Biography
Personal Reflection
Second Language Acquisition in a Foreign Environment
Robin Purdy
Simon Fraser University
One would regard a total immersion into a language is a harrowing but effective step in the right direction of second language acquisition. Some would argue that total immersion is physically impossible, especially in a foreign environment where the language taught cannot be immediately applied. So the classroom, in a sense, is a microcosm of language learning environment. It is a modern but strong belief that “the linguistic environment, … in today’s communicative classrooms, comes to learners in the midst of oral interaction with one or more interlocutors” (Ortega, 60). The bigger the support in a language-learning environment, the greater the success language acquisition will have. In fact, all language learners bring a lot of their own experience into a classroom of like-minded and challenge driven individuals and should be recognized as such. When applicable, it is exciting to see a self initiated transferability of language from the original language student’s vernacular and apply it to the desired language in order to gain meaning and ‘code-break’ the language. The teacher’s role in the L2 class should be as a facilitator of learning and use appropriate skills that put the learner and their like-minded peers in charge of their language acquisition after using gradual release of responsibility and skill acquisition theory for each class, especially when the language being taught isn’t the one that is the dominant spoken language outside the classroom.
When L2 is taught in a non- L2 speaking society, there need to be certain skills and learning methodologies that the teacher must use in order for the students to be successful in retention and language acquisition. The teacher (or facilitator) should emphasize “what learners make of [the linguistic environment] how they process (or not) the linguistic data and how they live and experience that environment” (Ortega, 78) with appropriate examples both at an individual level and a societal one. Students that attended an after-school academy in a lower-class working area of Seoul cannot grasp material unless they have a ‘productive, meaningful language’ environment. In order to do this, the teacher can use skills of transference and negotiation. For example, in a role-playing strategy, a student is having trouble with “I would like a smoothie” in Korean would be Su-meu-dee joo say oh (스무디 주세요). Since Korean is a topic-based language like Chinese and Japanese as opposed to subject based like Swedish, French and English, the object would be first. The student would try and code-break and do a direct translation: smoothie give me. Instead of direct negative feedback, the facilitator should correct in context to the situation.
A: What would you like to drink?
B: Smoothie give me.
A: Would you like a smoothie?
B: Yes.
A: Yes you would like a smoothie?
B: Yes I would like a smoothie.[i]
The teacher in this instance, like Ortega discusses, is using negotiation to correct the student’s mistake. Through subtlety, a teacher or facilitator is effective when being positive but still wants the student to reply in a correct way. The teacher then had other students mimic the same dialogue with random partners. This would support the environment as well as help the students see the mistakes in literal transference and the repetition of the dialogue would promote automatization. The teacher then made a new dialogue for the students to do themselves with the same structure but different vocabulary words, hence gradually releasing responsibility.
One of the most important theories in practice that seems to be very effective in a language-learning classroom is the skill acquisition theory “gradual transformation of performance from controlled to automatic. This transformation happens through relevant practice over many trials, which enables controlled processes gradually to be withdrawn during performance and automatic processes to take over the same performance.” (Ortega, 84). Minor adaptations including negotiation, constructive negative feedback, transferability and association are great tactics for an L2 class. When applying theory into practice, the camp of “productive, meaningful language use is in itself a catalyst for learning” (Ortega, 81) is the most effective way for a student to take ownership of their language skills and make the most out of their environment even if the classroom is the only place the L2 learner can be immersed in the second language environment.
References
Ortega, L. (2008). Understanding Second language acquisition. London: A Hodder Arnold Publication
Second Language Acquisition in a Foreign Environment
Robin Purdy
Simon Fraser University
One would regard a total immersion into a language is a harrowing but effective step in the right direction of second language acquisition. Some would argue that total immersion is physically impossible, especially in a foreign environment where the language taught cannot be immediately applied. So the classroom, in a sense, is a microcosm of language learning environment. It is a modern but strong belief that “the linguistic environment, … in today’s communicative classrooms, comes to learners in the midst of oral interaction with one or more interlocutors” (Ortega, 60). The bigger the support in a language-learning environment, the greater the success language acquisition will have. In fact, all language learners bring a lot of their own experience into a classroom of like-minded and challenge driven individuals and should be recognized as such. When applicable, it is exciting to see a self initiated transferability of language from the original language student’s vernacular and apply it to the desired language in order to gain meaning and ‘code-break’ the language. The teacher’s role in the L2 class should be as a facilitator of learning and use appropriate skills that put the learner and their like-minded peers in charge of their language acquisition after using gradual release of responsibility and skill acquisition theory for each class, especially when the language being taught isn’t the one that is the dominant spoken language outside the classroom.
When L2 is taught in a non- L2 speaking society, there need to be certain skills and learning methodologies that the teacher must use in order for the students to be successful in retention and language acquisition. The teacher (or facilitator) should emphasize “what learners make of [the linguistic environment] how they process (or not) the linguistic data and how they live and experience that environment” (Ortega, 78) with appropriate examples both at an individual level and a societal one. Students that attended an after-school academy in a lower-class working area of Seoul cannot grasp material unless they have a ‘productive, meaningful language’ environment. In order to do this, the teacher can use skills of transference and negotiation. For example, in a role-playing strategy, a student is having trouble with “I would like a smoothie” in Korean would be Su-meu-dee joo say oh (스무디 주세요). Since Korean is a topic-based language like Chinese and Japanese as opposed to subject based like Swedish, French and English, the object would be first. The student would try and code-break and do a direct translation: smoothie give me. Instead of direct negative feedback, the facilitator should correct in context to the situation.
A: What would you like to drink?
B: Smoothie give me.
A: Would you like a smoothie?
B: Yes.
