Second Language

Learning
 Second Language Learning
o Second-language acquisition, second-language
learning, is the process by which people learn
a second language .
o Second-language acquisition also refers to the
scientific discipline devoted to studying that
process.
o Second language refers to any language learned in
addition to a person's first language; although the
concept is named second-language acquisition, it
can also incorporate the learning of third, fourth, or
subsequent languages.
o Second-language acquisition refers to what
learners do; it does not refer to practices
in language teaching, although teaching can affect
acquisition.
 Factors affecting L2:
 Age
 Personality
 Motivation
 Experiences
 Cognition
 Native Language
 Curriculum
 Culture
 Status
 Optimum Age:
oThe issue of age was first addressed with the critical period
hypothesis. The strict version of this hypothesis states that
there is a cut-off age at about 12, after which learners lose
the ability to fully learn a language. This strict version has
since been rejected for second- language acquisition, as adult
learners have been observed who reach native-like levels of
pronunciation and general fluency.
oScholars believe that many factors can affect second
language learning and teaching practices, among them age
has been always regarded as a key factor.
o The starting age for learning a second/ foreign language
is a debatable issue about which different ideas have
been proposed by various stakeholders and scholars.
o Some scholars refer to the critical period hypothesis for
L1 acquisition and believe that before puberty is the best
time to start learning/ teaching a foreign language.
o From another point of view, scholars reject the
appropriateness of this claim in second language
learning/ teaching regarding the evidence that adult
learners, in some aspects of language, are said to
acquire a foreign language more easily. These
researchers claim that concepts such as multiple critical
period and the presence of motivation based on which
any person can start learning a foreign language at any
age can be good examples.
 The advantages of early second
language learning:
o According scientific surveys, language aspects such as pronunciation and
intonation can be acquired easier during childhood, due to neuromuscular
mechanisms which are only active until to the age of 12.
o Another possible explanation of children’s´ accent-free pronunciation is
their increased capability for imitation. This capability fades away
significantly after puberty. Another factor that we should take into
consideration is children’s flexibility, spontaneity and tolerance to new
experiences.
o Kids are more willing to communicate with people than adults, they
are curious and they are not afraid of making mistakes.
o On the other hand there are surveys which point out the risk of semi-
lingualism and advise parents to organize language planning carefully.
 The advantages of late second
language learning:
Consider the following factors:
Adults (meaning people after puberty) have an
important advantage:
a) cognitive maturity and
b) their experience of the general language
system.
Through their knowledge of their mother tongues, as well
as other foreign languages, not only can they achieve
more advantageous learning conditions than children, but
they can also more easily acquire grammatical rules and
syntactic phenomena.
o It would be useful to point out that sometimes
incorrect pronunciation is not a matter of capability but of good will.
According to different surveys, adults do not feel like themselves when they
speak a foreign language and they consider pronunciation an ethno-
linguistic identity-marker. A positive or negative attitude towards a foreign
language should not be underestimated.
oAnother factor to consider is the adults 'motivation to learn a foreign
language`. When an adult learns a foreign language there is always a
reason behind it: education, social prestige, profession or social
integration. The latter is considered a very strong one, especially in the
case of immigrants.
oSo what is the best age for a person to start learning a foreign language
in situations where there is a choice, and where it is not critical that a
native-speaker-like pronunciation is acquired?
oThe answer, according to current research, is early adolescence, so about
11-13. And the more motivated the child is to learn the new language, the
more successful he will be!
 Definition of the Affective Filter
o
Hypothesis
According to the affective filter hypothesis, affect effects
acquisition, but not learning, by facilitating or preventing
comprehensible input from reaching the language acquisition
device.
oIn other words, affective variables such as fear, nervousness,
boredom, and resistance to change can effect the acquisition of a
second language by preventing information about the second
language from reaching the language areas of the mind.
oAffective filters can be raised or lowered as a result of the
environment that individuals are in, interactions with peers and/or
teachers, or due to personal factors such as insecurity and anxiety.
 Krashen’s work
oIn Krashen’s work, the affective filter hypothesis
explains the role of affective factors in the process of
language acquisition .
oIt suggests that emotional variables can hinder
comprehensible input from reaching the part of the
brain responsible for acquiring language.
oKrashen postulated that an affective filter exists that
can increase or decrease the intake of the
comprehensible input.
oHe found that a high level of stress and anxiety creates a filter
that impedes learning, blocks the intake, and reduces L2
acquisition.
oWhen the filter is up, input can’t reach those parts of the brain
where acquisition occurs.
oMany language learners realize that the reason they have
trouble is because they are nervous or embarrassed and simply
can’t concentrate. In other words, the input is filtered out.
oKrashen also concluded that a low affective filter on the other
side facilitates learning and promotes second language
acquisition.
Affective filter and second language
Learning
oThe Affective Filter hypothesis embodies Krashen's view that a number of
'affective variables' play a facilitative, but non-causal, role in second language
acquisition. These variables include: motivation, self- confidence and anxiety.
According to him, it is easier for a learner to acquire a language when he/she is
not tense, angry, anxious, and bored.
oKrashen claimed that learners with high motivation, self-confidence, a good
self-image, and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for success in second
language acquisition. Low motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating anxiety
can combine to 'raise' the affective filter and form a 'mental block' that prevents
comprehensible input from being used for acquisition.
oIn other words, when the filter is 'up' it impedes language acquisition. On the
other hand, positive affect is necessary, but not sufficient on its own, for
acquisition to take place.
 How to make use of Affective filter
hypothesis in second language teaching
o Analyze students’ learning motivation, motivate them,
and help them possess a positive attitude Some
students have very poor performance on the L2, only
because they have little or not enough motivation for it
and there are mainly five reasons:
 No interest.
 No confidence.
 Teacher’s inappropriate teaching method.
 Some negative national emotions against the
target language.
 Students think it no use to learn.
THANK YOU