Bilingualism & Language Learning Flashcards
WHat’s the best way to each/learn a second language? 5
- immerse yourself in their culture
- in a small group
- dont teach for an exam
- motivated teacher
- exchange abroad
what does learning a language depend on? 4
- age
- purpose (why the lagnuage is being learned)
- the learner group
- motivation
language is learnt mainly through imitation?
NO
- can explain learning some regular and routine aspects of sepech, but cant explain the majority of language elanring (i.e. complex grammatical structures)
- Most language is built upon PATTERN EXTRACTION from language input + recognising the link between a meaning function and its linguistic representation
parents usually crorect young children when they make grammatical errors?
NO
- postive reinforcement
- don’t want to famage their motivation
- feedback is typically on menaing, not grammatical accruacy of L1 acquistion
highly intelligent people are good language learners
in NATURALISTIC leaning contexts, IQ is not such a major fact becuase the ability to extract patterns is no directly realted to to intelligence
in INSTRUCTED contexts, more-cognitive capacity may be a big advantage, especially in ‘subject-based’ classes
BUT EVEN IN INSTRUCTED CONTEXT IT DEPENDS on the type of class
the earlier a SL is introduced in school programmes, the greater the likelihood of successes in learning
NO
cognitive capacity
- older learns learn faster than younger learners; have a great cognitive capacity
BUT with enough exposure, earlier starters have an advantage
- high (native) level of proficiency = earlier is better
- basic (non-native) level of proficiency = later can be better
most of the mistales that SLL make are due to interference from their first language
L! does cause errors, but usally not the most important factor … it affects
- pronunciation (most affected)
- vocabulary
grammar
discourse (least affected)
it is essential for learners to be able to pronounce all the individual sounds in the second language?
NO
- the overall PROSODY (the pattern of pitch and stress) of a language is more important for comprehension than the accurate pronunciation of individual phonemes
- different dialects pronounce the same phoneme different anyway
one learners know roughly 1000 words and the basic structure of a language, they can easily participate in convesatoin with native speakers
NO
- this will enable some limited communication but only on a limited number of familiar topics
- 2000/3000 word families would be a better minimum goal
- to enable spoken proficiency over a wide number of topics and situations, the vocabulary requirement may be closer to 6000/7000 word families
what doe sit mean to learn a word? 9
meaning pronunciation grammar frequency connotation formality collocations associations spelling
ways of repsonding to an error (4)
- rephrasing erroneous language (RECAST)
- but may not be recognised as feedback by lower-level learners (may be seen as confirmation of meaning)
- explicit correction with correct form supplied
- point out location of error, learner corrects it
linguistics
studying the system of language
whats the strcutre of language, and how does it fit together.
more focused on the language itself
traditional role of linguistics (2)
linguistics has traditonally looked at language proper and tried to divide the stream of sounds we produce when we communicate into systematic categories such as:
- PARTS OF SPEECH (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositoins)
- PARTS OF SENTENCE (subject, predicate, object, etc.)
grammar
the mainobject of linguistics has been to provide DESCRIPTIVE RULES and PATTERNS OF THE LANGUAGE SYSTEM
Syntactic Structure: Noam Chomsky
- language is learn by exposure, imitations and repetition (behavourism)
- chomsky argued that it is a lot to do with the cognitive process as well …. it is in the mind’- for young children, learing words are innate :. different from behaviourism
- formulas that make up language
theory of syntax (generative grammar)
- it sums up the rules that will correctly predict which combinations of words will form grammatical sentences
- it can be seen as an ALGORITHM to predict grammar with a sentence - the DEEP STRCTURE
- language itself is merely the SURFACE STRUCTURE of marginal improtance
dell hymes
- he accepted Chomsky’s theory of linguistic competence, but argued that the ability to communicate requires further systematic language knowledge
:. communicative competence involves not only knowing grammatical rules of language, but also what to say, to whom, in what circumstances, and how to say it
:. GRAMMAR = USELESS WITHOUT THE RULES OF LANGUAGE
language isnt just rulesm we use it for communication … what we’re trying to achieve makes a differnce in what language we use = the social context
we need to know the rules, but we need to be able to recognise the context too
Sociolinguistic competence
hymes drew on sociolinguistics to explore the systematic nature of the ‘surface strcture’ or the ‘performance’ side of language
- where ppl come from makes a differnece
- who we talk to makes a difference
- the way ppl react to eacho othe rin society and how we work with each other effects our language
Yes we need linguistic competence like Chomsky said, but we need to use it approaitly in contexts :. We need sociolinguistic competence
what is sociolinguistic inlfuenced by (3)
- cultural norms and expectations
- contextual factors such as the type of situatoin
- the characteristics of the participants (gender, status, power-relations)
communicative competence
an umbrella term whihc includes every aspect of language knowledge that is needed for SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION
it contains rules that describe the accurate and appropriate language use
5 aspects of communicative competnece
linguistic competence sociopragmatic competence pragmalinguistics competence discourse competence strategic competence
linguistic competence
knowledge about the elements of language
this is what most people call grammar and vocabulary
sociopragmatic Competence
knowing how to express messages within the overall social and cultural context of communication = is it necessary to respond to something, and att what level (do we have to apologise, and does it have to be a big or small intelligence) Sociocultural
part of sociolinguistics
pragmalinguistic competence
FORMULAIC LANGUAGE
competence in conveying communicative intent with apparoiate linguistic form
Discourse Competence
: there is certain ways of communicating with someone.
