Age and acquisition of a Second or Foreing Language

1. UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DE VENEZUELA
FACULTAD DE HUMANIDADES Y EDUCACIÓN
Comisión de Estudios de Postgrado
Área de Lingüística
Maestría en Inglés como Lengua Extranjera
Age and acquisition
Applied Linguistics
Sara Pacheco

2. Dispelling Myths
1. Children repeat things over and over again. This is what
we must also do.
2. Language learning is imitation. You must be a mimic.
3. First, we practice the separate sounds, then words, then
sentences. Natural order = good for language learning.
4. First listening then speaking = right order in language
learning.
5. First listening and speaking reading and writing.
6. When small, we do not translate.
7. Children do not use grammar so it is not necessary.

3. Types of comparison and contrast
Child Adult
L C1 A1
1
L C2 A2
2
(C1 – C2) (C2 – A2) (C1 – C2)
First and Second language First
second acquisition in language
language children and acquisition in
acquisition in adults, holding children and
children, second second
holding age language language
constant constant acquisition in
adults.

4. The critical period hypothesis
Critical Period
Hypothesis
Neurobiological The
Cognitive Affective Linguistics
significance of
considerations considerations considerations considerations
accent
Hemispheric
Bilingualism
considerations
Interference
Biological
between L1 and
timetables
L2
Right
Order of
hemispheric
acquisition
participation
Anthropological
evidence

5. Neurobiological considerations
 Hemispheric lateralization
begins at
Lenneberg Lateralization
around 2 and
(1967) is completed
around puberty
Geschwind Lateralization
Is completed
(1970) much earlier
Krashen Lateralization
Is completed at
(1973) 5 years old
emerges at birth
Scovel Lateralization
is evident at 5
(1984) is completed at
around puberty

6. Neurobiological considerations
 Biological Timetables
Scovel (1988) birds
Sociobiological critical period mammals
human beings?
Socially bonding accent
(1) To form an identity with (2) To attract mates of
their own community as “their own kind” in an
they anticipate roles of instinctive drive to maintain
parenting and leadership their own specie.
Not communicative fluency
Not other “higher-order” processes

7. Neurobiological considerations
 Right-Hemispheric Participation
Obler (1981) There is a significant right
hemispheric participation
particularly in early stages of
language learning
L2 learners,
particularly adults,
might benefit from
more encouragement
of right-brain activity
in classroom context.

8. Neurobiological considerations
 Anthropological evidence
Sorenson (1967) Tukano culture (South America)
12 languages
1 person 1 person
1 community => 1 language
L1 L1
“The Language
acquisition seen in adult
language learners in the is exposed to 2 is exposed to 2
largely monolingual or 3 languages or 3 languages
American middle class
speech communities may
have been inappropiately
taken to be universal…”
(Hill, 1970)

9. The significance of accent
gradually develop
Speech muscles
control complex sounds
Complete phonemic are sometimes not
control before achieved until 5
puberty
“Most of the evidence
“foreign accent”
indicates that persons
beyond the age of puberty
•Neuromuscular plasticity
do not acquire what has
•Cerebral development
come to be called
•Sociobiological programs
authentic pronunciation”.
•Environment of
(Brown, 2007)
sociocultural influences
Of course… there are exceptions

10. The significance of accent
We all know people who have less than
perfect pronunciation but who also have
excellent and fluent control of a second
language, control that can even exceed
that of many native speakers
Arnold Schwarzenegger effect

11. Cognitive considerations
Intellectual development of a child:
Piaget (1972)
•Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2)
•Preoperational stage (ages 2 to 7)
•Operational stage (ages 7 to 16)
Pro CPH •Concrete operational stage (ages 7 to 11)
•Formal operational stage (ages 11 to 16)
Singleton and Ryan (2004) Vague
lack of empirical data
Ausubel Grammar in adults is easier because of the
(1964) relevance of connection in cognition
Children do learn L2 without formal operation thought

12. Affective considerations
Affective domains:
 Emphaty Children egocentricity
 Self-esteem
Adults inhibitions
 Extroversion
 Inhibition
 Imitation
 Anxiety
 Attitudes…
Oneself-identity is inextricably bound up with one’s language
Self identity second identity
Younger children are less afraid because they are less aware of forms
Adults tend to tolerate linguistics
Peer presure differences more than children so errors
are easily excused

13. Linguistics considerations
 Biligualism
Code-switching
 Interference between L1 and L2
Solid foundation of L1
 Order of acquisition
Creative construction process

14. Issues in first language
acquisition revisited
 Competence and performance
 Comprenhension and production
 Nature or nurture?
 Universals
 Sistematicity and variability
 Language and Thought
 Imitation
 Practice and frequency
 Input
 Discourse

15. Some “age-and-acquisition-inspired”
language teaching methods
 Total Physical Response
 The Natural Approach

16. Source:
Douglas Brown, H. (2007) Principles of language learning and teaching. White Plains, NY:
Longman.
Chapter 3: Age & acquisition
Thanks