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.

Language Ideology and Second Language Learning

2008 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 95-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa McGarry
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Ideology ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Explanatory Power

AbstractThe increasing recognition of the concept language ideology and the corresponding increasing use of the term have not yet been matched by applications in the field of second language acquisition. However, applications of the concept in analysis of actual classroom practices have shown it to have considerable explanatory power. Greater consideration of language ideology in SLA is necessary not only to achieve greater understanding of the role of ideology in various areas but also to show connections between these areas that may yield important generalizations and to impel the application of the concept in areas where it has been neglected by highlighting its uneven treatment.

Individual differences, cognitive abilities, aptitude complexes and learning conditions in second language acquisition

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
Complex Hypothesis ◽  
Acquisition Processes

Individual differences in resource availability, and the patterns of cognitive abilities they contribute to, are important to:• explaining variation between learners in the effectiveness of second language (L2) instructional treatments;• describing differences in implicit, incidental and explicit L2 learning processes; and• explaining child-adult differences in acquisition processes, and therefore to any general theory of second language acquisition (SLA).In this article I describe a framework for research into the effects of cognitive abilities on SLA which is based on four interlocking hypotheses. These hypotheses are drawn from research in psychology, education and SLA and, where possible, I present evidence to support each of them. The hypotheses are:1) the Aptitude Complex Hypothesis;2) the Ability Differentiation Hypothesis;3) the Fundamental Difference Hypothesis; and4) the Fundamental Similarity Hypothesis.The hypotheses, and the relationships between them, define an Aptitude Complex/Ability Differentiation framework for further examining the influence of individual differences in cognitive abilities on SLA, and for developing a theoretically motivated measure of language learning aptitude. I argue that such research should adopt the interactionist approach described by Snow (1994) to identifying individual difference/learning condition interactions at a number of levels. I illustrate some of these interactions.

A Literature Review on Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Yilun Yang ◽  
Liping Chen
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Language Universals ◽  
Cognition And Learning ◽  
The Relationship

There are many factors influencing second language acquisition, such as learner external factors including social factors, the input of second language acquisition and the relationship between acquisition; internal factors including the transfer of language, cognition of second language and language universals, etc, which influence the psychological factors of learner's second language; individual differences include some factors in physiological emotion, cognition, and learning strategies. This article is to explore the role of learners in second language acquisition from the perspective of individual differences (age, aptitude, learning motivation).

scholarly journals The Role of Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition from the Perspective of Chinese Acquiring English Reflexives

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. p284
Author(s):  
Jing Song
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Universal Grammar ◽  
The Past ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Chinese And English

In China, the second language learning has always played an important role in primary and higher education. The issue of how children acquire the second language has experienced a boom in China over the past decade as the proficiency of a person’s English level mainly depends on its acquisition in primary stage. The main focus of this paper is to examine the role of UG in the second language acquisition and to what extent it plays in the process. To illustrate this, the four access hypotheses were given firstly. In addition, the role of UG from the aspect of Chinese learners’ acquiring the English reflexives was discussed. In this section, the importance of analyzing the reflexives and the different features of them in Chinese and English were exhibited.

scholarly journals A Review of Language Learning Strategy Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 522
Author(s):  
Yanfei Su
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Strategy Research ◽  
Language Learning Strategy

Language learning strategy, a crucial variable of individual differences in second language acquisition (SLA), has been a fiercely discussed topic since 1970s, attracting a large number of researchers and teachers who have already made great achievements. This article aims to conduct a small-scale review of studies concerning language learning strategy, finding that studies in this respect were done mainly from perspectives of definition, identification and classification, usage and assessment and instruction of language learning strategy, and factors which exert influences on it. It is plausible to say that research on this issue is comparatively comprehensive, appreciating wide coverage and great achievements, but certain points are still in controversy. Although there are many related studies, rare studies were devoted to language learning strategy under the context of learners in mainland China. Subsequently, implications for further research and pedagogy in terms of language learning strategy are discussed.

scholarly journals The role of feedback and instruction on the cross-situational learning of vocabulary and morphosyntax: Mixed effects models reveal local and global effects on acquisition

