Acquisition of aforeign language.

Summary:O With the aim of applying useful and beneficial

techniques in foreign language teaching, it is

important to understand the inner processes of

language acquisition, initially in our mother tongue, so

as to analyse the same processes in second

language acquisition.

O What are we going to go through?

- Differences and similarities between the acquisition

of the L1 and L2.

- Factor influence: Age, (infancy or at adulthood),

context (natural social environment, learned in the

classroom, corresponding limitations, etc.), Motivation

and anxiety .

L1 The first language acquisition.

O “Learning the first language is but one part of the

young child's overall development into a fully-

fledged member of society. Language enables

the child to express feelings, ideas, wishes in a

socially accepted manner‟ (KLEIN, 1986: 5-6).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZatrvNDOiE

Features of the acquisition of L1

O Children learn their native language when

they communicate through other sources :

body language, intonation, gestures, facial

expression

The baby human: To talk

O Children learn their native language when words and phrases are repeated themselves.

O They are not aware they are learning a language structure, spontaneous learning.

O Kids learn their first language practicing and speaking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4J0cf3G7rE

Difference between acquisitionand learning.

O Acquisition:

Natural process we said before.

O Learning:

- It is a conscious process that occurs throughformal classroom instruction which involvesexplicit knowledge of a language as a system

- Internalization of a linguistic and cultural systemthrough systematic reflection and guided in itsentirety

The Natural approach

O Krashen: „The classroom will probably never be

able to completely overcome its limitations, not

does it have to. Its goal is not to substitute for the

outside world, but to bring students to the point

where they can begin to use the outside world

for further acquisition‟ (1987: 59).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTVbdstastI#t=31

Different influence factors

OContext:

Lyster “research has clearly demonstrated thatimmersion students, regardless of programtype, develop much higher levels of secondlanguage proficiency than do non-immersionstudents studying the second language as a regularsubject‟

Different influence factors

OAge:

• Between the age of two

and puberty the human

brain shows the

plasticity, which

allows a child to

acquire first language.

(KLEIN) (unconscious

learning)• Adults have much more difficulty

as there brain is not in the same

point, they associate and make

transference with there own

language to. (conscious)

• Motivation is a very important

fact.

Best learning period of L2

O There is a time in human development

when the brain is predisposed for

success in language learning.

Developmental changes in the brain,

affect the nature of language

acquisition, and language learning that

occurs after the end of the critical

period may not be based on the innate

biological structures believed to

contribute to first language

acquisition‟ (Lightbown and Spada,

2006: 68).

Motivation and anxiety in second language acquisition a fact to have in

to accountO Foreign language learners are prone to

experience a range of emotions andfeelings during this complex process dueto internal and external factors

O If students perceive that a task is difficultbut experience feelings of joy relief or pridewhile doing it, they tend to adjustperceptions and become willing to try newactivities in the future.

Bibliography

O http://www2.fe.ccoo.es/andalucia/docu/p5sd8747.p

df

O http://www.tedpower.co.uk/esl0412.html

O http://www.unioviedo.es/aal/archivos_pdf/Tema3%

20AdqAprenLE_completo.pdf

O http://web.ebscohost.com/