second language learning

1. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously Known Languages
Avoidance: when speaking or writing a
second/foreign language, a speaker will often
try to avoid using a difficult word or structure,
and will use a simpler word or structure
instead. This is called an avoidance strategy.
For example, a student who is not sure of the
use of the relative clause in English may avoid
using it and use two simpler sentences instead:
That’s my building. I live there.
instead of
That’s the building where I live.

2. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously Known Languages
• Avoidance: Two factors may cause avoidance:
1. L1-L2 differences
2. Complex structures in the target language.
Question: Are there certain structures that you
avoid when using your L2? What are they? Do
they exist in your L1? Is the avoidance due to
difference between your L1 and your L2, or
rather to the complexity of the l2 structure?

3. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously Known Languages
• Differential Learning Rates: Ard and Homburg
argue that language transfer facilitates learning
(see examples on page 142). For instance as
Spanish and English display more similarities
than Arabic and English, Spanish learners of
English display accelerated learning rates.

4. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously Known Languages
• Different Paths: In many instances paths of
acquisition are not identical for speakers of all
languages. This is due to differences or
similarities between languages. Facts of the
native languages lead learners down different
paths.
• Transfer to somewhere principle: A principle
developed to account for when transfer is likely
to occur. It claims that transfer will occur only in
those instances when the second language input
allows the learner to see potential for transfer.

5. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously
• Overproduction: learner produces a given L2
structure with much greater frequency than
natives of L2 do.
• Some structures that are not so frequent in the
target language are used more regularly by the
learner because he/she feels more confident
using them and therefore, overproduction will
arise.

6. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously
• Predictability/Selectivity: When something in
L2 is very different from the L1, there is a
novelty effect and the information ‘sticks’
more rapidly.

7. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously
Morpheme Order Studies: An approach to SLA
introduced by Dulay and Burt ( 1974 ) that
focuses on the sequence in which specific
English grammatical morphemes are acquired.
Claims are made for a natural order .

8. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously
• Morpheme Order Studies: This is interesting
because if we find that the same elements of an
L2 are learned first no matter what the learner’s
L1 is, we might assume that transfer from L1 is
less important than if we were to find that the
order of acquisition is different for speakers of
different native languages. If the same order of
acquisition is found in L2 as in children’s L1
learning, there is the additional implication that
the acquisition processes may be very much the
same for all of language development.

9. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously
• Morpheme Order Studies
L1 L2
1 Progressive -ing He is talking. 3
2 Plural -s There are two cats. 4
3 Past irregular We ate. 7
4 Possessive -s The child’s toy 8
5 Articles a/the A sunny day/The cat 1
6 Past regular -ed They talked. 6
7 Third person -s He sings. 9
8 Copula be He’s tall. 2
9 Auxiliary be She’s singing. 5

10. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously
• Morpheme Order Studies
• Morpheme order studies argue that L2
learners are neither merely imitating what
they hear nor necessarily transferring L1
structures to the new code, but
(subconsciously) creating a mental grammar
which allows them to interpret and produce
utterances they have not heard before.

11. Alternative Approaches to the Role of
Previously
• Criticisms on morpheme order studies: More
recent research into the morpheme order
studies has shown that not all learners follow
the order, as previousy thought. The L1 of the
learner appears to make a difference in the
order of morpheme acquisition that the
learners follow.