英语二语习得66题问答+答案

Discussion Questions of SLAChapter 1: Learning a first language1. Think of three or four telegraphic sentences that a young child might produce. These may be in English or another language you know well. How are these little sentences similar to those in the adult language? How are they different? Both of sentences contain the necessary key words, especially nouns, verbs and adjectives. But, telegraphic sentences are shorter, and lack function words, in which grammatical elements are often omitted or inserted incorrectly, and single-clause.2. Researchers have used both longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches to investigate the order of acquisition of grammatical morphemes in English by young children. Describe these approaches in your own words. What are the challenges and the potential benefits of each? Cross-sectional approach studies subjects at different ages and stages of development. Longitudinal approach study the same learners over a period of time. Longitudinal study approach takes a lot of time and are very expensive and inconvenient. Meanwhile longitudinal studies track the same people, avoid differences of cultural differences across generations, and make observing changes more accurate. When it comes to cross-sectional approach, routine data not designed to answer the specific question, and other variables will affect the relationship between the cause and effect. The use of routinely collected data allows large cross-sectional studies in large scale, and cost less to the researcher.3. What is the wug test? What do the findings from the wug test tell us about Childrens developing language? What advantages does the wug test have over studies that observe childrens language in natural settings? Can you think of some disadvantages? “Wug test” is designed as showing students make-up words, and blank filling exercise, to explore childrens knowledge of language. By age four, children have mastered the basic structure of the language. It can be demonstrated that children not only know a list of memorized word pairs, but can apply these rules to words which they have ever heard before. The acquisition of the more complex grammatical structures of the language requires a different sort of explanation.4. What is metalinguistic awareness? Why is it a prerequisite for being able to understand most jokes and riddles? Think of a joke or riddle you know. How is metalinguistic awareness related to your understanding of what makes this joke funny? The ability to treat language as a object, separate from the meaning it conveys. Metalingusitc awareness also includes the discovery of such things as ambiguity-words and sentences that have multiple meaning. A joke always relates to funny pun, which is closely related to metalinguistic awareness.5. What have researchers observed about the frequency with which young children engage in imitation and repetitive practice? In what way are young childrens linguistic imitation and practice patterns different from those of some foreign language classes? From less than 10 percent to 40 percent. Young children choose what they will imitate and practice, and the choice is based on something they have already begun to understand, which is different from foreign language classes.6. Give examples of both grammatical and lexical overgeneralization errors found in early child language. What is the general learning principle that underlies such errors? Randall(2,9): Are dogs wiggle their tails? Randall(3,0) asks: Why? So he can doc my little bump? Children appear to pick out patterns and then generalize them to new contexts.7. How do the stories of Victor and Genie (pages 1921) support the critical period hypothesis? Do you find this evidence convincing? Why do most researchers consider that the evidence from users of American Sign Language that was collected by Newport and her colleagues (page 21) is stronger support for the CPH? Victor and Genie who have been deprived of contact with language in their early years, CANNOT learn language like normal people, reason of which may be that their language acquisition device was stimulated too late. No, because the sample is too unusual and other factors are not excluded. Because the children are usual learners and the circumstances of their early lives are known to the researchers.8. How are Piagets and Vygotskys views of first language acquisition similar? How do they differ? Both of them stand in the interactionist position, believe that children are active learners and development declines with age. Piaget believes that childrens cognitive development would partly determine how they use language; while Vygotsky believes that Language develops entirely from social interaction.9. What was unusual about Jims exposure to language? How does this case support an interactionist perspective on language acquisition? Jim had little contract with hearing/speaking adults up to the age of 3,9, only contract with oral language was through TV. His parents did not use sign language with Jim. It was Jims conversations with sessions with an adult improve his language development, which is highlighted in interactionist perspective.Chapter 2: Theoretical approaches to explaining second language learningThe behaviourist perspective10. State the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH) and explain why it is often linked to the behaviourist theory. What are its limitations? The CAH predicts that where there are similarities between the first and second languages, the learner will acquire second language structures with ease; where there are differences, the learner will have difficulty. Because the CAH is based on behaviorists explanation on the learning of L1, that language development is the formation of habits; it is assumed that a person learning a second language starts