(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Second Language Acquisition

            "Language is a human system of communication which uses structured vocal sounds and can be embodied in other media such as writing printing and physical signs. Most linguists currently regard the faculty of language as a defining characteristic of being human." According to Graddol we can use language to describe an ability that humans possess. If you know a language, you know a human system of communication. Fromkin remarks that if you know only English your unconscious knowledge of its sound system will influence the way you pronounce a word in any other language you may try to speak. .
             It is very obvious that children do not learn a language by simply memorizing but by imitating their elders. They listen to what is said around them and imitate the speech they hear; an American may hear 'milk' and may attempt to repeat what he heard. Children also produce speech by analogy, by hearing a sentence and using it to form other sentences. Children do not wake up one fine morning having everything learned; it takes time to attain adult grammar. Acquiring language acquisition is fast but not instantaneous. It is from three to five years that children pass through their linguistic stages; beginning from babbling, learning their first words and later on they begin to put together their words forming sentences.
             The term second language acquisition refers to someone who has already learned a first language (adults or children). People can acquire a second language due to several reasons; starting your middle school, university etc. People living in communities where more than one language is spoken may require the acquisition of a second language. If you are moving to different hemisphere, the need to learn a new language might be needed. Second language learners are not always aware of their cognitive learning abilities but adults have a strong belief and opinion about how their instruction should be conveyed.


Essays Related to Second Language Acquisition

1. Factors in Second Language Learning and Aquisition

Second language acquisition and learning refers to any language gain in addition to the native tongue. Acquisition is a natural and intuitive process while learning is a deliberate tactic to grasp a language (Second Language Acquisition, n.d). ... Motivation is implied to be one significant aspect of second language acquisition. ... Both forms establish the correlation towards the success of second language acquisition and learning. ... Therefore, distinctiveness of the character is known to play a good role in second language acquisition and learning. ...

  • Word Count: 783
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Stages of Second Language Acquisiton

(Owens, 2012) There are basic terms about language that should be known before look at the stages of second language acquisition, like bilingual, multilingual, first language acquisition and second language acquisition. ... First language acquisition is the study which focuses on the infants' acquisition of their native languages on the other hand second language acquisition deals with the acquisition of additional languages and it is 'the study of how second languages are learned.' ... Second Language Acquisition Language acquisition has been a major topic of research of lin...

  • Word Count: 2006
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Theories of First & Second Language Acquisition

Instead, the focus of his paper would be the theories of first and second language acquisition. ... However, Chomsky did not specify if this rule applies to second language acquisition. Although may seem equivalent, first language and second language acquisition differ in many ways, plus the Universal Grammar theory does not apply originally to second language acquisition, in contrast to what some of Chomsky's followers propose. ... For second language acquisition, however, some children are not predisposed with a second language. ... Krashen) Another "innate" theory that explains second...

  • Word Count: 2467
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Second Language Apprehension Study

The studies differed in certain ways; one discovered a relation between the ability to learn patterns and the ability to learn a second language, while the other one found that having and informal approach to the language (games) enhances learning a second language, regardless the person. ... One states that picking up a second language is predicted by the ability to learn patterns while the other states that language instruction is improved with fun games played by students. ... Information was gathered about the learning processes for a second language. ... Perhaps the most famous theory is...

  • Word Count: 1139
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. second language acquisition

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION According to Pinker, language is an instinct: "an ability that is uncontroversially present in every one of us". ... Can a second language be learnt in an instinctual manner? ... Yet, all of that we have discussed above applies to first language acquisition; then, what about second language acquisition? ... Besides certain psychological and social factors contribute play important role in second language acquisition. ... To sum up, many factors affect the acquisition of a second language and one of the most crucial one is age. ...

  • Word Count: 1216
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Second Language Acquisition

Grammatical knowledge is important in both second language acquisition and learning, because grammar reveals how language works. ... In second language acquisition, having a good grammatical knowledge is very crucial. ... The input in second language acquisition argued by Krashen's called input hypothesis. ... In conclusion, grammatical knowledge is very important in second language acquisition. Having sufficient grammatical knowledge can help the learners mastering second language effectively. ...

  • Word Count: 1309
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Second language acquisition

Thomas from the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition has proven that native language instruction is beneficial for students. ... The stages of Second Language Acquisition Our district has implemented the Houghton Mifflin Literacy program in all of the schools in the St. ... The five stages of Language Acquisition are: Production, Early Production, Speech Emergent, Intermediate Fluency and Fluent. ... Unfortunately, not every student learning a second language gets that opportunity. ... RESOURCES National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition. ...

  • Word Count: 1466
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Teaching and Learning English - Second Language

However, it seems that English is more like a foreign language than a second language in Hong Kong, unlike other British colonies. ... Language is learnt through the process of intake. ... Language, other than serving communicative purpose, also determines how people think and behave, i.e. ... The best predictor of success in second language acquisition is motivation. ... Acculturation Model emphasizes the emergence of learners into the target language and its culture. ...

  • Word Count: 593
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography

9. Does Age Affect Second Language Acquisition?

A common myth in education is that younger students can learn a second language more easily and more quickly than older students. ... The reasons given for the difference in language acquisition between age groups are varied. ... There have been some interesting studies on the topic of age and language acquisition. ... In a similar study, Fathman (1975, in Collier 1987) found that after one year of study in a new language, 11-15 year-olds were significantly better at acquiring English as a second language than 6-10 year-olds. ... The greater cognitive development of older students plays a ...

  • Word Count: 1437
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question