Hemispheric Lateralisation: Lateralisation of the braino Left Hemisphere: intellectual, logical and analytic functions are located in this

hemisphere.o Right Hemisphere: functions related to emotional and social needs are taken

into account in this hemisphere.

Anthropological Evidence:o Normal course of life - adults are able to acquire second

languages perfectly.o Apparent advantage of the child – motivation, affective

variables, social factors and the quality of input

Right-Hemispheric Participation:o Second language learning – significant participation (active during early stages)o Examples of hemisphere activities: strategies of meanings and of using formulaic

utterances

Biological Timetables:o Lower-order process: pronunciation – dependent on early maturing.o Higher-order language functions: semantic relations – more dependent on late

maturing neural circuits.

Human Cognition develops throughout the first years of life.

Jean Piaget – course of intellectual development in a child.Stages of Cognitive Development• Sensorimotor Stage– from birth to two: learning through

trial and error• Preoperational Stage – from two to seven: development

of language memory and intuitive intelligence• Operational Stage – from eleven to sixteen:

Concrete Operational Stage – ages seven toeleven: logical thinking and concrete referencing

Formal Operational Stage – ages eleven tosixteen: hypothetical and abstract thinking

Ausubel – takes into account what learners alreadyknow.Difference between rote and meaningful learning: littleneed for rotemost items are by meaningful learning, by attaching newexperiences to existent knowledge in the cognitiveframework

Human beings = Emotional creaturesEmotion = thought, meaning and action

Affective Domain -- there are many factors: empathy, self-esteem,extroversion, inhibition, imitation, anxiety, attitudes and so on.

Older children become more aware of themselves and moreself-conscious while they look for their self-identity

Negative Attitudes – affection in the learning process

Inhibitions: (affective equilibrium)*Puberty– physical, cognitive and emotional changes

Language Ego:*The identity developed by a person in reference to the languages/he speaks

Peer pressure:*Important variable in considering child-adult comparisons.

Bilingualism : Use of similar strategies• Coordinate Bilinguals – Distinguish separate context for the two languages• Compound Bilinguals – One meaning system fromwhich both languages operate• Code-switching – communication between bilinguals. Insertion of words, phrases, etc. of one language into another

Interference Between First and Second Language:• Children – Linguistic and cognitive processes of second language learning are similar to the first language

processesFirst and second language learning – similar strategies and linguistic features

Interference in Adults:More vulnerable in adults• Formulation of linguistic rules – Adults learning a second language manifest similar errors found in

children learning their first language• Available linguistic information – native language, second language, teachers, classmates, and peers.• First language as a facilitating factor

Order of Acquisition:• Children learning a second language use a creative construction process as they do in their first language• It is important to maintain the three types of age and language comparisons (C1-C2, C2-A2, C1-A2)