Taren Moran's L2 Acquisition Essay
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L2 Acquisition Essay Taren Moran College Name, Grand Canyon University
TSL 541-O500
September 21
st
, 2022 1
When we are first learning how to speak, we don’t really think about. We often mimic the
adults and people around us when we are babies or toddlers. Then one day after going through stages, we are fully speaking people. When someone wants to learn a new language though, let’s say one of our students, it can be difficult to pick up the new language and become fluent in it. Language acquisition is where children learn their first languages which is known as first language acquisition and any other language is second language acquisition. “Second-language acquisition assumes knowledge in a first language and encompasses the process an individual goes through as he or she learns the elements of a new language, such as vocabulary, phonological components, grammatical structures, and writing systems.” (Ford, 2020) “When we
talk about ELL stages of language acquisition, a common point of reference is the stages of first language acquisition that nearly all babies go through. While the two processes differ significantly, having an understanding of how children learn a language is key to ELL success.” (Continental, 2022) First language acquisition is broken in to four stages. Pre-talking is the first stage. This is the stage that happens from birth to about 6 months of age. In this stage the baby doesn’t speak but is watching those around them and starts to understand short words and phrases that pertain to their need and wants. Babbling is the second stage. This occurs from 6-8 months, and it is where the baby starts to make noises and chatter. Their teeth start to come in and their mouth muscles also start to develop. The third stage is known as the holophrastic stage.
This stage can take a little bit longer occurs between nine and eighteen months. The child often begins to learn how to speak in the holophrastic stage and can speak in single words. The first words are often based on their wants and needs such as “mama”, “dada”, “kitty”, etc. The fourth stage is two-word. This takes place from eighteen to twenty-four months. Children have often developed speech in single words, and they will start putting words together to form sentences. 2
The fifth stage is telegraphic. This stage takes place during two-three years old. Children will begin to speak in more sentences. They will also start to use plural nouns and know which words
to use to describe things. The last stage is known as multiword. This happens after the age of three and children will start to use word fillers in their communication such as the, in and is. Second language acquisition has six stages. Depending on the individual, they can learn each stage at a different pace. Pre-production is known as the “silent period.” An individual is listening and taking in the new language but isn’t speaking it. This stage can last six weeks or longer it just depends on the student. Early production is where the student starts to speak using short phrases and/or words. However, the student is still listening and taking in their new language like a sponge. We often see many errors in this stage which is ok because they are still learning and processing. Speech emergent is where our students start to have longer conversations with words and sentences, but they still look for context clues and things they know about. Also, their vocabulary continues to grow and errors in their speech begin to become fewer and fewer. Beginning fluency is where speech is becoming fluent in normal, social situations with very few errors. New language being brought in might be challenging and our students will struggle to express how they are feeling due to holes in their vocabulary and sentences. Our students will soon communicate fluently, and this is known as intermediate fluency. They can speak in most situations whether it is in school or social situations. There might be gaps in vocabulary still but there are very few errors, and our student is able to show strong thinking skills in their second language. When our students can communicate and speak in
all contexts then they have reached advanced fluency. They might still have an accent and use “slang” terms incorrectly at times, but they are fluent in their new language. As we know, each student will process things differently.
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Research shows that there is an impact of literacy in L1 and L2. “A wide variety of sources on a wide variety of topics suggest that L1 literacy promotes L2 reading development. Being fluent in more than one language contributes to academic success. In fact, supporting the home language builds an important foundation for learning English and for all later learning.” Depending on how proficient the student is in their native language will directly affect how proficient they will be in their second language. If our student is motivated to learn, then they will become successful in their new language. They can adapt to their leaning environment and use their skills from their first language to transfer over to their new language. Motivation can be
key because it helps them learn more. We can also look at cross-linguistic transfer. “Cross-
linguistic transfer is defined as language learners’ use of linguistic knowledge of one of their languages to leverage the learning of another language. Theories on cross-linguistic transfer shed
light upon the role of L1 in promoting L2 or foreign language learning.” (Yang, 2017) Students will use the skills they have learned and demonstrated in their 1
st
language in their new language.
There are instructional implications that can be used to help with literacy. When we are getting to know our students, building relationships with our them helps build self-esteem and can help them achieve their goals because they feel confident in their learning. When we open a line of communication with our students and parents, they know that we want what is best for them and it transfers back to the classroom. Assessing our students also helps provide data so we can see how our students grow and where they need the most help at. Assessments allow us to identify strengths and weaknesses and what we need to better help our students achieve their learning goals.
While helping our students in their learning, we can use cognates to help support their development of L2. Cognates can help build a foundation for our ELLs in their learning. They 4
can connect their native or first language to their new language. They can look for cognates and write them down in a chart. Then they can discuss them at the end of the lesson and find the word that is equal to it. In our classroom we have a word wall, and it is super beneficial to our students in their learning new words and connecting words to their learning. In the end, educators are going to best help their students in L1 and L2. We have the tools
and training to help our students become the best they can be. It isn’t going to be quick and easy. It is a process, and we must trust the process. Over time we will see the growth in our students, and it will be so rewarding not only to us but to them as well. 5
References
Clark, S. (2019). The Role of L1 Literacy in L2 Reading Development
. Minnesota State University. https://red.mnstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1740&context=thesis
. Continental. (2022, September 9). The Stages of Language Acquisition for ELLs
. Continental Educational Publisher. https://www.continentalpress.com/blog/language-acquisition-stages-ells/
. Ford, K. (2020, February 18). Language Acquisition: An Overview. Colorín Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview
. Yang, M. (2017, October 2). An investigation of cross-linguistic transfer between Chinese and English: a meta-analysis - Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education. SpringerOpen. https://sfleducation.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40862-017-0036-9
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