#2 PDF (1)
pdf
keyboard_arrow_up
School
University of Washington *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
310
Subject
Linguistics
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
Pages
3
Uploaded by ChancellorWillpower1576
Gennifer Noy
EDC&I 359 A
2/7/22
#2
Topic: How what I have learned about bilingualism and identity in relationship to investment or age and
how that adds to my understand of teaching emergent bilingual/multilingual students.
From the moment a baby is born, he/she is exposed to language. During the proposed critical
period, infants pick up massive amounts of language from those around them. When a person is learning a
second language, especially a language not spoken often in their original country of birth, the
environment is likely very different than the environment a baby learns a first language in. Even when
this environment is compared to a child who learns a second language from a parent, there will be a
drastic difference. Therefore, age cannot be seen as a solely biological factor in language learning,
because there are too many confounding variables that come along with age. These confounding variables
include—but are not limited to, influence by a first language, the development of new phonemes, and
environment.
The influence of L1 on language learning is seen greatly in the language learners’ ability to write
language. Written communication comes after verbal communication in the development of a first
language. However, the understanding of grammar rules in one language can make it easier to learn to
write in another language. This is evident in a study done by Wendy Wang, where participants who have
learned/ are learning English (Canadian), from Mandarin as L1. Across all participants, only fourteen
percent said that grammar itself was the most difficult aspect of learning the English language. While
language learning is different for everyone, the concept of grammar is not unanimously the most difficult.
No matter what L1 is, a learner has some concept of a written language to go off of, which is helpful in
conceptualizing the new rules. It is at least something to compare to. Wang also took a survey on the
subjects experiences learning English and found sixty-six percent found it difficult, twenty-one found it
very difficult, and fourteen percent found that it was not difficult. This fourteen percent then explained
further that they found learning the language was not too difficult, but actually using it was far more
difficult. Studying a language and using it in practice are two very different things. Using a language
verbally requires the use of difficult phonemes and a capacity to hear an English speaker use the language
in casual conversation.
Learning to speak a language is very dependent on environment. In my own life, when I have
tried to learn Hungarian, I will say the same word over and over again and keep messing it up. It is hard to
reach true clarity of speaking in another language, especially when I only have one person to speak it
with. In Wang’s study, seventy-two percent of learners across the whole survey reported that learning to
speak was the most difficult part of learning English. What I have learned from trying to speak other
languages, and listening to others speak their second language, is that an accent is almost always present.
The idea of what a correct accent is is not clearly defined, nor does it take into account the presence of
different accents in people who speak English as a first language. This is the thought that Stefka H.
Marinova-Todd, D. Bradford Marshall, and Catherine E. Snow cover in their paper titled “Three
Misconceptions About Age and L2 Learning”.
Accessibility to people to practice language with is reported as very difficult in Wang’s study,
where fifty-seven percent of those surveyed claim it was/is a struggle to find an environment and other
speakers to practice with. Exposure to a language is a crucial part of learning to speak and comprehend it.
Adults typically don’t have the same opportunities as a baby learning their first language. This is a social
factor of age, not biological. Now I understand that teaching a second language requires a lot of
experiences and exposure to the language, and that book work is a supplementary part of this work. Wang
reported that those who were around the English language more learned faster. Repetition of hearing and
speaking is an important part of learning any language. All learners, regardless if they are learning L1 or
L2, need exposure and opportunities to use a language practically. Even after all this practice, the teacher
must be aware that the learner will always have an accent.
Environment is very important to all language learners, regardless of age. That is why it is
important to bring opportunities to listen and partake in casual conversation to language teaching
curriculum, no matter what language. Additionally, in teaching curriculum, accents should not be judged
against those who speak English as a first language. Instead, the progress and opportunities should expose
a learner how language will be in daily life.
References:
Wendy Wang. (n.d.).
Age and Second Language Acquisition in adulthood: The learning
experiences and perceptions of women immigrants
. TESL Canada Journal. Retrieved
February 8, 2022, from https://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/article/view/715
Stefka H. Marinova-Todd; D. Bradford Marshall; Catherine E. Snow(n.d.),
Three misconceptions
about age and L2 learning.
Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://
personal.utdallas.edu/~assmann/hcs6367/marinova_todd_marshall_snow00.pdf
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help