This document provides an overview of theories and processes of second language acquisition (SLA). It introduces several major theories of SLA, including behaviorism, Krashen's comprehensible input hypothesis, the interaction hypothesis, sociocultural theory, universal grammar, and frequency-based approaches. It also discusses individual differences that can influence SLA, such as first language, age, gender, working memory, and motivation. Additionally, the document outlines key SLA processes like attention, developmental sequences, and fossilization. Finally, it reviews several common language teaching methods and how they approach teaching, learning, and assessment.

1. Chapter13
second language acquisition
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2. Goals
 introduce some of the main theories of second language acquisition
 processes of second language learning
 discuss second language pedagogy and its connections with SLA theory
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3. What is SLA and FLA?
SLA:
refers to the process of acquiring a non-native language that is spoken by the
community where the learner is living
FLA:
refers to the process of acquiring a non-native language that is not spoken by the
surrounding community
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4. Theories of second language acquisition
 Behaviorism
 Comprehensible input and the natural order hypothesis
 The interaction hypothesis
 Socioculturalism
 Universal grammar
 Frequency-based approaches
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5. Behaviorism
o Learning through repetition and reinforcement (drill and kill)
o Errors could be attributed to interference from first language
o Using contrastive analysis hypothesis(CAH)
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6. Comprehensible input and the natural
order hypothesis
 Comprehensible input (i+1)
 Learner’s affective filter
 Natural order hypothesis
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7. The interaction hypothesis
 Communicate with other persons
 Clarification requests
 Modified output
 Corrective feedback like recast
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8. Socioculturalism focus on the impact of interpersonal and social aspects of interaction on
language learning.
1. interaction between a less skilled L2 learner and a more expert
2. includes careful and detailed analysis of the social and linguistic context of the
participants in a communicative exchange
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9. Universal grammar Universal grammar= nativism
 Innate linguistic knowledge
 Language acquisition device(LAD)
 Critical period(sensitive)
 Acceptability judgment tests(grammaticality)
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10. Frequency-based approaches this innate endowment may be more like an emergent, bottom-up result of
frequencies and regular patterns of actions, events, and objects (both linguistic
and nonlinguistic) that language learners perceive in their environment.
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11. Individual differences in SLA
 First language
 Age
 Gender
 Working memory
 Motivation
 Context of SLA
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12. First language
 Researchers point out that:
1. learners often consciously transfer or employ their knowledge about the
L1 in their attempts to communicate in the L2, especially early in the
learning process.
2. Learners are more likely to transfer L1 knowledge when they believe the
L1 and L2 are similar or related.
3. The L1 may also influence what learners notice in the L2.
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13. Age
 It is commonly thought that younger language learners are more successful
 critical period hypothesis
 sensitive period
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14. Gender
females tend to use more language learning strategies
than males
females usually have more positive attitudes towards
learning an L2 and may be more motivated.
males and females process language differently Gender
can also influence classroom dynamics and potentially
affect the second language learning process.
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15. Working memory
in their ability to store and process
information at the same time.
Research suggests that working memory
plays a role in first language acquisition,
language processing and language loss
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16. Motivation who are willing to devote more time and energy to achieving fluency in
the target language, are more successful.
 integrative motivation :involving the learner’s attitudes towards the target
language group and the desire to integrate into the target language
community
 instrumental orientations: more practical reasons for language learning,
such as gaining some social or economic reward through L2 achievement.
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17. Context of SLA
There are two different ways in which the term context is used in SLA:
 refer to the environmental context in which the learning occurs in an
immersion program, during study abroad, at home with an audiotape, in
a university classroom, and so on.
 refer to linguistic context, such as the topic of the conversation, the
meanings that can be gleaned from surrounding discourse, and (more
socially) the person with whom the learner is interacting.
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18. SLA processes
 Attention
 Developmental sequences
 Fossilization
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19. Attention
 Those features of the L2 that are not noticed do not get stored in
the short-term memory system and thus are not learned. The
hypothesis further claims that since learners are exposed to much
more language input than they can process, some kind of
mechanism (attention) is necessary to help them sort through the
large volume of language data and eventually to encode the data
into memory
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20. Developmental sequences series of identifiable stages that L2 learners pass through in
acquiring the second language. Research methods in this
vein have included identifying when specific linguistic
features are learned and examining how errors change over
time (error analysis). This research shows that second
language learners acquire the non-native language in a
regular, systematic fashion, much like learners acquiring their
native languages.
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21. Fossilization
 one of the most salient (and frustrating) traits of second
language learning is that L2 learners often do not sound like
native speakers even after many years of study and practice.
It has been argued that language learning typically fossilizes
and remains permanently at a level short of native-like
speech.
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22. Teaching methods22

23. Method How to teach How to learn How to test Goal
Grammar
translation(GT)
Developing explicit
knowledge of language
structure with constant
reference to the
L1.
Memorizing
vocabulary and
grammar of target L
Translating
sentences from L2to
L1 or vice versa
Translating
sentences
Direct method Teaching grammar
inductive
Emphasize on
everyday
vocabulary
Learning naturally
and directly
Talking like native
speakers
Talking like native
speakers
Audio-lingual
method
Teaching language
directly, without
using the students'
native language
Answering drills
about using
grammar
Using grammar
correctly
Using grammar
Community
language learning
teacher acts as a
counsellor
students work
together to develop
what aspects of a
language they
would like to learn
Using language in
different contexts
emphasizing the
sense of community
in the learning
group
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Method How to teach How to learn How to test Goal
Silent way the teacher uses a
mixture of silence and
gestures to focus
students' attention, to
elicit responses from
them, and to
encourage them to
correct their own
elicit responses
correct their own
errors.
by observation,
the teacher may
never set a formal
test
Emphasizing on
learner autonomy
and active student
participation
Natural approach decreased importance
on conscious grammar
study and explicit
correction of student
errors
Using grammar
have
communication
Talking like native
speakers
emphasizes
communication
Communicative
language
teaching(CLT)
teacher being a
facilitator
practice the target
language through
the interaction
one another
talking like native
speakers
communicate in
target language
Task based teacher being a
facilitator
Learning language
by using different
tasks
asking students to
do meaningful
using the target
language
use of authentic
language

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