A Successful Multi-language Learner: Fabian Wang

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Who

Fabian

Background

Born in Miami, Florida, USA Mother Language-English and Portuguese

Acquires 7 languages a supervisor in Customer Disputes for American

Express (before) Been living here for 3 years An English teacher (now) Now is learning for Taiwanese

Purpose

Four Reasons:

1. He learns most of the languages by himself.

2. He can acquire languages well without spending a long period of time.

3. He has experiences of teaching foreigners Chinese.

4. When he speaks Chinese, his intonation is good. Most people agree that the intonation of Chinese is a great challenge for foreign learners.

Data Collection Methods

E-mail interview Face to face interview Video-taking Picture-taking Recording

Analysis

Multiple Intelligence Aptitude Personality Learning Styles Motivation and Attitudes Age of Acquisition and the CPH

Multiple Intelligence

Linguistic-intelligence

Interpersonal-intelligence

Intrapersonal-intelligence

Aptitude

Identify and memorize new sounds

Understand function of particular words in sentences

Figure out grammatical rules from language samples

Remember new words

Personality

Extroversion→ can easily talk with strangers

→ when you are learning a foreign language, never be shy

Risk-taking→ He would not afraid of speaking no matter what he said

might be wrong or not.

→ Learners should put into practice what has been learned

Learning Styles

Auditory learner in high school.→ he never took notes in classes

Becomes a visual learner when learning foreign languages.

→ made index cards with vocabulary

kept writing when studying books

Learning Styles

Field-Independent > Field-dependent

→ recognize the rule and the system of everything

Left brain > Right brain

→ analyzing grammatical structures is important and necessary

Motivation and Attitudes

1) Spanish → making friends → instrumental

→ the environment → extrinsic

2) Italian → earning money → instrumental

→ learning voluntarily → intrinsic

Motivation and Attitudes

3) French

★ the former period : professor’s suggestion →integrative & extrinsic

★ the later period: had a French girlfriend → instrumental & intrinsic

Motivation and Attitudes

4) Cantonese → learning martial art

→ intrinsic & instrumental

5) Mandarin → for working

→ intrinsic & instrumental

Age of Acquisition and the CPH As an adult, he could understand grammar.

Although learning foreign languages after 18

(after puberty), his pronunciation is good.

CPH couldn’t be supported on this case.

Discussion

Behaviorism

Innatism

Interactionism

Behaviorism

Imitation

★ Be an actor.

Listen Imitate Memorize

“ Your brain is very big!”

Practice

★ Seize every moment to practice

Stick note-cards everywhere.

★ Use the dictionary

divide words into many themes

Behaviorism

Behaviorism

Practice

★ Write a lot and read a lot.

“If you do not practice, you will forget!”

★ Mingle with native speakers

make girlfriends

Behaviorism

Reinforcement

(positive feedback)

★ Encouragement from the French teacher

★ A strong desire for languages inside his soul

Habit formation

★ Make learning all the languages as a habit

★ Study books from 10 am to 3 pm daily

Behaviorism

CAH

The similarities between L1 and TL makes Fabian acquire three target languages with ease.

The Latin Languages Fabian acquired

FrenchFrenchItalianItalian SpanishSpanish

PortuguesePortuguese

▲ ▲

L1

TL

▲

CAH

We think it’s difficult to acquire TL.

However, Fabian skills at finding rules and patterns of TL

so he learned TL well.

EnglishEnglish&&

PortuguesePortuguese

ChineseChinese&&

CantoneseCantonese

Mother Languages Target Languages

differentdifferent

Innatism

★ Innatist theory have argued that UG offers the best perspective to understand SLA.

★ Other linguists argue that UG is not a good explanation for SLA, especially by learners who have passed the critical period.

Innatism

★ Fabian learned most of the languages after18.

★ Doesn’t believe in natural talent.

★ Anybody has the ability to do anything they want!

★ Age is not a problem; don’t say you are too old to

learn a language.

Krashen’s “monitor model” (1982) The monitor hypothesis

★ Have no aware of the intonation.

★ When speaking Mandarin, he thinks of the

way that native people speak.

Krashen’s “monitor model” (1982) Input Hypothesis

★(i+1) →A lot of writing and try to read immediately.

★ Read book:

(basic) → (intermediate) → (advanced)

Kids book → friends’ mails → novel

★ Write down anything that he want to say.

Innatism-Affective filter Hypothesis Didn’t really learn much about languages in

the school.

Because of …..

Boring courses, no motivation…

Ex: Spanish course.

Innatism-Affective filter Hypothesis All languages he learned come for big

motivation that made him have positive side for learning languages.

Ex: when he went back to Florida, people around him speaking Spanish, so he had to learn it.

Information Processing

Norman Segalowitz (2003)-

→ “Pay attention”

Make vocabulary cards stick everywhere…

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory

★ Language development takes place in the social interactions between individuals.

★ Speaking (and writing) mediate thinking.

★ Zone of proximal development (ZPD): when there is support from interaction with an interlocutor, the learner is capable of performing at a higher level.

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory Exposed to the native environment

→Put himself into the situation

Hold chance to interact with speakers who speak the language.

→ Only hand out with people who speak Italian when he learned it.

Learner Beliefs

Be an actor

Don’t set a high wall in front of you.

Know how to say the correct way incorrectly

= Know the right way to speak wrong

Thank you for your listening