L1 & l2

Second Language Acquisition
To Think About:
Think about a baby acquiring his first language.
Think about a person acquiring a second
language.
What similarities and differences are there in the
two processes?

First and Second
Language Acquisition
Characteristics L1 Learner L2 Learner
constructs language from
prior conceptual knowledge x x
is an active learner who tests
and revises hypotheses x x
requires interaction x x
uses cognitive strategies
(i.e., overgeneralization) x x

First and Second
understands more when input
is modified (caretaker talk,
foreigner talk) x x
develops language in predictable
stages x x
makes developmental errors x x
experiences a silent period x x

First and Second
is usually made cognitively x
developed
generally has a greater knowledge
of the world x
generally can learn and apply rules
more easily x
usually has more control over input x

First and Second
is familiar with one or more
other cultures x
may have a problem with
attitude/motivation x
is more likely to be inhibited or
anxious x
Adapted from: P. Richard-Amato. (1996). Making it happen: Interaction in the second
language classroom. P.27

Age and
To Think About:
Is it better to learn a second language when
one is young or when one is older? Why?

Age and
The Critical Period Hypothesis (Eric Lenneberg
(1967)
Lenneberg stated that:
L2 is best learned between age 2 and puberty
Ability to learn language is negatively affected
by the completion of process of lateralization

Age and
 Critical Period Hypothesis
 Laterialization is when each side of the brain
develops its own specialized functions
 Young learners use the same part of the brain
for learning both languages
 Older learners use different parts of the brain

Age and
 Lenneberg stated that
 Lateralization is completed by puberty
 Therefore, an L2 should be learned between
age 2 and puberty (according to Lenneberg)
 More recent research has indicated that
lateralization actually is completed by age
5

Age and
Therefore, young learners (before age 5) are
actually native speakers of both languages
They learn both L1 and L2 the way a native
speaker does
J. Lessow-Hurley. (2005). The foundations of dual language instruction.

Age and
 Advantages to being a younger learner
 More likely to develop a native-like accent
 Less to learn to be considered proficient
 More likely to receive comprehensible input

Age and
 Advantages to being an older learner
 Can consciously use strategies to aid learning
 Has knowledge from L1 to draw from
 Has greater control over input

Proficiency: What is it?
To Think About:
When is a person proficient in a second language?
How do you know a person is proficient?
Discuss your ideas with a partner.

Proficiency
 Proficiency includes grammatical,
sociolinguistic, discourse and strategic
competence
 Age appropriate competence in each of
these areas needs to be developed to be
considered proficient in a second language

Proficiency
 Grammatical Competence
• Mastery of language code
Lexicon (vocabulary)
Word formation rules
Sentence formation rules
Pronunciation rules
Spelling

Proficiency
 Sociolinguistic Competence
• Mastery of appropriate language use
in different contexts
• How to speak to a friend
• How to speak to someone in authority
• How to speak socially vs. professionally

 Discourse Competence
Mastery of how to combine meanings and forms to
create a text in different modes
Examples:
Telephone inquiry
Narrative text
Oral report

Proficiency
 Discourse Competence
Mastery of how to combine meanings and forms
to create a text in different modes
Examples:
Telephone inquiry
Narrative text
Oral report

Proficiency
 Strategic Competence
Mastery of verbal and non-verbal strategies to
compensate for breakdowns in communication
Examples:
How to ask for help
How to rephrase a statement

Proficiency: How long does it
take?
To Think About:
If you wanted to learn another language, how
long do you think it would take you to speak
and understand that language?
How long would it take you to read and write?

 BICS ( Basic Interpersonal Communication
Skills)
2 to 3 years
Ability to converse and understand every day
discussions
take?

take?
 CALP (Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency)
4 to 10 years
Ability to read, write, speak, and listen at an
academic level

Stages in Second
 How can you identify a learner’s language
acquisition level?
 The issue of how the language acquisition
level can be determined. In other words, how
do you know if a learner is a beginner, an
intermediate, or advanced learner of the L2?

