GROUP 4

SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF SECOND LANGUAGE

ACQUISITION (SLA)
COMMUNICATIVE
COMPETENCE

"What a speaker needs to know to communicate

appropriately within a particular language
community."

-Saville-Troike 2003
 What is language
community?
Refers to group of people who share
knowledge of a common language to at least
some extent.
 Multilingual individuals are often members of
more than one language community.

Multilingual speakers total communicative

competence differ from monolingual.
 Their communicative differences are from the
different social functions of first and second language
learning and to the differences between languages, given
a particular social context and communicative purpose.

Knowledge depends on the social context which

individuals learn and is using language.
 MICROSOCIAL
FACTORS
VARIATION IN LEARNER
LANGUAGE
The defining characteristic of L2 learner language is that it is highly
variable. Sociolinguistics demonstrate that earlier linguists had
considered unsystematic irregularity in language production. It can be
seen to follow regular and predictable patterns, when treated as variable
features. These are multiple linguistic forms which are systematically or
predictably used by different speakers of a language, or by the same
speakers at different times, with the same (or very similar) meaning or
function. It occurs at every linguistic level: vocabulary, phonology,
morphology, syntax, discourse. It includes both standard and
nonstandard options, and they are characteristic of all natural language
production, whether L1 or L2.
Variable feature occurs in the production of any speaker (native or language learner)
depends largely on the communicative contexts. Some relevant contextual
dimensions are:
Linguistic contexts. Elements of language form and function associated with the
variable element.
Psychological contexts. Factors associated with the amount of attention which is
being given to language form during production, the level of automaticity versus

control in processing, or the intellectual demands of a particular task.

Microsocial contexts. Features of situation and interaction which relate to
communicative events within which language is being produced, interpreted, and
negotiated.
Variation that occurs in learners’ language as they develop increasing competence
over a period of time is of particular interest from linguistic and psychological
perspectives, as it reflects a developmental continuum. Variation that occurs in
different contexts at a single point in time is of more interest from a social perspective
corresponds to informal or formal features associated with linguistic register.
A substantial amount of research on the effect of microsocial contexts has been
based on the framework of Accommodation Theory. Speakers (usually
unconsciously) change their pronunciation and even the grammatical complexity of
sentences they use to sound more like whomever they are talking to.
Free variation in IL production remains even after accounting for linguistic,
psychological, and social contexts and can shed particularly important insights on
processes of development. Ellis suggests “that free variation constitutes an essential

stage in the acquisition of grammatical structures”. He hypothesizes that the nature

of variability changes during the process of L2 development in the following stages:
A single form is used for a variety of functions.
Other forms have been acquired but are initially used interchangeably.
The variant forms begin to be used systematically.
The non-target forms are eliminated.
Input and Interaction

•Input is utilized to form the necessary stimuli and feedback which

learners respond to and imitate.
•Krashen’s Monitor Model consider as comprehensible input,
exposure to input is a necessary trigger for activating internal
mechanisms, but of minimal importance for many aspects of
language development beyond the initial state.
•Interaction,from a social perspective, is generally seen as
essential in providing learners with the quantity and quality of
external linguistic input which is required for internal processing.
NATURE OF INPUT MODIFICATION
Foreigner Talk shows the difference between native or very fluent speakers(L1) from L2
learners.
5.1 Characteristics of foreigner talk
*Simple vocabulary, using high-frequency words and phrases
*Long pauses
*Slow rate of speech
*Careful articulation
*Loud volume
*Stress on key words
*Simplified grammatical structures
*Topicalization (topic at the beginning, then a comment about it)
*More syntactic regularity
*Retention of full forms (e.g. less contraction, fewer pronouns)


By simplified Input through the use of Deletion

(recording from JoAnne Kleifgen, 1986)
Mommy look at your work? (deletes does)
___You have Indians in Korea? (deletes do)
Would you give us ___ pencil? (deletes a)
See, Siti’s made ___ mouth real scary. (deletes the)
Baby sitter take_ care of baby. (deletes -s)

Modification in academic test

Modification of written input for L2 learners also typically includes
controlled vocabulary and shorter, simpler sentence structure. In
written academic texts, modifications meant to help L2 students
understand what they read are essentially the same as those used
in textbooks for native speakers of English.
5.2 Modifications in academic texts
*Frequent organization markers, such as headings and linking
devices
*Clear topic statements
*Highlighting of key terms and inclusion of synonyms and
paraphrase
*Bulleted or numbered lists of main points
*Elaboration of sections which require culture-specific background
knowledge
*Visual aids, such as illustrations and graphs
*Explicit summations at regular intervals
*Questions which can be used for comprehension checks
INTERACTION AS THE GENESIS OF LANGUAGE

Sociocultural (S-C) Theory by Lev Vygotsky.

Vygotsky pioneered the notion that children
learn within communities, rather than
strictly as individuals. He is perhaps most
famous for his discussion of the zone of
proximal development, wherein children
learn more with the support of adults
around them.

 SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY

Interaction not only facilitates language learning but is a

causative force in acquisition; further, all of learning is seen as
essentially a social process which is grounded in sociocultural
settings.
According to S-C Theory, learning occurs when simple innate
mental activities are transformed into “higher order,” more
complex mental functions. This transformation typically involves
symbolic mediation.
Mental functions that are beyond an individual’s current level
must be performed in collaboration with other people before they
are achieved independently
 SYMBOLIC MEDIATION

It is a link between a person’s current mental state and higher

order functions that is provided primarily by language.
It considered the usual route to learning, whether what is
being learned is language itself or some other area of
knowledge.

