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