2020 ◽  
pp. 026765832092774
Author(s):  
Padraic Monaghan ◽  
Simón Ruiz ◽  
Patrick Rebuschat
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
First Language Acquisition ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Learning Instruction ◽  
Improved Learning

First language acquisition is implicit, in that explicit information about the language structure to be learned is not provided to children. Instead, they must acquire both vocabulary and grammar incrementally, by generalizing across multiple situations that eventually enable links between words in utterances and referents in the environment to be established. However, this raises a problem of how vocabulary can be acquired without first knowing the role of the word within the syntax of a sentence. It also raises practical issues about the extent to which different instructional conditions – about grammar in advance of learning or feedback about correct decisions during learning – might influence second language acquisition of implicitly experienced information about the language. In an artificial language learning study, we studied participants learning language from inductive exposure, but under different instructional conditions. Language learners were exposed to complex utterances and complex scenes and had to determine the meaning and the grammar of the language from these co-occurrences with environmental scenes. We found that learning was boosted by explicit feedback, but not by explicit instruction about the grammar of the language, compared to an implicit learning condition. However, the effect of feedback was not general across all aspects of the language. Feedback improved vocabulary, but did not affect syntax learning. We further investigated the local, contextual effects on learning, and found that previous knowledge of vocabulary within an utterance improved learning but that this was driven only by certain grammatical categories in the language. The results have implications for theories of second language learning informed by our understanding of first language acquisition as well as practical implications for learning instruction and optimal, contingent adjustment of learners’ environment during their learning.

scholarly journals Role of Feedback and Negotiation in Interlanguage Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 07-13
Author(s):  
Shama-E Shahid
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Interlanguage Development ◽  
Negotiation For Meaning

A central theme in second language acquisition is Interlanguage, an idea grounded on the concept that the human brain activates an innate psychological structure in a second language learning process. It is a system that is constructed by second language learners. There is a distinct language system in second language learners’ utterances which is quite different from the native speakers (Selinker 1972, p. 209-241). Interlanguage varies under diverse contexts, e.g., one domain of IL can be different from another one in terms of fluency, accuracy, and complexity. However, interlanguage can cease developing or fossilize, in any of its developmental stages due to the complexities a learner faces in acquiring a second language.  According to Mitchell et al. (2013, p.60), under the platform of interaction, feedback, modified input, negotiation for meaning, and modified input come together to facilitate second language acquisition. It is evident from this point that Feedback and Negotiation are interrelated. This paper proposes to discuss these two subjects under the umbrella term interaction and argues the role of both of them on interlanguage development, concluding with an analysis of these techniques and the pedagogical implications.

scholarly journals Investigating language aptitude in the success of adult second language acquisition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Zólyomi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Aptitude Test ◽  
Language Aptitude ◽  
Hungarian Language ◽  
Grammar Analysis

AbstractThe present study was conducted by using mixed methods design to investigate the role of language aptitude in second language acquisition (SLA). The quantitative method involved Hungarian adults (N = 27) of two kinds of schools: a technical school and three different universities. These adults participated in completing the aptitude test called Hungarian Language Aptitude Test (HUNLAT). The qualitative part included an in-depth interview, which was conducted with six participants mainly focussing on their learning habits in order to examine if there is any correspondence between aptitude and language learning habits in this sample. Within this sample, males achieved significantly higher scores on the Grammar analysis task and older students scored significantly higher on three tasks; additionally, they scored significantly higher on the total score of the HUNLAT. Furthermore, those students who scored high on the aptitude test regard themselves to be successful and those who scored low regard themselves less successful language learners. The major pedagogical implication that can be drawn from this particular research is that there are many constructs that may influence language aptitude including language learning habits, motivation, and language learning strategies; thus, EFL teachers may reconsider the role of this construct in SLA.

scholarly journals Philosophical Foundations of Second Language Acquisition

wisdom ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Lilit Melikyan
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Philosophical Foundations

The following article attempts at shedding light on the role of metacognitive practices in second language acquisition, in particular, the role of critical thinking skills as a boosting factor for the language learning process. The article suggests using some psychological-methodological mechanisms that aim at promoting critical thinking in language learning thus attaching worth attention to the role of metacognitive practices in the field.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document