Ways of seeing: The individual and the social in applied linguistics research methodologies

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Benson
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
Research Methodologies ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual

Those who have advocated social approaches to applied linguistics have often been critical of the individualism of second language acquisition (SLA) research. This paper identifies the emergence of a more balanced view of the social and individual in recent work. Adopting Berger's (1972) metaphor of ‘ways of seeing’, it offers a history of applied linguistics based on three eras: the era of ‘the invisible learner’, the era of ‘learner-centredness’, and the era of ‘person-centredness’, which we may now be entering. It suggests dominant research methodologies have led to the particular ways of seeing language learners that are characteristic of each of the three eras. In spite of the critique of individualism, the preference for individual case studies in social approaches is leading to a new theoretical focus on the individual that may be best captured by the term ‘person-centredness’.

scholarly journals Dialectic Second language acquisition and optimal learning age: جدلية اكتساب اللغة الثانية والعمر الأمثل للتعلم

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 40-26
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ismail Amayreh Muhammad Ismail Amayreh
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Neutral System ◽  
Optimal Learning ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Reality ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual

The issue of language education is one of the most delicate human issues. It is very relevant to the social and political history of society and is also one of the issues imposed by human reality. It is also one of the issues that has intensified the differences between linguists and psychologists in the ways of acquiring them. Perhaps there are things that stand in front of the acquisition of the second language, language is not a neutral system or a tool to be used in a timely manner or in a generation and that’s it, but is a language with its luster and heritage and attractiveness, what are the factors that stand in front of the acquisition of the second language? Is there a real conflict between languages ​​affecting the acquisition of language in children? What are the most important stages of growth in children and their relation to linguistic development? In fact, there is a difference between mother tongue, second language and foreign language, differentiating between these concepts will make it easier for us to reach the appropriate age to acquire the language. The reason is that the acquisition or learning of any language stems from the goals related to the life of the individual, whether professional, economic or social. The bilingual issue raises an important question: Are the two linguistic systems of the human brain separate or connected?

scholarly journals Complexity and identity reconstruction in second language acquisition

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 515-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliane Assis Sade
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
Social Formation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Identity Reconstruction ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Theoretical Issues ◽  
Complex Chaotic System

The participation of the individual in different discursive practices contributes to the social formation of identity which is not only constituted, but also, fractalized and emerged via discourse. Taking the concept of polyphony, proposed by Bakhtin (1981, 1986), this work intends to discuss the social formation of the self and the emergence of multiple identities through the perspective of Complexity Theory. Borrowing the concepts of attractors, bifurcation points and fractals from Chaos Theory, and relating them to identity issues, this paper shows how the acknowledgement of identity as a complex/chaotic system can be useful to a deeper understanding of the language acquisition process. Some narratives of AMFALE project are used in order to exemplify the theoretical issues proposed.

Second Language Acquisition: Error Analysis

1980 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 91-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack C. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Error Analysis ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Errors Analysis

The collection, classification, and analysis of errors in the written and spoken performance of second or foreign language learners has had a role in language pedagogy since at least the 1950s. However, in the late 60s, and paticularly in the 70s, the study of errors in non-native language performance, or Errors Analysis (EA), assumed a new role in applied linguistics. A more rigorous methodology for EA developed, and it was applied to new issues and questions within second language acquisition research. Yet, by 1980, EA was largely considered a transitional development in applied linguistics. This review considers the nature, development, and achievements of Error Analysis in the period from 1970 to 1980. We will consider EA from three perspectives, reviewing the use of Error Analysis: (1) to account for linguistic competence; (2) to identify learning processes and strategies, and (3) to provied input to language pedagogy.

Second language acquisition: past, present and future

1993 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Gass
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

This article considers the relationship between second language acquisition (SLA) and other disciplines. It begins by reviewing the history of SLA studies, relating them to the broader picture of applied linguistics and language pedagogy. It is argued that the recognition of SLA as a field which can make valuable contributions to other fields is essential for the continuation and vitality of the field. Specific examples of how SLA has been important to the fields of linguistics, pedagogy and psychology are given.

Generative Research on Second Language Acquisition

1995 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 92-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Eubank
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Defining Moment ◽  
History Of ◽  
Principles And Parameters

A defining moment in the history of generative research on language acquisition was the advent of the Principles and Parameters (P&P) approach (Chomsky 1981). Generative research on second-language (L2) acquisition was no different in this regard, but there was a distinct twist: The L2 research agenda has also often been informed by the possibility that the L2 learner may not have “access” to the innate linguistic endowment described by Chomsky and others (Bley-Vroman 1990, Clahsen and Muysken 1986). It was thus perhaps inevitable that one might find a volume like Point Counterpoint (Eubank 1991), in which researchers with generally opposing viewpoints addressed this possibility. However, while the issue will likely be examined again in future volumes, an appraisal of more recent L2 research suggests that the “access” question no longer dominates the L2 research agenda. Instead, more recent work suggests an agenda in which “access” to UG is presupposed. The purpose of this review is thus not only to review research on the L2 “access” thesis from the 1980s and 1990s, but, more importantly, to provide an overview of more recent L2 research that is not fundamentally constrained by this issue.

