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Advantipagess And Disadvantages And Disadvantages Of Learning Language

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2.1 Learning vs. acquisition
When it comes to the debate about the advantages and disadvantages of learning languages in a classroom, SLA researchers also put emphasis on the distinction between the terms ‘learning’ and ‘acquiring’. Stephen Krashen (1982), a prominent linguist in the field of SLA, considers these two terms to be connected to two different ways an individual can reach proficiency in a foreign language. He sees learning as a process which includes rules and conscious attention to form, and acquisition as a process similar to the way children learn their first language, which means that they do not consciously pay attention to language form (p. 17).
Learners, therefore, according to Krashen (1982), know grammar rules, are aware …show more content…

It should mostly be used to satisfy the learner’s communicative needs (p. 22). In order to make classrooms a place that gives students more opportunities for learning a language they can use for communication and not just for learning its rules, Krashen (1982) suggests that teachers should give their students enough of comprehensible input (p. 22). This term refers to the use of language that students can understand and that can help them advance one step further.
Lightbown and Pinemann (1993) agree that comprehensible input “is an essential part of the learning environment”, but add that sometimes it is not sufficient on its own because learners require “focused instruction to further their language acquisition” (p. 718). Other researchers acknowledge the need for comprehensible input in language classrooms, but criticize Krashen’s idea that comprehensible input on its own is enough for students to make some kind of progress, while also adding that the term ‘comprehensible’ is problematic on its own, since sometimes it is extremely difficult to determine what one means by using that term (Lightbown and Spada, 2006; Brown, 2000). Long (1996, as cited in Brown, 2000) states that comprehensible input is the result of “modified interaction, [defined as] various modifications that native speakers and other interlocutors create in order …show more content…

Melvin and Stout (1987) claim that authentic materials give learners ample opportunities to practice skills they might need in real-life situations, while simultaneously learning something new about different cultures. Furthermore, Nunan and Gilmore (1999 and 2007, respectively, as cited in Bahrani and Shu Sim, 2012) consider authentic materials vital for the language teaching process because they not only motivate students “by bringing the content and the subject matter to life” but also by enabling them to make necessary connections between the classroom setting and the real world (p.

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