1. Chapter 14 - Second Language
Acquisition and Learning
In a French class for foreigners in France,
David Sedaris and his classmates attempt
to explain Easter to a Muslim student in
broken French… and he discovers that the
Easter Bunny is not universal.
http://youtu.be/N5apZmwR9UI
(Specifically 4:38-6:35)

2.  learners are rarely corrected
 language is not presented
step by step
 learner is exposed to the
language for hours
 multiple interlocutors, mostly
native speakers of the
language
 modified input is only
sometimes available
• learners are corrected
• language is presented
step by step
• learner is exposed to the
target language for a few
hours each week
• single interlocutor
(teacher), not necessarily
a native speaker
• modified input is the norm
Where do people learn second languages?
Natural Environment Classroom Environment

3. Second Language Acquisition
Acquisition Learning

4. Stephen Krashen
“Language acquisition
does not require extensive
use of conscious
grammatical rules, and
does not require tedious
drill."
~Stephen Krashen

5. Krashen on how to teach English
“The best methods are therefore those that supply
„comprehensible input‟ in low anxiety situations,
containing messages that students really want to hear.
These methods do not force early production in the
second language, but allow students to produce when
they are „ready,‟ recognizing that improvement comes
from supplying communicative and comprehensible
input, and not from forcing and correcting production.”
~Stephen Krashen

6. Krashen‟s 5 Hypotheses:
 Acquisition-Learning hypothesis
 Monitor hypothesis
 Natural Order hypothesis
 Input hypothesis
 Affective Filter hypothesis

7.  Gradual development of ability
 It happens naturally in
communicative situations
 It happens through interaction
with the ones who speak the
language natively, where the
language is spoken
 Focus on meaning and
communication not on
grammatical forms
 Applies to a conscious process
of accumulation of knowledge
 Vocabulary, grammar, rules are
presented and learned in
controlled environments
 Schools, language schools,
immersion programs
 Activities and methods are
designed to allow this
conscious process to occur
Krashen‟s Acquisition and Learning Hypothesis
Acquisition Learning

8. Krashen‟s Monitor Hypothesis:
 Learned items become part of a Monitor
 They will be used if:
- they are simple enough
- the speaker is focused on form (grammar, structure)
- there is time to apply them
 Learners must be exposed to language (input) that they
can understand
 The monitor „alerts‟ learners for mistakes

9. Krashen‟s Natural Order Hypothesis:
 The rules of language will be acquired in a
predictable order
 This order is not necessarily determined by simplicity
 This order is independent of the order taught in
language classes
 Criticism about this hypothesis as being based
mainly on morpheme studies

10. English Second Language Word Order Acquisition
 ~ing (sitting, eating)
 copula be (I am happy; It is a cat)
 helping verb be (He is studying)
 plural ~s ending (dogs, birds)
 irregular past (went, ate)
 regular past ~ed ending (walked, talked)
 third person ~s ending (He wants; She eats)
 possessive ‘s (The teacher’s book; The dog’s bone.)

11. Krashen‟s Input Hypothesis:
 Input: language the learner is exposed to
 Output: language that is produced by learner
 The Input Hypothesis states that input should be
comprehensible to be beneficial
 Use of foreigner talk is important
 i + 1 stages

12. Krashen‟s Affective Filter Hypothesis:
An imaginary barrier that prevents learners from acquiring
language from the available input
Motives, needs, attitudes and emotional states
Someone who is angry or tense „filters out‟ input, making it
unavailable for acquisition
A negative attitude towards the target language might affect
learner‟s progress and cause failure
Can you think of an example of high affective filter situation?

