The document presents examples of language errors made by young children learning English as a first or second language. It includes six sections showing dialogues between children and parents or adults where the children make grammatical mistakes. The examples show errors with verbs, nouns, prepositions, and other parts of speech. They demonstrate how children overgeneralize rules as they are learning the structure and patterns of the new language.

1. Data 1a
(1)
Child: Nobody don't like me.
Mother: No, say 'Nobody likes me'.
Child: Nobody don't like me.
(Eight repetitions of this dialogue)
Mother: No, now listen carefully; say 'Nobody likes me'.
First vs. second language acquisition Child: Oh! Nobody don't likes me.
(2)
Child: I don't see no trees.
Mother: I don't see any trees. Not no trees, any trees.
Child: No any trees. No any trees.
Mother: I don't see any trees!
(3)
Father: Where is that big piece of paper I gave you yesterday?
Child: Remember? I writed on it. [Ziel: wrote]
Father: Oh that's right, don't you have any paper down here, buddy?
PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies
Data 1b Data 1c: Family circus
(4)
Father: Where's Mommy?
Child: Mommy goed to the store. [Ziel: went]
Father: Mommy goed to the store?
Child: NO! (genervt) Daddy, I say it that way, not you.
(5)
Benjamin (1;9): Beaks. Slippers. Bats. Carses [Ziel: cars].
Domenico (2;0): Get sweets. For boys. Feets. [Ziel: feet] Ears. Fingers.
Claire (2;0): Big cats. Small cats. Short cats. Night-night peoples. [Ziel: people]
(6)
Child: My teacher holded the baby rabbits and we patted them. [Ziel: held]
Adult: Did you say your teacher held the baby rabbits?
Child: Yes.
Adult: What did you say she did?
Child: She holded the baby rabbits and we patted them.
Adult: Did you say she held them tightly?
Child: No, she holded them loosely.
PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies

2. Data 1d: Family circus Data 1e: Family circus
PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies
Data 3a: Developmental sequences of morphemes in L1 and L2 English
Data 2: Creative word coinages of children aged 2-5 (Krashen 1977)
John (2;5,24, spricht über eine Leiter): That is a climber against the wall. 1. present progressive verb (with or
Dave (4;7): You're a copy-catter, Daddy. You say what I say. without auxiliary): play-ing
Doris (4;0): Is Anna going to babysitter me? 2. prepositions: in, on
Chris (3;0, spielt Superman): I'm supermanning. 3. regular noun plural: shoe-s
Claire (4;11): We already decorationed our tree. 4. irregular past tense verbs: came,
Bob (4;7, auf die Frage, wie er sich fühle): Toothachey. fell, saw etc.
Sheila (4;0, zu ihrer Mutter): Try to be more rememberful, Mom. 5. possessive noun: Daddy's shoe
6. copula is, am, are
7. articles a, the
8. regular past tense verb: play-ed
9. regular third person singular:
play-s
10.irregular third person singular:
has
PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies

3. Data 3b: Interrogatives in L1 and L2 English Data 3c: Negation in L1 and L2 English
PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies
Reading: Bley-Vroman 1989 9 characteristics of adult foreign language learning
• What are the nine fundamental characteristics of adult • Lack of success
foreign language learning? • General failure (usually no ultimate attainment)
• Variation in success, course, and strategy
• What is the author's conclusion after his comparison of • Variation in goals
adult foreign language learning and child language
acquisition? • Fossilization
• Indeterminate Intuitions
• What then, according to the author, is quot;the logical problem • Importance of Instruction
of foreign language learningquot;? • Negative evidence
• Role of affective factors
• What is the authors position on foreign language learners'
access to Universal Grammar? How does UG operate in
adults?
PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies

4. L1 vs. L2 acquisition The logical problem of foreign language learning
Child language development Explaining the wide range of variation in L2 competence
- Universal Grammar
- domain-specific learning procedures
Adult foreign language learning
- native language knowledge
- general-problem solving skills
PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies
Access to Universal Grammar? How? Fundamental differences
• Children are provided with an innate Universal Grammar: L1 acquisition L2 learning
A system of knowledge what language can be, and innate
• universal (usually all children • not universal (not all humans
domain-specific procedures to deal with grammar acquire an L2 (motivation!)
aquire their L1)
• This Language Acquisition Device (LAD) does not exist • ultimate attainment (UA), native • UA is rare (variation in L2
in adults competence competence, accent)
• no previous knowledge • L1 serving as role model,
• But adults possess other types of knowledge and faculties (quot;blank slatequot;) grammatical knowledge
which are absent in children: • equipotentiality (all languages • some L2s seem more difficult
• a native language system from which a Universal are acquired equally well) than others (language similarity)
Grammar can be reconstructed, depending on the individual • L1 is fully acquired at the age of • L2 learning only starts around the
5-8 age of 8-10 or later (adults)
learner's ability to construct a UG-substitute (which is
• natural acquisition through • institutionalized, explicit
incomplete and accidental, thus explaining variation in L2 instruction, learning rules
input, no explicit instruction
learning)
• runs parallel to the child's • advanced and matured cognitive
• a general problem-solving cognitive system which arises general cognitive and and communicative abilities (e.g.
around puberty physiological development learning strategies)
PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies PS Second Language Learning and Teaching SS 2008 Marcus Callies