1) The document discusses second language acquisition of English in Maldives, where English serves as the secondary language and is taught and used widely, especially in schools, business, and the capital. 2) Most Maldivians learn English formally through instruction in school, while some acquire it naturally from an early exposure, especially if their parents use English. 3) Learning English consciously in a guided manner through formal teaching can lead to less mastery but more focus on fluency over accuracy compared to natural acquisition of a second language.

1. Second Language Acquisition in MALDIVES
By: Sujjey, Suja, Fai, Hucen, Saadhu & Shimu

2. How many languages do you know/speak?
50
50%
45
44%
40
35
Percentage
30
25
20
15
10 6%
5
0
One
Two
Three +
Total: 54 Participants No of Languages

3. Is English in the Maldives a foreign /
second Language?
• Second Language
• Serves a communicative purpose
• Not just taught and spoken in schools
• Used for business purposes
• Officially regarded as the
second language

4. Do Maldivians acquire English naturally? To
what extent?
• Majority of children LEARN English through
instruction.
• Some children acquire naturally. Especially in
the capital.
• Parents play a vital role.
• Maldivian couple staying
abroad.
• Early exposure.

5. How do Maldivians normally acquire English and what
are the consequences of ‘acquiring’ as opposed to
‘learning’?
• Normally learned at school through formal instruction.
• Guided
learning.
• Learning
takes place
consciously.

6. Consequences of ‘learning’ English
• Knowledge is explicit.
• Formal teaching helps (Krashen, 2006).
• Less likely to achieve perfect L2 mastery
• More concerned with fluency than accuracy
• Fossilisation (Ellis, 2004).
• Focuses on a particular aspect of the target
language system.
• Allows teachers to control the learning process
(Lightbown & Spada, 2006).

7. What kind of English is taught in Maldivian Schools?

8. References
• Ellis, R. (1994). The study of second language
acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Lightbown, P.M. & Spada, N. (2006). How languages
are learned (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
• Krashen, S. (2005). Theory of second language
acquisition. Retrieved on 1 February 2012 from
http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html