off with the habits formed in the first language and that these habits interfere with the new ones needed for the second language. limitations: a) The theory itself has its imperfections: the differences of the first and second languages do not necessarily lead to difficulties; students difficulties in using second language does not lead to errors. b) According to empirical evidences: only a few errors made during the second language learning attributes to the interferences of the mother tongue; not all errors predicted by the CAH are actually made; many of the errors which learners do make are not predictable on the basis of the CAH.11. What contribution has behaviourism made to our understanding of how languages are learned? What is the theory not able to explain? Behaviorism accounts for the learning of L1 in terms of imitation, practice, reinforcement and habit formation, and helps to explain that the process of L2 learning would be interfered by L1. Behaviorism fails to explain childrens acquisition of the more complex grammatical structures of the language in L1 learning.The innatist perspective12. Sum up, in your own words, the main points surrounding the debate about the nature and availability of UG in SLA. Where do you stand? Main points: a) the nature and availability of UG in L2 acquisition is no different from that which is hypothesized to guide L1 learners. b) UG operates in L2 acquisition, but via the L1. c) UG is not available to L2 learners. I agree on that UG operates in L2 acquisition the same as L1, because UG is considered to consist of a set of principles which are common to all languages and it has explained L2 acquisition to some extent, for example, error correction.13. Name the five hypotheses that make up Krashens Monitor Model. According to this model, what conditions must be present for acquisition to take place? What are the conditions for language learning? The acquisition-learning hypothesis; The monitor hypothesis; The natural order hypothesis; The input hypothesis; The affective filter hypothesis. Meaningful interaction in the target language; exposure to adequate and comprehensible input: i+1.14. What are the limitations of Krashens theory? Why do you think that Krashens ideas have been so influential in second- and foreign-language education? The main limitations are: a) there are difficulties to define; b) it is mostly based on observation, but lacks empirical researches. It appears to have immediate implications for classroom practice; it appeals intuitively to those who have tried unsuccessfully to learn a language in conditions where they felt stressed or uncomfortable.The cognitive perspective15. How does information-processing model explain SLA? From the view of information processing, SLA is the building up of knowledge systems that can eventually be called on automatically for speaking and understanding.Interactionist position16. In what way are proponents of the interactionist position in SLA in agreement with Krashens monitor model? In what way do they go beyond it? Interactionists agree that comprehensible input is necessary for language acquisition. They are more concerned with the question of how input is made comprehensible; they assume that all cognitive development arises as a result of social interactions between individuals.17. What kinds of conversational modifications do native speakers make when they talk to non-native speakers? What similarities and differences would you expect to find between these modifications and those that are observed in child-directed speech? Why?Modified interaction involve linguistic simplification, elaboration, slower speech rate, gesture, or the provision of additional contextual cues.similarities: they are both conversational interaction; they both involve a slow rate of delivery, repetition, some clues, etc.differences: a) child-directed speech: children still learn language by their siblings even without such modification from parents; comprehensible input is the focus; b) these modification in interaction: how the input is made comprehensible is more important; it is not the simplification but an opportunity to interact with others.Different objectsone is for the first language learning and one is for the second language learning; the difficultiesits harder to learn the second language.18. Several theories for L2 learning have been proposed in this chapter. Is one of them more consistent with your own understanding of how languages are learned? If so, how have your experiences as a learner brought you to this view? I agree on Krashens monitor model. He cites evidences of some fluent speakers without having learned rules, while others may know rules but fail to apply them in real language use( like some incompetent high-score learners). According to my experience, adequate practice can make learned knowledge habitual so that it is available for spontaneous use in real communication. In this case, the learned language becomes the acquired knowledge.Chapter 3: Factors affecting second language learning19. Why is it difficult to assess the influence that personal characteristics have on the development of L2 proficiency?it is not possible to directly observe and measure qualities such as motivation and intelligence.personal characteristics are not independent.it is not widely acknowledged that how the language proficiency is defined and measured.Intelligence20. Language learners performance on IQ tests is related to certain aspects of L2 ability but not to others. Give examples to explain this statement. In our experience, many students whose academic performance has been weak have experienced considerable success in second language learning.Aptitude21. What lessons can language teachers learn from the research on language aptitude and L2 instruction by Wesche (1981)? It is that a high level of student and teacher satisfaction when students were matched with compatible teaching environments.Learning styles22. Based on what you read in this chapter, do you think that there is an ideal way to teach/learn a language? For example, as a foreign language learner or teacher, what are your views about teaching grammar? Do you have any specific preferences for how it should be taught or when? Do you know what your students preferences might be for grammar teaching and do you think it would be useful to find out?I dont think there is an ideal way to teach or learn a language.Teaching grammar is of great importance. It is not only about what the rules are but also how to use the rules.I have a preference for teaching grammar in context, and I think that it should be taught in early childhood.