Similarities And Differences Between First And Second Language Acquisition

Many popular theories of second language acquisition have been analyzed throughout history. The socialization of L2 learners, their present emotional state that is present at time of acquisition, as well as the comprehensible input and output with the use of scaffolding play a major role in second language acquisition. Let us also not forget the importance of written expression as well as reading comprehension with these L2 learners. Each play a role in language development. However, I believe that in acquiring a language, one must use a variety of techniques that work together to create a balance within the learning environment. Furthermore, all L2 learners learn differently and so a variety of resources will need to be used based on the ability of each student. There are many theories that have been developed by highly qualified experts in the field on linguistics. However, I will address those areas that I agree with as I present my personal theories on second language acquisition.

Judie Haynes’ article, “Stages of Second Language Acquisition”, clearly states five stages that a new learner of English may go through. In Haynes’ theory, there are five stages in total, and they are pre-production, early production, speech emergence, intermediate fluency, and advanced fluency. According to Haynes, new learners of English acquire language by going through the same stages. However, how much time each student spends at a particular stage may be different. Despite the different time length, the stages of people acquiring new language are worth discussing.

According to oncology nurse, Suzanne Robin in her article “Why Is It Easier for a Child to Learn a New Language Than an Adult,” “Young children are hard-wired to learn language in the first few years of life. When frequently exposed to two languages, they unconsciously acquire the second language naturally, applying the same skills they use to acquire their native language. Older children and adults have to learn the language consciously by studying it.” (2014, para. 2).

'First Language Acquisition' or also known as the 'Child Language Acquisition' is a process whereby children from infancy through early school years acquire their first languages (Lightbown & Spada, 2006). The term 'First Language Acquisition' or 'FLA' can be referred to the field that investigates the process by which children develop to use words and sentences in

Children are taught their first language/s (L1) at home this is known as their mother- tongue. Children may be taught two languages at once from the time of infancy this is called bilingualism. Regardless of what these languages are each and every children will learn the same way. The learning process is done gradually and takes at least 8 years to become

Many popular theories of second language acquisition have been analyzed throughout history. The socialization of L2 learners, their present emotional state that is present at the time of acquisition, as well as the comprehensible input and output with the use of scaffolding play a major role in second language acquisition. Kirsten Hummel states, “The one most effective way to increase L2 competence was by exposure to ‘comprehensible input’.” (Hummel, 2014, p. 73) Let us also not forget the importance of written expression as well as reading comprehension with these L2 learners. Each plays a role in language development. However, I believe that to acquire language one must use a variety of techniques that work together to create a balance within the learning environment. Furthermore, all L2 learners acquire language differently and so using a variety of resources that are based on the ability of each student is neccesary. There are many theories that have been developed by highly qualified experts in the field of linguistics. However, I will address those areas that I agree with as I present my personal theories on second language acquisition.

The following terms may be used in readings and research publications to describe second-language learners: bilingual leaner, English as a second-language student, student with limited English proficiency, language-minority learner, English-language learner, and linguistically diverse student. A bilingual child can be described as a child younger than 3 years of age who learns two (sometimes more) languages at the same time or a child who learns a second language after age 3. Sequential acquisition describes what occurs when a child starts to learn a second a language after the first language is only partially established- such as when a young child enrolls in a school where his native language is not spoken. Bilingual children initially might have smaller vocabularies when each language is considered separately. But when one considers that the memory capacity of young children is limited and this restricts their rate of vocabulary acquisition, it is understandable. Bilingual children have two sets of vocabularies to learn. At any particular point during development, one would expect them to know fewer vocabulary items in each language but approximately the same number when both languages are considered. Many experts suggest that if more than one language is spoken in the home and both languages are spoken well, the infant should be exposed to both from the beginning. However, if, as is so

