*Second Language Acquisition

*What is second language acquisition? Is a term related to the acquisition of second and subsequent languages.

*Foreign languages can be included as well in this group (depends on the author)

REFLECT

Do you think that learning a second language is basically the same as or different from first language acquisition? Why?

*Second Language Acquisition

*Age and Second Language Acquisition.

*Do you believe that the earlier a learner begins learning a second language, the better they will become?

*Second Language Acquisition

*The effect of age on language acquisition has been extensively researched and written about over the years.

*The common idea is that “the younger is better”

*That is to say, the younger you start learning a second language, the better you will become.

*Can you think about any example?

*Second Language Acquisition

*We can draw our attention on the example given by Nunan (2012):

*Children of immigrants to English speaking countries, unlike their parents usually end up developing native-like competence in the language.

*We can ask ourselves as language teachers the following question:

“Are younger learners better at learning a foreign language than older learners?

*Second Language Acquisition

The Critical Period Hypothesis.

*Is the name given to the idea that young children can learn a second language particularly effectively before puberty.

*Because their brains are still able to use the mechanism that assisted the first language acquisition.

*Second Language Acquisition

The Critical Period Hypothesis.

*This Hypothesis states that biological changes in the brain at around puberty result in the two hemispheres of the brain functioning independently.

*Scholars have been arguing that the optimun stage for acquiring another language is in the first ten years of life because it is then that the brain retains its maximun “plasticity” or flexibility.

*Second Language Acquisition

The Critical Period Hypothesis.

• It is suggested that around puberty, the brain loses its “plasticity”, the two hemispheres of the brain become much more independent.

• Language is largely established in the left hemisphere.

*Second Language Acquisition

*Are younger learners better at learning a foreign language than older learners?

*What do you think is the optimal or “best” age to start children learning a second language?

*Second Language Acquisition

The Critical Period Hypothesis.

In summary, then:

• Starting age does not affect the route of SLA. Although there may be differences in the acquisitional order, these are not the result of age.

• Starting age affects the rate of learning. Where grammar and vocabulary are concerned, adolescent learners do better than either children or adults, when the lenght of exposure is held constant. Where pronunciation is concerned, there is no applicable difference.

*Second Language Acquisition

The Critical Period Hypothesis.

• Both number of years of exposure and starting age affect the level of success. The number of years of exposure contributes greatly to the overall communicative fluency of the learners, but starting age determines the level of accuracy achieved, particularly in pronunciation.

*Second Language Acquisition

Discussion.

Do you agree with this theory?

What about the role of the environment in children’s language acquisition?

What do you think the role of interaction might play in this theory?