The document summarizes two case studies on language acquisition: 1) A 3-year study of Wes, a Japanese man learning English in Hawaii, which found he improved in communication but still had inaccuracies. 2) A study of two boys, J and R, learning English requests in a London classroom over 1-2 years, which found they progressed through developmental sequences to perform requests formulaically. The studies illustrate the complex nature of second language acquisition and importance of considering both accuracy and ability over time.

1. Annis Luthfiana
2201410051
403-404

2. INTRODUCTION: DESCRIBING AND
EXPLAINING LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

3.  It is the systematic study of how people acquire a second
language (L2),
 A recent phenomenon
 A means of obtaining an education or securing employment
 ‘Second’ can refer to any language that is learned
subsequent to the mother tongue, so it can also refer to
the learning of a third or fourth language.

4. Differences between:
 First language acquisition ( Child language acquisition)
The field that studies cases of mother tongue acquisition.
 Second language Acquisition The field that studies
language(s) that we learned after acquiring our mother
tongue, including third and fourth languages. L2 acquisition is
the way in which people learn a language other than their
mother tongue, for instance, naturally as a result of living in a
country where it is spoken or through instructions in a
classroom

5.  Foreign Language Acquisition The field that studies
languages that you acquired inside certain educational
environments on purpose. e.g. an English student who learns
French as a module in the classroom or a Japanese student
who learns English in the UK for taking a TOEFL test.
This doesn't mean that they are in the opposite
position, but just different terms. In broad sense, foreign
language acquisition can be included in the second
language acquisition.

7. Describing how learner language changes over time by collecting
and analysing samples of learners language (spoken or writing).
Explain one figures out internal and external factors which play a
role for learners who acquire an L2:
a) Internal factors like cognitive mechanisms and knowledge
b) External factors like the social milieu and the input
Findingstrategies that can help us make effective use of our
language knowledge.

8.  It is really important to acquire a second language as the
world is becoming more and more globalized, and as a
result, demand for studying about
 By studying SLA, it could be possible to develop new, more
proficient teaching methods which can be taught to
students who learn a second language. "Much of what we
now know about the way people learn languages has been
discovered only in the last twenty years, and many teaching
methods are much older than that.

9. Definition:
A case study is a detailed study of a learner s acquisition of an
L2. These studies are longitudinal (samples of the learner s
speech or writing are collected over a period of time).
The Case:
 The first case study is a study of an adult learner learning English
in surroundings of daily communication.
 The second case study is a study of two children learning English
in a classroom.

10. SUBJECT  Wes, 33 year old artist, native speaker of Japanese
 Had little formal instruction in English
 Began to use English as visiting Hawaii for
working , finally took up residence
 Naturalistic learner
RESEARCHER  Richard Schmidt, University of Hawaii
 Research for 3 years
AIM  Observing Wes’ development of knowledge of
English Grammar

11. METHOD  Asked Wes to make recording in English when he went on
trips back to Tokyo.
 Made written transcription of the monologues (1-3 hours)
Also made recordings and transcriptions of informal
conversations between Wes and his friendsin Honolulu.
RESULT  Wes still far short of native-speaker accuracy three years
later.
 HOWEVER, it might be wrong to consider Wes as a failed
language learner. He did develop in other ways.
 Achieved considerable success as a communicator

12. SUBJECT 1. J: 10 year-old Portugese boy, literate in his native
language.
- Adventurous, confident
2. R: 11 year-old Pakistani boy, speaking (not writing)
Punjabi.
- Lack of confidence,
RESEARCHE  Rod Ellis, writer of this book
R & WHERE  In a language unit in London
& HOW  J : Spent 4 school terms (12 months)
LONG  R :Spent 2 whole school years
AIM  How the two learners acquired the ability to perform
requests for services and good over the period of study.

13. METHOD  Mixed Instruction
 Formal and informal language instruction
 Little exposure to the target language outside the
classroom
Developmental  Verbless
Sequences  Use imperative verbs
 Use “Can I have - ?”
 Extensions of the lingustic devices
 Finally, “Can”
RESULT  Both learners were capable of successfully performing
simple requests, even when they knew very little English.
 They manifested development in their ability to perform
requests.
 Many of their requests seemed formulaic in nature.
They progressed in much the same was despite the fact
that they had different native languages.
IMPLICATION  They raise a number of important methodological issues
relating to how SLA should be studied.

14. The second study is more typical of SLA because researchers have
to focus on some specific aspects of Language rather than on the
whole complex phenomenon.
One has to make a distinction between their knowledge
and what learners can do.
One possibility to measure whether acquistion has taken
place or not is to consider the overuse of linguistic forms.

15.  Learners make errors of different kinds
 Language learner acquire a large number of
formulaic chunks
 Learners do acquire aspects ofnguage sys a
latematically

16.  involving different kinds of learning
Learners must engage in both item learning and
system learning
Language acquisition needs explanation