Chapter 15: Lang. Acquisition

As coffee is an acquired taste…

Learning vs. Acquisition

Yes, there is a difference…

KidSpeak…

Other examples of “KidSpeak”?

FLA: More than Imitation

To acquire one’s first language: Learn words

Derivational & Inflectional morphemes Recognize relationships

Sentence order Word collocations Semantics Pragmatics

Make generalizations

The Enablers

Innate Grammar No genetic predisposition…

Motherese Cognitive Development Feedback

You catch more flies with honey… Recasting

Critical period

Syntax

One-Word Stage Two-Word Stage Telegraphic Stage Movement Rules

Y/N Questions WH Questions Passive

Reflexive & Pronouns

Morphology

Kids Acquisition (abbreviated)

1. -ing2. plural -s3. possessive -’s4. the, a 5. past tense -ed6. 3rd pers. sing. -s 7. auxillary BE

Parents Usage1. the, a 2. -ing3. plural -s4. auxillary BE5. possessive -’s6. 3rd pers. sing. –s7. past tense -ed

So what…?

Morphology

Kids Acquisition -ing plural -s possessive -’s the, a past tense -ed 3rd pers. sing. -s auxillary BE

Question: Would you expect

exactly the same order in Spanish, German & Chinese kids?

(Ex. 9)

Lexicon: Common 1st Words

Daddy, mommy, baby… Juice, milk, cookie, water, apple… Dog, cat, duck, horse… Car, boat… Shoes, hat… Ball, blocks… Bottle, key… Hot, all-gone, dirty, cold, here, there… Up, sit, see, eat, go, down… Hi, bye…

Whaddya think: Why these words….?

Morphological Acquisition Phrase final elements Syllabicity Intolerance of Ambiguity

≠ Homophony≠ Exceptional≠ Allophonic = Clear Semantics

The Ways We Learn (& Err) Whole Object Assumption Type Assumption Basic Similarities Assumption

Overextension Underextension Verb meanings Dimensions

Any Questions…

…before we move on?(next: Phonology)

Phonological Development She said “da-da”

Babbling Put one foot in front of the other…

Vowels before Consonants Stops “

Fricatives/Affricates Labials “ Velars Word-initial “ Word-final Reception “ Production

Early Phonetic Production

Substituted segments Deleted syllables Deleted final consonant Reduced consonant clusters

More Examples?

Get Some Exercise What phonetic processes are evident in

the pronunciation of a 2 yr old below? pocket [bαt] spoon [bun] zoo [du] bath [bæt] grandma [gαgα]

What might we hear for: juice under

From Previous Slide: Substituted segment Deleted syllables Deleted final consonant Reduced consonant clusters

KidSpeak…

Linguistically Realistic?

Foundations

Innate grammar Methods

Naturalistic We’re taking the video anyway… Longitudinal

Experimental Focused on a point Cross-sectional

Wug Test

One Wug Two _____

Get Some Exercise (2)

One Naturalistic study found only 12 of 60 children used a passive structure. Does this mean the other 48 had not yet

acquired the passive structure? How does this example reflect on the “pros

& cons” of the Naturalistic approach? Other Pros/Cons to

Naturalistic/Behavioral Approaches?

Any Questions…

…before we move on?

“Gina is by lingual… that means she can say the

same thing twice, but you can only understand it

once.”

Comparing FLA & SLA FLA

Blank slate Intensive input Adaptability

Reduced cognition

Less experience

SLA Competition Peripheral input Less flexible

Expanded cognition

More Experience

Motivation Matters

Instrumental Goal oriented

Integrative Community based

Whaddya Think?

Acquiring a second language involves both knowing something about the language and being able to do something with the language.

Do you think that knowledge and skills are related?

What trade-offs can you see between accuracy and fluency?

Competence & Performance

L1L2

Interlanguage

Interlanguage

Transference L1 competence in L2 performance

Pre-nominal ADJs in Spanish of English native

“e” b/4 initial ‘sk’ in English of Spanish native

Fossilization Interlanguage ‘errors’ become ‘rules’

Fossilization

L½ Persistent Errors

L1

L2 Bilingualproduction

L1

Will I/they Ever Get It? Age

Critical Period Hypothesis Idiosyncrasies

Affective issues cf. Krashen’s Filter

Cognitive issues Positive (Direct) Evidence Negative (Indirect) Evidence

Learning environment

Fossilization: Whaddya think?

What factors can you think of that might influence fossilization?

Do you think some people are more likely to fossilize than others? Why or Why not?

Do you think it can be reversed? If so, what strategies might be

effective?

Whenever we speak…

Language StrategicCompetence Competence

Organizational Pragmatic Competence Competence

Grammatical Textual Illocutionary Sociolinguistic Competence Competence Competence Competence

Vocabulary Cohesion Rhetorical Dialect CulturalOrganization

References Syntax Register

MorphologyFunctional

Phonology Abilities

Typical ESL Instruction

Interlanguage Phonology

Markedness Differential Hypothesis Linguistic universals ~ If it’s uncommon, it’ll be harder to acquire

Similarity Differential Rate Hypothesis Similarity breeds confusion…

Syllabification Once a syllable, always a syllable… A stressful situation

Exercise

A dialect of Arabic breaks up clusters by inserting an epenthetic vowel in front of an unsyllabified consonant. How would a speaker of this dialect pronounce the following words?

plant transport translate

Exercise (some more)

Given what you know about implicational universals, do you think it would be easier for an English speaker to acquire French nasal vowels (e.g. gant [gã] ‘glove’) or for a French speaker to acquire English oral vowels?

Interlanguage Syntax

L1 Merge & Move Rules Null Subject Verb Movement

Markedness & Subsets

Exercise (again)

What explanation would you give for a native speaker of French who produced the English sentence ‘I drink frequently coffee’ ?

How could you explain to this person that ‘He is frequently late’ is grammatical?

Do any other English verbs have the same properties as BE ?

Interlanguage MorphologyL1 Acquisition -ing plural –s irregular past possessive -’s copula (main verb) BE articles the, a, an regular past -ed 3rd pers. sing. -s auxillary BE

L2 Acquisition -ing copula (main verb) BE articles the, a auxillary BE plural -s irregular past regular past -ed 3rd pers. sing. –s possessive -’s

Morphology Exercise

Second language learners, regardless of their first language, produce forms like goed, sheeps, and could decided even though they never hear these from a native speaker. Why?

What are some other forms you might expect to hear?

In the Classroom Modified Input

Teacher talk ( i +1) Modified Interaction

Discourse differences Focus on Form

Explicit Language Instruction Error Correction Self-monitoring & correction

Bilingual Education Almost 10% of school kids = ESoL

Bilingual Education English-Only ESL Newcomer Programs Heritage Language Programs

Over 500% increase ESoL kids in SC from 1994 - 2004

Education: Whaddya think?

Roughly 75% of all non-native speakers of English in K-12 schools will drop out by or before the 10th grade.

What SLA issues share in this issue?

What can we do about it?