This document discusses the definitions and acquisition processes of first languages (L1) and second languages (L2). It defines L1 as one's native language acquired during childhood through natural exposure. L1 acquisition results in near-native proficiency. L2 refers to any additional languages learned after puberty, requiring conscious effort. While advanced L2 learners can achieve high proficiency, an L2 is unlikely to reach the level of an L1 due to biological factors. The document also explores concepts like bilingualism and language attrition.
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0 ratings0% found this document useful (0 votes)
155 views
Acquiring Vs Learning
This document discusses the definitions and acquisition processes of first languages (L1) and second languages (L2). It defines L1 as one's native language acquired during childhood through natural exposure. L1 acquisition results in near-native proficiency. L2 refers to any additional languages learned after puberty, requiring conscious effort. While advanced L2 learners can achieve high proficiency, an L2 is unlikely to reach the level of an L1 due to biological factors. The document also explores concepts like bilingualism and language attrition.
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 10
ALI JBERI & MOUFIDA BENALI
1-Definition of Learning and Acquiring
2-The difference between Learning and Acquiring 3-L1 as an Acquired and Learned Language 4-L2 as an Acquired and Learned language 5-The universal grammar theory What does L1 mean ? An L1 is your first language , your native language , or your mother tongue . You are a native speaker of that language. Every developmentally healthy human being has a first language. Often (but not always) this is the language that was learned during childhood—before puberty—and is the language that is most used and most comfortable for a given person. First languages are generally maintained for life, with little overt effort on the part of the speaker. This is because first languages are often woven into the personal and sociocultural identities of the native speaker, and he or she uses the language to think and to interact with family and other members of their cultural or ethnic group. How Are L1s Learned? L1s are learned through a process known as first language acquisition, or FLA. This is a complex biological process which is still not yet entirely understood by the scientific community. Though the intricacies of first language acquisition are beyond the scope of this article, the most commonly agreed-upon aspects of FLA are as follows: First Language Acquisition is the process of gaining the capacity to use human language, where previously no such capacities existed. L1s are acquired automatically, without conscious effort. L1s are learned before puberty, typically during infancy. An acquired L1 is known at native proficiency. According to J. Joseph Lee’s Article The Native Speaker, An Achievable Model?, published in the Asian EFL journal, native speaker have proficiency represented by an “internalized knowledge” of several areas of language, including: Appropriate use of idiomatic expressions Correctness of language form Natural pronunciation Cultural context including “response cries”, swear words, and interjections Above average sized vocabulary, collocations and other phraseological items Metaphors Frozen syntax, such as binomials or bi-verbials Nonverbal cultural features Despite the fact that one’s “native language” are referred to as his or her “first language”, it is possible to have several “first languages”, so long as they are learned prior to puberty. For example, children who grow up in households where two languages are spoken (typically in the. case of parents of different linguistic backgrounds) may acquire each of those languages natively. These people are referred to as bilingual. L2 or Second Language What Does L2 mean? An L2 is a second language, a foreign language, a target language, or a foreign tongue. If you have an L2, you are a non-native speaker of that language. Unlike L1s, not everyone has an L2. If you have learned or are learning a new language, that language is your L2. How Are L2s Learned? L2s are learned through a process known as second language acquisition, or SLA. Like first language acquisition, second language acquisition is a complex field of linguistics. Though many of its theories and facets are constantly under debate, the general commonalities of SLA are: Second language acquisition is the process of acquiring language capacity after another language (or languages) have already been learned natively. Learning an L2 requires conscious effort. L2s are not learned during infancy, and most often after puberty. Theoretically, an acquired L2 can only be known at non- native proficiencies. Exactly how proficient a language learner can become in a second language can range widely, but the general scientific consensus is that an L2 cannot be mastered to the same level as an L1. Highly advanced L2 learners are often called near-native speakers. Though capacity in both L1s and L2s can deteriorate from lack of use (through a process called attrition), L2 capacity is considered to decrease faster from misuse than their L1 counterparts. As with the term L1 above, the use of the number two in “L2” or “second language” does not necessarily refer to the exact numerical order in which a language is acquired, but only that the language was learned non-natively. In nearly all cases, L2 can be used to refer to any number of languages learned after puberty. Together, L1 and L2 are the major language categories by acquisition. In the large majority of situations, L1 will refer to native languages, while L2 will refer to non-native or target languages, regardless of the numbers of each.