA by the early 1970s because
• - many real learner errors could not be
  
• attributed to transfer from L1 to L2
• - concern for underlying structure
• - a shift to Mentalism from behaviorism
• - emphasis on the innate capacity
• - study focus on learning process

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Transformational-Generative (TG) Grammar

• Chomsky (1957, 1965)
• Language rule-governed behavior
• A child is not a passive recipient, but
• An active and creative participant
• Rather than to study how learners are
  deficient, but to describe and analyze the
  learners languages as they are
• - e.g., Corder (1967) The significance of
  learners errors.

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The procedure for analyzing learner errors
includes the following steps (Ellis 1994)

• Collection of a sample of learner language
• Identification of errors
• Description of errors
• Explanation of errors