The results of learning through mediation include learners’

having heightened awareness of their own mental abilities and
more control over their thought processes.
 ZONE OF PROXIMAL
DEVELOPMENT (ZPD)

This is an area of potential development, where the learner

can achieve that potential only with assistance.

INTERPERSONAL INTERACTION

These are communicative events and situations which

occur between people.
One important context for symbolic mediation.
SCAFFOLDING
This includes the “vertical constructions” mentioned above as a
type of modified interaction between native speakers and non-native
speakers, in which experts commonly provide learners with chunks
of talk that the learners can then use to express concepts which are
beyond their independent means. Peers collaborate in constructing
language which exceeds the competence of any individual among
them.
Refers to verbal guidance which an expert provides to help a
learner perform any specific task, or the verbal collaboration
of peers to perform a task which would be too difficult for
any one of them individually. It is not something that
happens to a learner as a passive recipient but happens
with a learner as an active participant.

 EXAMPLE OF
SCAFFOLDING DIALOGUE

(In mthe classroom while preparing for a presentation the next day . . .)
Speaker 1: . . . and then I’ll say. . . tu as souvenu notre anniversaire de
mariage . . . or should I say mon anniversaire?
Speaker 2: Tu as . . .
Speaker 3: Tu as . . .
Speaker 1: Tu as souvenu . . . ‘you remembered?’
Speaker 3: Yea, but isn’t that a reflexive? Tu t’as . . .
Speaker 1: Ah, tu t’as souvenu.
Speaker 2: Oh, it’s tu es . . .
Speaker 1: Tu t’es souvenu.
 INTRAPERSONAL
INTERACTION
A communication that occurs within an individual’s
own mind.
PRIVATE SPEECH

It is the self-talk which many children (in particular)
engage in that leads to the inner speech that more mature
individuals use to control thought and behavior. Private speech
when it is audible provides a “window into the mind” of sorts
for researchers, through which we can actually observe
intrapersonal interaction taking place and perhaps discover its
functions in SLA.
 PRIVATE WRITING
Individuals record language forms and other meaningful
symbols on paper in order to help store items in memory,
organize thought, solve problems, or such, without intent
to communicate

with others.
SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY
It claims that language is learned through socially mediated

activities. It supports the view that some learners may be more

successful than others because of their level of access to or
participation in a learning community, or because of the amount of
mediation they receive from experts or peers, and because of how
well they make use of that help.
 Acquisition without interaction

Some individuals are able to achieve a relatively advanced

level of L2 proficiency without the benefit of any
interpersonal communication or opportunity to negotiate
meaning in the language with
others.
Interaction without acquisition

Some individuals engage in extensive interaction with speakers

of another language without learning that language to any
significant degree.

 Strategies used for communication includes:

*Background knowledge and experience
*Understanding of the overall situation
*Extralinguistic context
*Knowledge of genre-specific discourse structures
*Gestures, facial expressions, and other nonverbal
signs
*Prosodic features of tone and stress to convey
emotional state

 MACROSOCIAL

FACTORS
Global and national status of L1 and L2
Language have power and status at global and national levels for both
symbolic and practical reasons.
Symbolic funtions of Language :
Political identification and cohesion
National Unity
The process of nation-building

Practical function of language

L2 have also served political functions in times of conquest and empire-
building
Language have Commerce and technology transfer function

 Boundaries and Identities

Neither to create or reinforce national boundaries but linguistic

boundaries often also exist within or across national borders,
Unification
Aculturation
Motivation
John schumann in his aculturation model :
Dominance of one group over the other.
A high degree of segregation between groups.
Desire of the leaners group to preserve its own lifestyle.

 Institutional forces and constraints

Social control
the form of official and unofficial policies that regulate
which language is to be used in particular situations
Determination of access to knowledge
Access to education may also limited for minority
language speakers, since entry to those institutions of
requires applicants to display competence in proper
language usage.
Linguistic privilege or discrimination
 Social categories

Different social categories frequently experience different

learning conditions, and different attitudes or perceptions from
within both native and target language communities. Therefore,
this level we need to consider in the marosocial context of SLA:
Age
Sex
Ethnicity
Education level
Occupation
Economic status

 Circumstances of learning

*Children’s experiences with the families into which they

are born.
*The communities to which they belong
*The cultural environment within which they live
*Field-dependent and field-independent
*Cultural-based learning strategies
*Informal versus formal learning
 Conclusion
No individual factors in the macrosocial context of SLA can be
isolated from others. Circumtances of learning are related to the
nation that the leaner lives in and its history, culture, and geopolitical
position, and to social and economic categorizations within the
society, which in turn are related to historical, institutional, and
political forces and constraints, all of which are related to and reflect
or determine the status of the language involved. All of these factors
powerfully influence the microsocial context of learning.
 THANK YOU!
Group Members:
Dahan, Ginaly Miomio, Rosemilyn
Escabusa, Kissy Neri Mae Pojas, Kris Charlen
Gutierrez, Anna Margarette Vale, Gale Monique
Madronero, Shiella Mae