13. Negotiating Meaning/Input
John: Hey man, how is it going?
Marcos: Huh? Going? Where?
John: What‟s up?
Marcos: Up? Where?
John: I mean are you ok?
Marcos: Yes! I‟m good!
John: You look exhausted!
Have you been studying hard?
Marcos: Exha…? Hard?
John: Studying a lot?
Marcos: Oh, yes, a lot.
John: I see…
Marcos:*What see? Where?
John: I mean I understand…

14. Focus on message, not form
"Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the
target language - natural communication - in which
speakers are concerned not with the form of their
utterances but with the messages they are conveying
and understanding."
Stephen Krashen

15. Acquisition Issues
 L2 experience is different from L1
 L2: Teenage or adult years, school (controlled)
environment and artificial settings
 Learner already has a previous available language
 Insufficient time
 Motivation issues
 Few adults will effectively master L2

16. EFL vs. ESL
EFL & ESL: What do you think is the difference
between them?
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
 Typically taught in a student‟s home country or in a short-term
program for foreign students in a country where English is
spoken
 Motivation and time for learning can vary
ESL: English as a Second Language
 Students study English in an English-speaking country
 Typically students have moved (permanently or long-term) to a
country where English is spoken
 Motivation tends to be higher, because English is needed to
survive

17. Do children learn languages more effectively?
Do children learn languages more effectively than
adults? What do you think?
Myth 1: Children learn second languages quickly
and easily
Myth 2: The younger the child the better for learning an L2
Myth 3: Students learn faster in a full immersion setting
Myth 4: Once a child can speak an L2, he/she has acquired that
language
Myth 5: All children learn an L2 the same way
For more information, read Myths and Misconceptions About Second
Language Learning, by Barry McLaughlin (Posted on our class website
under „Class Content.‟)

18. Motivation
 Integrative: Learners want to learn L2 for social
purposes; to become accepted, to integrate and
identify with the target language
 Instrumental: Learners want to learn L2 to achieve
a practical goal, such as get a job
 How do you think motivation varies between EFL
and ESL students?

19. Interlanguage: Between Languages
Interlanguage – A “language” system that forms as a
learner is learning an L2. It contains some features of
the L1, some features of the L2, and some
independent features. Interlanguage involves both
positive and negative transfer from the L1.
Positive Transfer – Use of a feature from the
learner‟s L1 that is similar to the L2.
Negative Transfer – Use of a feature from the
learner‟s L1 that is substantially different from the L2.

20. Positive Transfer
Cognates: Related words in different languages that
have the same linguistic origin
Examples:
컴퓨터 (Korean) = computer
компьютер (Russian) = computer
Positive Grammatical Transfer
1 cat, 2 cats; 1 gato, 2 gatos

21. Negative Transfer
False Friends: Words in different languages that sound
similar, but which have very different meanings
embarazada (Spanish) ≠ embarrassed (English)
~embarazada means pregnant
demande (French) ≠ demand (English)
~demande means request
Negative Grammatical Transfer:
una blusa blanca ≠ a blouse white
(In Spanish, the adjective comes after the noun; in
English, the adjective comes before the noun as in “a white
blouse.”)

22. Larry Selinker: Fossilization
Fossilization is the process in which an
interlanguage containing many non L2
features stops evolving towards the
correct L2 form.

23. Methods of Second Language Instruction
 Grammar-translation method - focus on grammar
rules, memorization and written ability; leads to
poor speaking skills
 Audio-lingual Method - emphasis on spoken
language, from simple to more complex oral drills,
habit formation pattern, language lab
 Communicative Approach – reaction against the
pattern-practice; grammar-oriented instruction is
not desired; function is emphasized over form; oral
communication is emphasized in the classroom
setting, as are realistic materials and real-life
scenarios

24. Error vs. Mistake
Error – an inaccurate statement that the student does
not know is inaccurate and/or does not know how to
correct.
Mistake – an inaccurate statement that, if pointed out,
the student can correct. Often the student will notice
the inaccuracy on his/her own and self-correct.

25. Error Analysis
Errors:
developmental: errors that stem from students
experimenting with language and building on what they
know
overgeneralization: errors that stem from students over-
using a rule and applying the rule to irregular forms
simplification: errors stemming from students trying to
simplify language tasks
transfer: errors that stem from students using their native
language (L1) to form rules for the second language (L2)
avoidance: errors that stem from students trying to avoid
complex structures that they're not comfortable with yet

26. Communicative Competence
Communicative Competence is the general ability
to use language accurately, appropriately, and
flexibly, and it consists of three main parts:
• Grammatical Competence (accuracy)
• Sociolinguistic Competence (pragmatics;
understanding social nuances, double meanings, etc.)
• Strategic Competence (compensation)