Language carries the beauty and persona of our thought process and the study of Linguistics helps us develop insights, appreciate and analyze many aspects of this powerful medium of expression. My fascination with Second Language Acquisition (SLA) began with the course ‘Language Acquisition and Learning’ that I took while I was in the 4th year of my undergraduate program at the University of Dhaka. In that course, for the first time, I was introduced to various theories and hypotheses about how people acquire a second language, such as Stephen Krashen’s five main hypotheses on language acquisition (the acquisition-learning hypothesis, the monitor hypothesis, the natural order hypothesis, the input hypothesis, and the affective filter hypothesis), Larry Selinker’s Interlanguage theory, John Schumann’s Acculturation model, and Howard Giles’s Accommodation theory. These theories helped me realize the robustness and richness of SLA research and made a permanent impression on my mind about this field. Besides SLA, I was also acquainted with Psycholinguistics through this course. I have learned about several theories of first language acquisition, e.g. the Behaviorist theory, the Innatist theory, the Cognitive theory, and the Maturational theory. It is worth mentioning here that this course really helped me set my dream to become an academic as well as a researcher in the field of language acquisition and learning.

The first area of difference between first (L1) and second (L2) language learning is input – specifically the quality and quantity of input. It is the idea of the "connectionist model that implies... (that the) language learning process depends on the input frequency and regularity" (5).. It is here where one finds the greatest difference between L1 and L2 acquisition. The quantity of exposure to a target language a child gets is immense compared to the amount an adult receives. A child hears the language all day everyday, whereas an adult learner may only hear the target language in the classroom – which could be as little as three hours a week. Even if one looks at an adult in a total submersion situation the quantity is still less because the amount of one on one interaction that a child gets for example with a parent or other caregiver is still much greater then the adult is receiving.

There are a growing number of researchers that have begun to question the exclusion of the L1 from the L2 classroom (Turnbull, 2001; Macaro, 2001; Van Lier, 1995). However, many teachers are still resistant to use the L1 in foreign language learning. According to Cook (2001) & Van Lier (1995), one reason for this teacher

When discussing about “In other words”, Bialystok and Hakuta state that there is some thought that children who may appear to be learning a second languge very quickly at a vey young age (before the age of 5). They further state that accompanied by the loss of their first language, have really replaced the first language with the second language.

Acquiring the first language is much easier than acquiring any second language as it comes “naturally” after birth. The child passes through different stages before acquiring the language till he masters it. Children follow a predictive language development through their language acquisition but it can vary from a child to another according to the external surroundings especially in the early stages.

Take a look around in any instruction manual, what do you notice besides the instructions? The fact that it is printed in at least two different languages, sometimes even more than that. The United States is often referred to as the melting pot of many cultures. This is shown in everyday life from an instruction manual for new products to having alternate language television channels. The use of a second language is becoming a necessity of life. Second language acquisition (SLA) is the acquiring of a language that is not the native language spoken by an individual. It is often referred to as speaking a foreign language, but it is more than just speaking, it is a complete learning process (Troike, 2012). Acquiring a second language is only part of the situation; when should it be taught is the question more people are asking. A second language is necessary and should be taught in elementary school because of the nation’s need for multilingualism, the early learning of a language is easier, the creativity of diversity is enhanced, and it can have a social impact on our changing society.

Abstract: In second language acquisition, age factors has always been the study focus and one of the most controversial issues of linguistics. Based on the Brain Plasticity Theory and the Critical Period Hypothesis, the purpose is to prove such a hypothesis that the younger the leaner who begins to learn an second language,the greater the probability that he or she will achieve a native-like command of it.

There are two main theories behind why students make their errors in second language acquisition. The first is Contrastive Analysis (CA) and the second is the Creative Construction hypothesis. Each occurs in second language learning to some degree but the supporters of each theory debate how much of a role their theories play in second language acquisition (Folder, 60, 68). Strong supporters of CA would say that all errors are a result of the differences between the native language and the new language being studied where as strong supports of the Creative construction hypothesis would claim its primarily the students making their own judgments of the rules of the language with little influence from their native language. There are also weaker versions of each theory that concedes that errors occur as a result of the student’s native language and as a result of creative constructions (Folder, 66, 71).