A: Yes you would like a smoothie?
B: Yes I would like a smoothie.[i]
The teacher in this instance, like Ortega discusses, is using negotiation to correct the student’s mistake. Through subtlety, a teacher or facilitator is effective when being positive but still wants the student to reply in a correct way. The teacher then had other students mimic the same dialogue with random partners. This would support the environment as well as help the students see the mistakes in literal transference and the repetition of the dialogue would promote automatization. The teacher then made a new dialogue for the students to do themselves with the same structure but different vocabulary words, hence gradually releasing responsibility.
One of the most important theories in practice that seems to be very effective in a language-learning classroom is the skill acquisition theory “gradual transformation of performance from controlled to automatic. This transformation happens through relevant practice over many trials, which enables controlled processes gradually to be withdrawn during performance and automatic processes to take over the same performance.” (Ortega, 84). Minor adaptations including negotiation, constructive negative feedback, transferability and association are great tactics for an L2 class. When applying theory into practice, the camp of “productive, meaningful language use is in itself a catalyst for learning” (Ortega, 81) is the most effective way for a student to take ownership of their language skills and make the most out of their environment even if the classroom is the only place the L2 learner can be immersed in the second language environment.
References
Ortega, L. (2008). Understanding Second language acquisition. London: A Hodder Arnold Publication
Reading Chapter ReflectionsOrtega Introduction Reflection SLA investigates additional language learning in late childhood, adolescence or adulthood and focuses on the pathways towards becoming competent in the second language. Monolingual competence is a strong acquisition of an L1. As English is a dominant global language in Western society, there has been a strong influx of Monolingualism and monolingual competence in English speaking countries. SLA has become more of an elective opportunity. This is prevalent in even British Columbia. The two national languages of Canada are both French and English. Rather than French being a requirement, it is an optional language even now. Yet there has been also been a large rise in Canada as a multi-lingual country. The dominant languages in the metropolitan Vancouver area are Punjabi, Mandarin and English. French is still spoken and required by government buildings, but it seems like more of a formality. Yet having a mastery in an L1 will promote the L2 learner in an SLA class. Ortega Chapter 3 Reflection Cross linguistic Influences or interlingual identification is the similarity between L1 and L2 acquisition. Specifically with markedness, the L2 language learner can find similarities between their first language and the second language. Despite French and English having the same romanized similarities, the difficulties of language would be marked in the accents on French and the deep gutteral sounds with some distinct words. Examples of this include: the R sound. In French, there is an emphasis on the letter R (comme Ratatouille) English Speakers would say Rat ah tool ee whereas French speakers would say Rha tah tou ee. The English pronunciation is more emphasized. Another interesting point for marked differences is that "French has just one close front vowel [i], English has two: /ɪ/ and /i:/ – /ɪ/ should be made with a slightly lower jaw, but French speakers often just use the one position for these vowels." Examples can include ship / sheep; rid / read & fit / feet. Ortega Chapter 4 Reflection The places one can acquire linguistic data are all over. Language acquisition is, through my own experience, an individual endeavour for each person of socio economic and gender class. Heritage plays a part as well in language acquisition. While some people prefer to learn language for cultural and social reasons, others prefer to learn language for code breaking and understanding more about their own linguistic landscapes in a multi-ethnic society such as Canada. When it comes to the role of boys in a language learning class, specifically French, there are two major factors that boys shy away from the language. The first is the stereotypical notion that French is a female language and dominated by women. The second is that French does not give males the opportunity to have hands on opportunity. This is also a factor in the male dominated ‘work-force’ where French doesn’t seem to be a strong skill to learn. If these two myths are shattered, then there will be a more gender equal FSL classroom. Ortega Chapter 6 Reflection Both interlanguage and fossilization are apt concepts in the acquisition of a foreign language. Interlanguage refers to the difference in L1 and L2 acquisition and depending on the first language of the learner, the language difficulties that can occur as a result. (This can refer to a Chinese student learning future tense.) Fossilization refers to the plateau a language learner reaches when they are learning a language. Even if the student is shown to be in an environment where the second language is used frequently, the learner doesn’t feel as though they are getting better. In my experience overseas, I learned that my Korean students have a lot of similarities in their mistakes (interlanguage) for example their use of pronouns or their mispronunciation of words with L and R. Because of the interlanguage theory, I could be ready for these mistakes before they arose. Also when I was teaching at a Adult ESL language college, my student Momoko from Japan had reached a state of fossilization even when she was fully immersed in the English language. Without some kind of intense classroom immersion, she kept making the same mistakes over and over. Ortega Chapter 10 Reflection The metaphor of the Chameleon in Chapter 10 is a metaphor for the constant change in dynamic of the L2 learner. The social environment is crucial that “the experience must be understood as radically social” (Ortega, 217). Language, like the individual “must be theorized as lived and contested experience, always unfinished and never fully predictable, and always contingent on the situated context of human relational activity. Ineluctably, in order to understand L2 learning from a radically social perspective, one must focus on experience that is lived, made sense of, negotiated, contested and claimed by learners in their physical, interpersonal, social, cultural and historical context” (Ortega, 218). Each representation becomes false as soon as the scenery changes is a meaning for the constant fluctuations of the individual in society – In regards to L2 learning, the student is changing in regards to the ever evolving (and sometimes devolving) social scenery in which they are thrown in to. The classroom is not the only place to learn a language. The language learner is a full representation of what language means in all context. Language, like all of us, is breathing, changing modes, rules and regulations and is, like all of us, something to grasp on to. Even if it is just for that small amount of time we have to give what we each adopt adapt and adhere to, we need to make the most of the changing colours of language. |
Annotated Bibliography
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