(Before age 15)Funny and challenge activities might be students preference for grammar teaching. It would be useful to find out students preference for it.Personality23. What can we learn from research about the relationship between L2 learning and extroversion inhibitionIt is often argued that an extroverted person is well suited to language learning. However, research does not always support this conclusion.Inhibition is a negative for L2 learning as it discourages risk-taking. It may also has more influence in language performance than in language learning.Motivation and attitudes 24. Define instrumental and integrative motivation in your own words and give an example to illustrate each. Comment on how these types of motivation might be manifested differently in different learning environments.Instrumental motivation refers to languange learning for immediate or practical goals. Example: Many college language learners have a clear instrumental motivation for language learning: They want to fulfill a college language requirement! Integrative motivation refers to language learning for personal growth and cultural enrichment. Example: Someone becomes a resident in a new community that uses the target language in its social interactions.In learning environment such as school, these types of motivation might be manifest as integrative or instrumental. In learning environment such as society they might be manifest as mono-cultural or bicultural.Learner beliefs25. How did Carlos Yorio (1986) reveal that it is important for teachers to consider the beliefs their students hold about language instruction? How might this change their approach to teaching a particular group of students?In a survey for international students learning ESL in a highly communicative program, students express their dissatisfaction and concern about the type of communicative instruction they received, which implied with their beliefs about language instruction.Guide them to choose the suitable learning strategies or adjust his own teaching method.Age of acquisition26. Which language features were studied in Patkowskis (1980) study to examine L2 development of immigrants? Does his study support the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH)? How?Accent, syntax, phonological development, Morphology.He sets limits on the development of native-like mastery of a second language and that this limitation does not apply only to accent.27. Snow and Hoefnagel-Hhle carried out a comprehensive study in which they assessed language development of L2 speakers on a variety of measures. Describe the development of the child, adolescent, and adult L2 learners in relation to each other. In your own words, explain why the results may not be relevant for assessing the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH).In the first period, the adolescents made the most progress. In the first period, the adults did better than the children and adolescents on pronunciation. By the end of the year, children were catching up and even surpassed the adults on several tests.Some of the tasks were too difficult for young learners. For adults and adolescents, L2 may be similar to L1, they may learn faster. Young children eventually catch up if they have enough exposure to L2. Adults and adolescents can make rapid progress because they can make use of L2 in daily interaction.Chapter 4: Learner Language Learner Language28. A language learner begins making errors with a feature of the language that was previously used correctly. What does this suggest about the way in which the feature was previously learned? Why might one be justified in concluding that the learner has actually made progress? Illustrate with examples.It suggests that movement from one point in a sequence of development to another can actually lead from apparently correct performance(Sometimes based on rote learning or very limited knowledge.) to incorrect performance(Based on an emerging understanding of the underlying rules or grammatical relationships in the language being learned.).I buyed a bus ticket. Second language learners usually learn the irregular past tense forms of certain verbs before they learn to apply the regular simple past -ed marker. It means that a learner who says I buyed a bus ticket may know more about English grammar than one who says I bought a bus ticket.29. What was an important difference between the error analysis approach to understanding L2 learner language and the contrastive analysis approach? The main difference between these two is that contrastive analysis was the basis for identifying differences between the first and second languages and for predicting areas of potential error, but error analysis tries to discover and describe differnt kinds of erros in an effort to understaning how learners process L2 data, and it focus on identifying the errors from L2 production. (Error analysis differed from contrastive analysis in that it did not set out to predict errors. Rather, it sought to discover and describe different kinds of errors i