The document summarizes chapter 1 of Rod Ellis' 2003 book "Second Language Acquisition". It introduces SLA as the study of how people learn languages other than their mother tongue. The goals of SLA are to describe how L2 acquisition proceeds and explain this process by identifying external factors like social environment and input, as well as internal factors that account for individual differences. Methodological issues in description include how to determine what linguistic features learners have "acquired". Explanations of L2 acquisition must account for both item learning of individual linguistic facts as well as system learning of the underlying rules.

1. Second Language Acquisition
(Rod Ellis,2003)
chapter 1
introduction: Describing and
Explaining L2 Acquisition
By: Rudi Setiawan (2201407090)
Second Language Acquisition (103-104)
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
STATE UNIVERSITY of SEMARANG

2. What is “Second Language Acquisition?”
“L2 Acquisition” can be defined as the way
in which people learn a language other
than their mother tongue, inside or outside
of classroom, and “Second Language
Acquisition” (SLA) as the study of this.
(Rod Ellis,2003:3)

3. What are the goals of SLA?
Learners possess
cognitive mechanism
One of the the goals - One of the external which enable them
of SLA is the factors is the social to extract The goals of SLA,
description of L2 milieu in which information about L2 then, are to describe
Acquisition. Another learning take place. from the input-to how L2 Acquisition
is explanation; - Another external notice, for example, proceeds and to
identifying the factor is the input that the plularity in explain this process
external and internal that learners English. Final set of and why some
factors that account receive, that is, the internal factors learners seem to
for why learners samples of language explain why learners better at it than
acquire an L2 in the to which a learner is vary in the rate they others.
way they do exposed. learn an L2 and how
successful they
ultimate are.
(Rod Ellis,2003:4-6)

4. Issues in the description of learners language
Learners make errors of different kinds
L2 learners acquire a large number of formula
chunk,which they use to perform communicative
functions that are important to them and which
contribute to the fluency of their unplanned speech.
Whether learners acquire the language systematically.
(Rod Ellis,2003:12)

5. Methodological issues
• One issue to do with it is that needs to be described
• Another issue concerns what it means to say that a learner has
„acquired‟ a feature of the target language
• There is another problem in determining whether learners
have „acquired‟ a particular issues
• A thied problem in trying to measure whether „acquisition‟
has taken place concern learners‟ overuse of linguistic forms
(Rod Ellis,2003:12)

6. Issues in the Explanation
of L2 Acquisition
A hypothesis that L2 The systematic
acquisition involves nature of L2
different kinds of acquisition also
learning. requires explanation.
Learners must engage
One is that learners The case studies,
both item learning and
follow a particular then, illuminate the
developmental
system learning.
pattern. kinds of issues that
pre-occupy SLA
An explanation of L2
Other explanations
Acquisition must
emphasize the
account for both item
importance of external
and system learning
as opposed to internal
and how the two
factors.
interrelate.
(Rod Ellis,2003:13-14)