Stages in Second
 Instead of using beginner, intermediate and
advanced, a more specific classification
system can be used.
 A learner can be at the preproduction, early
speech, speech emergence or intermediate
fluency stage

Stages in Second
 Preproduction/Comprehension Stage
Characteristics
Silent period
Can respond non-verbally
Will be able to understand more than they can
produce

Stages in Second
 Preproduction/Comprehension Stage
 The teacher should NOT force the learner to
talk
 The teacher should ask the learner to draw,
point, act out, label

Stages in Second
 Early Speech Production
 Characteristics
Can understand more than can produce
Can produce one or two words at a time
Will pick up phrases (He cutted.)

Stages in Second
 Early Speech Production
 The teacher should ask the learner
yes/no questions
 The teacher should ask the learner
choice questions (Is this a ___ or a
___?)

Stages in Second
 Speech Emergence
Characteristics
Speaks in phrases
Makes lots of errors
Interlanguage occurs (a mixture of
vocabulary and structures from both
languages)

Stages in Second
 Speech Emergence
 The teacher should ask the learner questions
such as What is this? What does ___ do?

Stages of Second
 Intermediate Fluency
 Characteristics
Appear orally fluent
Errors are same errors native speakers make
Struggle with content area reading and
writing.

Stages of Second
 Intermediate Fluency
 The teacher should modify higher level
questions. For example, instead of asking a
student to compare two items, the teacher
should ask the student how two items are the
same. Then the teacher should ask how they
are different.

Stages of Second
 Select a topic that you teach (for example,
fairy tales, plant life, animals, etc.). Then,
think of how you would involve a learner
at each language proficiency level in the
lesson. For example, you might think of
questions that you could ask learners at
each proficiency level. Or, you might
think of an activity in which learners at
each proficiency level could participate.

First Language Development
To Think About:
Do you think the child’s first language is a
hindrance or a help in terms of learning a
second language? Why?

Common Underlying
Proficiency/Transferability Theory
 Look at the next slide which illustrates a
Dual Iceberg Representation of first and
second language development. What does
this illustration mean?

Dual Iceberg Representation

Surface Features Surface Features
of L1 of L2
Common
Underlying
Proficiency

Common Underlying
 Many skills and concepts are common or
interdependent across languages.
 A skill or concept learned in one language
transfers to another language when the
requisite vocabulary is acquired

Common Underlying
 For example, a learner only learns to read
once. If a learner can read, he/she can read
in another language, once the vocabulary is
learned.
 What needs to be explicitly taught in the
other language are the features that are
different.

What Literacy Skills Transfer?
 Directionality
 Sequencing
 Ability to distinguish shapes and sounds
 Knowledge that written symbols correspond to
sounds and can be decoded in order and direction

What Literacy Skills Transfer?
 Activation of semantic and syntactic knowledge
 Knowledge of text structure
 Learning to use cues to predict meaning
 Awareness of the variety of purposes for reading
and writing
 Confidence in oneself as a reader and writer

What Skills Do Not Transfer?
 Critical and Cultural Literacy
(interpretation of text given a specific cultural
world view)
From: C. Roberts. (1994). Transferring literacy skills from L1 to L2: From theory to practice. In The Journal of
Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, v. p. 209-221

Threshold Hypothesis
 The threshold hypothesis states there is a
threshold level of ability that needs to be
reached in one language in order for a
learner to be successful in another
language
 The threshold hypothesis also states that
high levels of bilingualism have positive
cognitive effects

 Examine the table on the next slide. What
does this table mean?

Level of
Competence
Type of
Bilingualism
Cognitive
Effects
Above the
threshold in
L1 and L2
Additive Positive
Above the
threshold in
one language
Neutral
Below the
threshold in
L1 and L2
Positive Negative

Threshold Hypothesis:
 The better developed the L1, the better developed
the L2 can be.
 High level of proficiency in L1-high level of
proficiency in L2 is possible
 A low level of proficiency in L1-lower level of
proficiency in L2

What have you learned?
 List three new things you have learned
from this presentation.

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