linking language learning 2

7/31/2019 Linking Language Learning 2

1/18

Linking Language & Learning 2


Comparisons &Connections

Fall 2006

Scott, Grenvicz, Schwab, Dessein


2/18


Series Overview This is the second of three power point presentations

designed to make you think about second languagelearning.

This presentation begins with guiding questions toengage you in the material.

Discussion questions appear at the end of thispresentation. You will write your ideas about thesequestions and turn them in to your teacher.


3/18


Series Overview In the first presentation we talked about the meaning

of COMMUNICATION.

We also reviewed what is means to be BILINGUAL.

In this presentation we will compare first and secondlanguage acquisition.

This presentation will also engage you in a discussionof what it means to use your second language toconnect to other areas of interest.


4/18


Guiding questions What are the

differences betweenhow babies learn theirfirst language (L1) andadults learn a secondlanguage (L2)?

Do children have to betaught how to speak?

How long does it take achild to become fluentin her native language?

mamapapa


5/18


Three theories:

1. Environmentalist2. Nativist

3. Interactionist


6/18


1. Environmentalist theories

Environment shapes learning andbehavior

Children react to their surroundingsChildren learn language from

Input Trial and error Error correction


7/18


2. Nativist theories

Children do not need any kind of formalteaching to learn to speak.

Children are born with a natural capacity tolearn language.

The brain contains systems for recognizing

patterns of sound. Chomskys theories and critical period

theories are important in nativist theories.


8/18


Noam Chomskys L-A-DChomskys theory of the LAD

(Language Acquisition Device)states that every human isborn with innate principles oflanguage.

Children learn languagespontaneously and speakcreatively.

The poverty of the stimulustheory states that whatchildren hear is incompleteand often ungrammatical, andcannot account for thecreativity of theirutterances.


9/18


Critical period hypothesis:

There is a critical period for languagelearning.

There is no agreement about how long thissensitive period lasts.

Genie the American wild child provided

evidence that language cannot be learnedafter puberty.


10/18


Genie In the fall of 1970, social workers took custody of a 13-year-old child who had

spent much of her life chained to a potty chair in her bedroom. She could notspeak, walk, or respond to other people. She was called "Genie." Her caseattracted psychologists who were interested in finding out whether she couldstill learn to speak. At the time, some linguists, led by MIT's Noam Chomsky,believed that human speech is a genetically programmed ability. Eric

Lenneberg, a neuropsychologist, agreed with Chomsky and added further thatif a person did not learn to speak by adolescence, then the natural ability tolearn language might be lost forever. This theory was the so-called "criticalperiod hypothesis."

Although Genie's situation was one that scientists would never create

intentionally to test their theories, her unfortunate circumstances made her aprime candidate for experimentation. Genie was past puberty. If she couldstill learn language, it would cast doubt on the critical period hypothesis.Ultimately, Genie's caretakers were criticized for combining their researchwith her treatment.


11/18


Genie's vocabulary grew by leaps and bounds, but she was still notable to string words together into meaningful sentences. Normalchildren begin by learning to say simple sentences, like "No havetoy." Soon they are able to say "I not have toy." Eventually they

will learn to say, "I do not have the toy.' Later they will refine the

sentence to say, "I don't have the toy." Genie seemed to be stuckat the first stage.

We do learn many words from experience, from seeing, hearing,reading, and asking. But some scientists think that learning how

to speak in sentences and sensing how words get put together inlogical order also depends on something that is built into ourbrains from birth. Was Genie's brain missing something which

was necessary for learning language?

Genie


12/18


Genie Over the next couple of years, some scientists concluded that Genie was not

mentally retarded, even though she was still unable to master language. Shewas brilliant at nonverbal communication. Sometimes she would be sofrustrated at not being able to say what she wanted that she would grab apencil and paper and in a few strokes, illustrate fairly complex ideas and even

feelings. She scored the highest recorded score ever on tests that measure aperson's ability to make sense out of chaos and to see patterns. Her abilities tounderstand and to think logically were also strong. She had a perfect score onan adult-level test that measured spatial abilities. One test required that sheuse a set of colored sticks to recreate a complicated structure from memory.She was not only able to build the structure perfectly, she built it with sticks

of the exact same color as the first structure! Despite all this, Genie remainedunable to master the basics of language.

http://www.feralchildren.com/en/showchild.php?ch=genie


13/18


3. Interactionist theories: Children require interaction

with a care-giver to developlanguage.

Children follow the attentionof the care-giver and learn

to direct the attention ofthe care-giver; theseactivities involve intentionreading and pattern findingskills.

Communication is 3-way:child, adult, object.

Language structure emergesfrom language use.


14/18


Second language learning Think about these questions related to

learning a second language as an adult: Does an adult learn a second language the way a

child learns a first language? If not, what happened to the LAD? Is there a critical period for L2 acquisition? Which is better classroom learning or immersion

experience?


15/18


Second language learning Most people agree that there is a fundamental

difference between L1 and L2 learning because:

All children learn their first language easily and well whereasadults vary in their ultimate mastery of a second language.

Children do not need to be taught their first languagewhereas adults benefit from formal instruction.

Children are intrinsically motivated to learn their nativelanguage whereas adult mastery of a second language isdependent upon attitude, motivation, and aptitude.


16/18


Second language learningDespite the disadvantages of learning a second language in

adulthood you are naturally endowed with important L2 learningabilities:

mature problem-solving abilities

general understanding about the nature of human interaction. competence in your native language.

Give yourself credit! After relatively little formal instruction, you can use your L2 to

gather information about many other subjects. Read thefollowing slide telling about Genie in French. You dont knowevery word, but how much can you understand?

Is there new information about Genie that was not included inthe earlier information in English?


17/18


Genie est le nom dune jeune fille . dcouverte Los Angeles le 4 novembre 1970.Ne en avril 1957, Genie tait le quatrime enfant d'un couple instable. Sa

mre tait partiellement aveugle cause d'une cataracte et d'undcollement de la rtine. Son pre, de vingt ans l'an de sa mre, taitun dsquilibr mental, longtemps dpressif.

l'ge de vingt mois, Genie allait tout juste commencer parler quand unmdecin annona sa famille qu'elle semblait un peu lente,probablement mentalement retarde. Le pre de Genie a interprt cetavis l'extrme et, la croyant profondment retarde, lui a fait subirun svre isolement et un maltraitement rituel, afin de la protger .

Jusqu' sa dcouverte, l'ge de treize ans et sept mois, Genie taitattache une chaise et portait des couches-culottes. Elle ne parlaitpas et pouvait seulement babiller comme un enfant. On disait que sonpre la battait chaque fois qu'elle essayait de formuler un mot etinterdisait sa femme et son fils de lui parler. Pendant plus d'unedcennie elle fut compltement clotre, laisse seule dans une pice,sans aucune forme d'change, de quelque sorte que ce soit, avec unhumain.


18/18


Final discussion questionsWrite your ideas about these questions and turn them in to your

teacher:

What theory of L1 acquisition makes the most sense

to you: environmental, nativist, or interactionist?Explain.

If you were asked to use French to explore anothersubject area, what would you choose (science, law,

art, music, politics, etc.)? Explain.This Power Point presentation is available at:

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/french_ital/faculty/scott

linking language learning 2

Documents