Foreign Language Teaching in the United StatesTheories from Linguistics

By Electra Nicolaysen, English Language Auxiliar, Fernando III El Santo

Lessons from LinguisticsEarly Acquisition Theory on Languages: *Languages are acquired at the same rate, regardless of the specific language, by babies. *In theory, the brain is best equipped to learn additional languages before puberty. Around puberty the readiness to learn a new language begins to decrease slightly. *This suggests that the earlier a child has prolonged exposure to a second language, the more successful the child will be at achieving fluency in that language.

The lesson: The earlier a person is exposed to a second language, the more successful they can be at achieving fluency.

Phases of Second Language Acquisition1. Silent period (sometimes): In this phase, a learner has a receptive

vocabulary of ~500 words but does not yet speak the language. Not all learners experience this stage.

2. Early production: Speakers can speak in short, 1-2 word phrases. They may memorize chunks of language but make mistakes using them. They have a vocabulary of around 1000 words. This stage lasts around six months.

3. Speech emergence: Learners’ vocabularies at this stage consist of ~3000 words. They can communicate using simple questions and phrases but may make grammatical errors.

4. Intermediate fluency: Learners have a vocabulary of around 6000 words, can use more complicated sentence structures, and express thoughts and opinions.

5. Advanced fluency (the Holy Grail): At this stage, which is typically reached after 5-10 years of learning a language, language learners can function at a level close to native speakers.

The Lesson: Learning a second language takes TIME, PATIENCE, and PRACTICE.

Language/Speech Centers in the Brain

Broca’s Area:• Broca’s Area is located in

the left frontal lobe and controls speech production and language comprehension.

Wernicke’s Area:• Wernicke’s Area is in the

cerebral cortex and is involved in the understanding of written and spoken language.

The Lesson: Both areas of the brain require exercise when learning a language—thus, all aspects of language (listening, speaking, writing) should be practiced as often as possible.

Learning Style Preferences in Language Learning

Visual learners usually enjoy reading and prefer to see the words that they are learning. They also like to learn by looking at pictures and flashcards.

Auditory learners prefer to learn by listening. They enjoy conversations and the chance for interactions with others. They don’t need to see words written down. (A recent study has found that Koreans and Japanese students tend to be visual learners, whereas English-speaking Americans prefer the auditory learning style.)

Tactile learners learn by touching and manipulating objects - this is known as “hands-on” work.

Kinesthetic learners like movement and need frequent breaks in desk activities.

Source: http://esl.fis.edu/parents/advice/styles.htm

Incorporating These Theories in the Classroom

Because languages involve so many parts of the brain, and because learners have different preferences for learning a language, a typical lesson plan incorporates several types of activities:

listening comprehension question and answer dialoguesfill-in-the-blanksgroup or pair work pronunciation practice (sometimes)explanations of grammar or usagehomework (often writing-based)

Incorporating Theories in the Classroom (Part II)

A typical lesson plan will also generally include several mediums of presentation, like: spoken word music visuals (ex. writing on the board) worksheets games conversation practice class participation cultural exposure (e.g. looking at how ‘Dia de los Muertos’ is celebrated in Mexico or sampling Salvadorian pupusas) Lesson: Incorporate many mediums and try to get students interested in the culture (give them a reason to want to learn).