How is communication done in that domain .. ‘genre etc’
.Strategic Competence
communicative first aid devices to be used when something goes wrong in conversation … allows a person to compensate for deficiencies in communication
- Silence in conversation while thinking of a word is a signal to the other person that you are not finished (i.e. time gain fillers)
10 strategic competence strategies
message replacement circumlocution approximation word coinage use of all-purpose words use of fillers and other hesitation devices other-repetition asking for repetition asking for clarification appeal for help
message replacement
substituting the original message with a new one because eof not feeling capable of executing it
circumlocution
describing or exemplifying the target word you cannot remember (i..e the thing you open the bottles with = corkscrew)
approximation
using an alternative term which expresses the meaning of the word you cannot remember as closely as possible
word coinage
creating a non-existing L2 word based on a supposed rule
use of all-purpose words
extending a general, ‘empty’ lexical item to contexts where specific words are lacking (i.e. ‘that think in the corner)
use of fillers and other hesitation devices
using filling words to fill pauses (hmmm, now let me see, well)
other repetition
repeating something the interlocutor said to gain time
asking for repetition
repeating something the interlocutor said to gain time
asking for clarification
requesting explanation of an unfamiliar meaning structure
appeal for help
facial expressions
language is more than
a mere communication code/ cogntive system
- it stands at the centre of human affairs, from the most proasic to the most profound
- the acquistion of language is one of the mostimpressive and fascinating aspects of human development
psychology and language
the mental process/ structure whereby people:
- understand language
- produce language
- remember and store language
- acquire language`
neuroimaging
the introduction of various brain-scanning and neuroimaging procedures – have made it possible to make direct links between:
a) What we say and
b) What we think while we say it
2 main goals of neuroimaging
- Spatial resolution: what parts of the brain are actually involved in working with language
- Temporal resolution: to gain accurate real time records of neural processes
Electrophysiological
= based on the recognition that the neural activity produces smalchanges in voltage, which can be measured
- Good temporal resolution but poor spatial resolution
- The most common method is EEG (electroencephalography)
Haemodynamic
map the changes in blood supply of the neurons – increased neural activity involves a local increase in the cerebral blood flow
- Good spatial resolution but poor temporal resolution
- The most common methods is fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging which focuses on the oxygen content of the brain
avenues for SLL (5)
bilingualism instructed SLA immersion course CLIL MUltilingualism/ l3 learning
Bilingualism
where the acquistion of at least 2 languages happens simultaneously or overlap considerably
bilingualism can either be (4)
SIMULTANEOUS: children who are exposed to 2 or more languages from birth
SEQUENTIAL” ppl who larn additional languages after first language is acquired
BALANCED: l1 and l2 learnt at the same time
UNBALANCED: i.e. freuqnetly visit a family member who speaks anotherlanguage
balanced bilinguals
people who are fully competent in both languages
this is close to impossible = bilinguals never function like two monolinguals
why is balanced bilingualism almost impossible to achieve (3)
- people rarely use 2 languages in the same situation - balanced bilinguals use their languages for DIFFERENT PURPOSES
- they will always have preferences
- in certain areas, one or the other language will always dominate (spoken vs written, personal vs professinal topics
how to bilinguals gain their language skills
LANGUAGE CONTACT
200 countries, 6000 languages = inevitable language contact
- from parents
- from family
- in playground
- at school
costs of bilingualism 3
INTIAL WORRY: delay in cognitive developemnt
VOCABULARY SIZE in each language *due to different exposure)
DELAYSin the discrimination of certain PHONETIC CONTRASTS
benefits of bilingualism 4
CONGITVE ADVANTAGE in certian taks due to the fact bilinguals are required from an early age to deal with 2 languages by SWITCHING & INHIBITING the competition between them
superior CREATIVE thinking and FLEXIBILITY of thought - emerges from being able to see things from two perspectives as a function of being in possession of two linguistic systems
higher levels of cognitve control beyond the age 60 = dleay in the onset of symptons of dementia by 4 years
instructed SLA
opposite to naturalistic SLA
most common form of SLL
important aspects of SLA (2)
the role of educational environment
the conscious manipulation of the learning process by human agents (i.e. teachers,, syllabus designers, teaching material writers)
immersion courses
most naturalistic way
immerging the child in the SL (leading research done in Canada)
students at immersion schools in canada fround to do equally well/ outperform those at non-immersion schools
pros of immersion schools 3.
the nearest we can get to NATURALISTIC LEARNING environments in schools
strong state/ government support
a foundation year offered in advance to give grounding in the second language
disadvantages of immersion school 4
students obtain high levels of fluency but some other areas of language can suffer
has to be funded by the government to maximise success
some more complex grammaatical structures were not learnt
students were also not learning grammatical features not needde for communication
CLIL (content and language integrated learning)
the European immersion model
= content based instruction
= a watered down version of immersion schooling
= no foundation year
= only a small proportion of the school day taught in the target language
= very strong financial support from Brussels
disadvantages of CLIL 3
students can be required to start learning from zero or little language proficiency
too many compromises from immersion schooling
it must fit into existing school structures and timetables
multilingualism/ 3rd language learning
this happens when a billingual person learns a new language
why is L3 differnt from L2 learning? 2
learners prior expereince of an L2
metalinguistic awareness - the ability to reflect on language, focusing on its strcture and functions
? but how long is prior experinence … was it 5 months ago, or 5 years ago?
? exact meaning of ‘experience’
l3 learning advantages 4
- they are expereinced language learners/ users and their expiernce allows them to approach the new language in a more efficient wat
- cognitive advantages in alnguage learning tasks
- ‘linguistic reservoir’ that enables the tansfer of strategies and concepts to learning the new language
- metalinguistic awareness
l3 disadvantges (2)
- transferring negative learning experience
- comapring languages - preference?
