Theories of second language acquisition

Second language acquisition

Aurora Sancerni, Marina Carrasco, Tigist Alemany & Laura Rial

Aurora Sancerni, Marina Carrasco, Tigist Alemany & Laura Rial

• Imitation
• Reinforcement
• Repetition

Behaviorism

Conditioning

Habit formation

Environmentalist Theories of SLA

B.F. Skinner

Speaking ability: more important than grammatical understanding.Correct pronunciation and fluency are developed through imitation and modeled speech

Stimulus-response-reinforcement cycle

Summary

• Language acquisition as a process of habit formation, through association and imitation.
• It involves learners to form connections between stimuli and responses.
• B.F. Skinner: "language learning occurs in a stimulus-response-reinforcement cycle".

The Acculturation Model

This model focuses on the sociocultural context of language learning, particularly the role of social interactions and cultural immersion in the acquisition process.

H. Douglas Brown

It is the process of being adapted to a new culture

Involves: new orientation of thinking and feeling on the part of an L2 learner.

Two sets of factors: social and psychological. What do these factors make? Determine respectively the level of social and psychological distance an L2 learner is having in the course of learning the target language.

Social Distance

1. Social dominance
2. Integration pattern
3. Enclosure
4. Cohesiveness
5. Size factor
6. Cultural congruence
7. Attitude factor
8. Intended length of residence.

Psychological distance

1. Motivation
2. Attitude
3. Culture shock

Factors that influence

Krashen’s Monitor Theory

Nativist Theories of SLA

Krashen's Monitor Theory Krashen's theory focuses on natural language acquisition.Emphasizes absorbing language through exposure.

Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis

Input Hypothesis

Krashen's theory encourages natural language absorption.Bye-bye, boring grammar drills; hello, fun language adventures!

CONVERSATIONAL INTERACTION

SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY

Interactionist Theories of SLA

It is deeply rooted in the belief language acquisition is closely related to Social interaction.

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

NEGOTIATION OF MEANING

CONVARSATIONAL INTERACTION

INPUT HYPOTHESIS

CONTEXTUALIZED LANGUAGE USE

Sociocultural Theory

According to Vygotsky learners acquire language by participating in meaningful social interactions and engaging in activities that are relevant to their cultural and linguistic communities.He believe we learn in two levels.

Level 1

Level 2

Interaction with others

Individual's mental structure

Interpsychological

Intrapsychological

TWO LEVELS

A: Stuff learners can do

ZPD: Stuff learners can do, with support

B: Stuff learners can't do (even with support)

A

ZPD

B

ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT

This "zone" is the area of exploration for which the student is cognitively prepared, but requires help and social interaction to fully develop (Briner, 1999). A teacher or more experienced peer is able to provide the learner with "scaffolding" to support the student’s evolving understanding of knowledge domains or development of complex skills. Collaborative learning, discourse, modelling, and scaffolding are strategies for supporting the intellectual knowledge and skills of learners and facilitating intentional learning.

Social constructivism

It aligns with its principles which say that learning is an active process shaped by social interaction and collaboration. Meaningful conversations provide learners with opportunities to construct their understanding of the language.

We learn different parts of language in a specific order. Just like babies learn to babble before forming sentences.

Natural Order Hypothesis

Your emotions affect language learning. Being relaxed and engaged helps you learn better.

Affective Filter Hypothesis

Negotiation of Meaning

Interactive process in which learners and native speakers work together to ensure that they understand each other. This negotiation can involve clarification of words, rephrasing, or seeking confirmation to enhance comprehension.

• Understanding language input is key to learning.

• Like watching shows in a language you're learning and gradually understanding more.

• Exposed to a linguistic stimulus.
• Produce a response.

ELEMENTS

• Reinforced/corrected by the teacher or native speaker.
• Through reinforcement:

- It becomes a habit.- It is eliminated because of incorrectness

LEARNERS

RESPONSE

Drills, repetition, and rote learning are important: they develop new language habits.

Input Hypothesis

Connected to Stephen Krashen's hypothesis.Learners acquire lenguage more effectively when they are exposed to "Comprehensible input".Have to be provided with a dynamic and context-rich environment.

A message students can understand

Your brain acts like a grammar-checker. Helps fix mistakes while speaking or writing.

Monitor Hypothesis

Contextualized Language Use

It means that learners are exposed to language in authentic situations. This can include everyday conversations, problem-solving scenarios, or role-playing activities. There is. a need to create:

TASK BASED LEARNING (TBL)

• Learning through exposure is more effective than studying grammar rules.

• Think of it like picking up slang from your favorite YouTubers effortlessly.