Acquiring variable commands at home and abroad: Examining optatives and imperatives in L1 and L2 Spanish

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-113
Author(s):  
Farrah Neumann ◽  
Matthew Kanwit
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Individual ◽  
At Home

AbstractSince many linguistic structures are variable (i. e. conveyed by multiple forms), building a second-language grammar critically involves developing sociolinguistic competence (Canale and Swain. 1980. Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics 1(1). 1–47), including knowledge of contexts in which to use one form over another (Bayley and Langman. 2004. Variation in the group and the individual: Evidence from second language acquisition. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 42(4). 303–318). Consequently, researchers interested in such competence have increasingly analyzed the study-abroad context to gauge learners’ ability to approximate local norms following a stay abroad, due to the quality and quantity of input to which learners may gain access (Lafford. 2006. The effects of study abroad vs. classroom contexts on Spanish SLA: Old assumptions, new insights and future research directions. In Carol Klee & Timothy Face (eds.), Selected proceedings of the 7th conference on the acquisition of Spanish and Portuguese as first and second languages, 1–25. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project). Nevertheless, the present study is the first to examine native or learner variation between imperative (e. g. ven ‘come’) and optative Spanish commands (e. g. que vengas ‘come’). We first performed a corpus analysis to determine the linguistic factors to manipulate in a contextualized task, which elicited commands from learners before and after four weeks abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Their overall rates of selection and predictive factors were compared to local native speakers (NSs) and a control group of at-home learners.Results revealed that the abroad learners more closely approached NS rates of selection following the stay abroad. Nonetheless, for both learner groups conditioning by independent variables only partially approximated the NS system, which was more complex than previously suggested.

Engagement in language learning: A systematic review of 20 years of research methods and definitions

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110012
Author(s):  
Phil Hiver ◽  
Ali H. Al-Hoorie ◽  
Joseph P. Vitta ◽  
Janice Wu
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Active Learner

At the turn of the new millennium, in an article published in Language Teaching Research in 2000, Dörnyei and Kormos proposed that ‘active learner engagement is a key concern’ for all instructed language learning. Since then, language engagement research has increased exponentially. In this article, we present a systematic review of 20 years of language engagement research. To ensure robust coverage, we searched 21 major journals on second language acquisition (SLA) and applied linguistics and identified 112 reports satisfying our inclusion criteria. The results of our analysis of these reports highlighted the adoption of heterogeneous methods and conceptual frameworks in the language engagement literature, as well as indicating a need to refine the definitions and operationalizations of engagement in both quantitative and qualitative research. Based on these findings, we attempted to clarify some lingering ambiguity around fundamental definitions, and to more clearly delineate the scope and target of language engagement research. We also discuss future avenues to further advance understanding of the nature, mechanisms, and outcomes resulting from engagement in language learning.

scholarly journals Studying individual differences in the social environment to better understand language learning and processing

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiri Lev-Ari
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Linguistic Performance ◽  
The Social

AbstractPeople learn language from their social environment. Therefore, individual differences in the input that their social environment provides could influence their linguistic performance. Nevertheless, investigation of the role of individual differences in input on performance has been mostly restricted to first and second language acquisition. In this paper I argue that individual differences in input can influence linguistic performance even in adult native speakers. Specifically, differences in input can affect performance by influencing people’s knowledgebase, by modulating their processing manner, and by shaping expectations. Therefore, studying the role that individual differences in input play can improve our understanding of how language is learned, processed and represented.

The Politics of Debt and Europe's Relations with the 'South'

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Essential Feature ◽  
The South ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
Past Injustice ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Global North ◽  
The Individual ◽  
North And South

While debt has the capacity to sustain social relations by joining together the two parties of a debt relation, it also contains the risk of deteriorating into domination and bargaining. Throughout history, different understandings of debt have therefore gravitated between reciprocity and domination, making it a key concept for understanding the dynamics of both social cohesion and fragmentation. The book considers the social, spatial and temporal meanings of this ambiguity and relates them to contemporary debates over debts between North and South in Europe, which in turn are embedded in a longer global history of North-South relations. The individual chapters discuss how debts incurred in the past are mobilised in political debates in the present. This dynamic is highlighted with regard to regional and global North-South relations. An essential feature in debates on this topic is the difficult question of retribution and possible ways of “paying” – a term that is etymologically connected to “pacification” – for past injustice. Against this backdrop, the book combines a discussion of the multi-layered European and global North-South divide with an effort to retrieve alternatives to the dominant and divisive uses of debt for staking out claims against someone or something. Discovering new and forgotten ways of thinking about debt and North-South relations, the chapters are divided into four sections that focus on 1) debt and social theory, 2) Greece and Germany as Europe’s South and North, 3) the ‘South’ between the local, the regional and the global, and 4) debt and the politics of history.

scholarly journals Different speakers, different grammars

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Dąbrowska
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Inflectional Morphology ◽  
Subordinate Clauses ◽  
General Rules ◽  
Widespread Belief ◽  
Ultimate Attainment

This article reviews several recent studies suggesting that — contrary to a widespread belief — adult monolingual native speakers of the same language do not share the same mental grammar. The studies examined various aspects of linguistic knowledge, including inflectional morphology, passives, quantifiers, and more complex constructions with subordinate clauses. The findings suggest that, in some cases, language learners attend to different cues in the input and end up with different grammars; in others, some speakers extract only fairly specific, ‘local’ generalizations which apply to particular subclasses of items while others acquire more abstract rules which apply ‘across the board’. At least some of these differences are education-related: more educated speakers appear to acquire more general rules, possibly as a result of more varied linguistic experience. These findings have interesting consequences for research on bilingualism, particularly for research on ultimate attainment in second language acquisition, as well as important methodological implications for all language sciences.

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