scholarly journals Frequency Effects in Second Language Acquisition: An Annotated Survey

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Galip Kartal ◽  
Ece Sarigul

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between frequency and language acquisition from many perspectives including implicit and explicit instruction, frequency effects on morpheme acquisition in L2, the relationship between frequency and multi-word constructions, frequency effects on phonetics, vocabulary, gerund and infinitive constructions, bitransitive constructions, and so on. In his impressive article on frequency, Ellis (2002a) asked this crucial question about the relationship between frequency and SLA: “How exactly does the frequency of patterns in the input affect acquisition?” Another fundamental question that needs to be answered is: “What purpose does frequency serve in language acquisition?” In addition, frequency and range are said to be the most salient criteria for determining the general usefulness of a word (Koprowski, 2005). Moreover, both corpus and experimental data suggest that frequency has significant effects on second language acquisition. These questions and arguments, which constitute the foundation of frequency studies in second language acquisition, led and guided this study. This annotated survey, summarizing the studies on frequency effects on L2 learning, shows that there are still lots of ways to go with research on the relationship between frequency and second language acquisition in the literature. Some pedagogical implications are discussed with recommendations for the stakeholders of foreign language contexts (i.e. curriculum designers, coursebook writers, language teachers and learners).

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rod Ellis

Various positions regarding the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) – Language Pedagogy (LP) nexus have been advanced. Taking these as a starting point, this article will examine the nature of the SLA/LP relationship both more generally and more concretely. First, it will place the debates evident in the different positions regarding the relationship in a broader educational and professional context by examining the nature of the theory/practice nexus – because the issues at stake do not just concern SLA. Second, it will examine critically a number of options for bridging the divide (e.g. through presenting the pedagogical implications of research, engaging teachers in researching their own classroom or promoting research–teacher collaboration). Third, it will probe the relationship in terms of a framework that links (i) SLA researchers, (ii) classroom researchers, (iii) teacher educators and (iv) language teachers. This framework will serve as a basis for formulating a set of eleven principles that can guide attempts to use SLA theory and research in teacher education programmes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Dugan

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder that results in language-related symptoms at various discourse levels, ranging from semantics (e.g. inventing words and producing nonsensical strands of similar-sounding words) to pragmatics and higher-level functioning (e.g. too little or too much information given to interlocutors, and tangential discourse). Most of the literature concerning people with schizophrenia who acquire a second or foreign language suggests that these linguistic deficits are not as prominent (in some instances, altogether absent) when patients use their non-dominant language, a phenomenon that has been used to support different claims posited by psychologists and linguists about schizophrenia and second language learning alike. This review explores the relationship between second language acquisition and schizophrenia, and discusses how empirical findings regarding multilingual individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia inform current notions regarding second language acquisition.


Author(s):  
ZhaoHong Han

At the recent CLTA-S2 conference, a spirited debate occurred between critics of second language acquisition (SLA) research and researchers who embraced it. Fascinating as it was, neither camp appeared to have convinced the other, but, more important, the debate left much of the audience flummoxed. In this paper, I intend to provide a follow-up, attempting to clarify a) the relationship between research and teaching in the context of Chinese as a second language (CSL), b) misunderstandings on the part of critics over research findings, and c) potential pitfalls in interpreting the SLA literature. My goal is to encourage, as well as contribute to, further communication between the two camps, for the ultimate good of CSL instruction and learning.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Talebinejad ◽  
Aasa Moattarian

<p class="1"><span lang="X-NONE">Over the past several decades, a substantial body of research on second language acquisition has been provided. The current study was an attempt to investigate language teachers’ views on applying research findings in their every day practice of language teaching through a critical lens. Data for this qualitative study was collected by means of a semi structured interview with 10 language teachers teaching English at different language institutes in Iran. Analyses of data revealed that, although teachers find second language acquisition research a useful tool for their professional development; they do not usually consult bodies of research in their every day teaching practice. They report problems in applying second language research in their practice due to problems with practicality, particularity, and possibility. The findings suggest that language teachers need to be exposed to insight from SLA research and practice.</span></p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-433

The Editor and Board of Language Teaching are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2014 Christopher Brumfit thesis award is Dr Hilde van Zeeland. The thesis was selected by an external panel of judges based on its significance to the field of second language acquisition, second or foreign language learning and teaching, originality and creativity and quality of presentation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-159
Author(s):  
Jan H. Hulstijn

This paper predicts that the study of second language acquisition, as a young discipline of scientific inquiry in its own right, faces a bright future, but only if its scholarly community critically re-examines some notions and assumptions that have too long been taken for granted. First, it is time to reconsider familiar dichotomies, such as second versus foreign language and natural versus instructed language learning. Furthermore, it is worth checking whether and to what extent the puzzling phenomena to be explained by language acquisition theories do really exist (such as uniformity and success and fast acquisition rates in first language acquisition and universal developmental sequences in second language acquisition). The paper furthermore pleas for a multidisciplinary approach to the explanation of the fundamental puzzles of first and second language acquisition and bilingualism, including bridging the divide between psycholinguistic and socio-cultural theories.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Lynch

This article presents questions and areas of inquiry that should be pursued in Heritage Language Acquisition based on what has been done in Second Language Acquisition. Linguistic, social and educational issues are highlighted, and important parallels are made between the two fields.


2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 38-44
Author(s):  
Dilrabo Babakulova ◽  
◽  
◽  

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is one of the debatable topics regarding to speed and effectiveness in adults or children foreign language learning. There have been several researches to solve the issue; however, the results are different and contradicting. In this research two volunteers participated in three staged survey which showed children’s priority in acquiring foreign language in a short period of time.


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