is second language acquisition like first language acquisition
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Is second language acquisition like first language acquisition?
Discuss this question based on the findings of empirical studies
into first and second language acquisition.
The main aim of my essay entitled Is SLA like FLA? Discuss this question based on the
findings of empirical studies into first and second language acquisition will be to answer
the proposed question in terms of the empirical studies that have examined similarities
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between first and second language acquisition. A brief overview of some differences
between first and second language acquisition will be given.
The term first language refers to the first language that a child learns. Other terms used for
the first language are mother tongue, primary and native language. The term second
language (L2) is used to describe any non-native language learned after the learning of an
L1 or native language; also it refers to any language regardless of whether it is the second,
third, fourth or even fifth language. Second language acquisition (SLA) refers to the
process of learning a non-native language after the learning of the native language (Gass
and Selinker, 2008:7).
The development sequence can give us the first insight into the
similarity between first and second language acquisition. Ellis (1991, as
cited in Ipek, 2009:155-156) studied the development sequence and has
proposed three stages of development: the silent period, formulaic
speech, and structural and semantic simplification. He views the silent
period as a period of listening of a language that first language learners
are exposed to; formulaic speech is thought as expressions which are
considered to be wholes that cant be analyzed and are used in
particular situations (Ellis,1991, as cited in Ipek, 2009:155-156). The last
stage, structural and semantic simplification, the first is defined asomitting grammatical factors such as articles and auxiliary verb, while
the later is defined as omitting content words such as nouns and verbs
(Ellis,1991, as cited in Ipek, 2009:156). I agree with Ipek who concludes
that from these three stages we can see that the L1 and the L2 learners
are similar because both L1 and L2 learners have similar development
stages. The only difference is in the silent period where the L2 learners
are urged to skip it (Ipek, 2009:156).
In addition to the developmental sequence, Ipek (2009:156) proposes other aspects in
which similarity can be found between first and second language acquisition. SLA is
similar to FLA, among others, in input and in the acquisition order. Input
is vital to first language acquisition. Ipek agrees with Chomsky (1965,
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Ellis, 1994; McLaughlin, 1991 as cited in Ipek, 2009:157) who states that
input is vital for first language acquisition but also he finds that input
alone can not be a sufficient source because it contains
ungrammaticalities and disfluencies. This means that if children rely
only on input they would not be able to determine what is grammatical
and what is not grammatical. Chomsky points out that children must
have an inner knowledge that helps them to overcome the deficiencies
of input because input alone cant provide the necessary information
that they need to discover the rules of the L1 (1965, Ellis, 1994; McLaughlin,
1991 as cited in Ipek, 2009:157). Ipek believes that these arguments for
the inadequacy of input in the first language acquisition can also be
found in the second language acquisition (Ipek, 2009:157). The
similarity between FLA and SLA can also be seen in the order of
acquisition. Brown selected a set of 14 most frequently used English morphemes and
studied the order of acquisition of these morphemes in three English-speaking children
from MLU stages through II to V (Brown, 1973, as cited in James and Khan, 1982:381).
The results of the study have shown that the order of acquisition of these morphemes was
similar in all three children (Lee, 2005)1. Furthermore, Corder states:The L2 Morpheme
Order Studies have suggested that second language learners errors might be essentially
similar to those committed by children learning first language (Corder, 1967, as cited in
Meisel, 2011:64). Dulay and Burt (1974, as cited in Lee, 2005) conducted a cross-sectional
study in which they examined the order of acquisition of 11 English morphemes in native
Chinese- and Spanish-speaking children learning English in an environment that included
native speakers of English. The results have shown that both Spanish and Chinese children
acquired the 11 morphemes in the same way. From this we can come to a
conclusion that in the first and second language acquisition there is a
similar pattern according to the order of acquisition of morphemes (Dulay
and Burt, 1974, as cited in Lee, 2005). However, it is worth mentioning that
some researchers have found that the order of acquisition varies
1 Article taken from internet source:http://jeas.co.kr/sub/cnt.asp?num=38&volnum=4, taken 10.2.2012., no
page numbering
http://jeas.co.kr/sub/cnt.asp?num=38&volnum=4http://jeas.co.kr/sub/cnt.asp?num=38&volnum=4http://jeas.co.kr/sub/cnt.asp?num=38&volnum=4 -
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somewhat according to the learners first language. Schmidt (1983, as
cited in Ellis, 1997:6) conducted longitudinal study of an adult Japanese
learner of English named Wes over a period of 3 years (as cited in
Kasper and Schmidt, 1996:151-152). Without formal instruction and with
only rudimentary classroom learning in Japan, Wes performed plural-s
very poorly, much less accurately than irregular past ( Schmidt, 1983, as
cited in Ellis, 1997:7). In other words, Wes did not follow the natural
order. It has been argued that second language learning is built
completely upon transfer from the first language and cannot tell us
anything more general about language learning (Bever, Weksel, 1965,
as cited in Ervin-Tripp, 1974:112). Ervin-Tripp (1974:113) proposes that
if second language learning relies on skills and processes similar to the
ones from first language acquisition, the answer to the question Is
there a change in the learning rate or process with age? may be
generalizable to first language acquisition and we will be able to
manipulate the functional, social and structural circumstances in which
learning occurs. Ervin-Tripps empirical study consisted of thirty-one
participants, children aged 4 to 9. The participants were all English-
speaking children who went to a school where French was an
instructional medium. They have not been exposed to French for more
than nine months. The method used to test the participants was a
comprehension test consisting of 24 sentences with passives, actives,
reversed anomalous passives, indirect objects and telegraphic
sentences in which the children acted out the situation with dolls or
animals (Ervin-Tripp, 1974:113). In other words, the tests involved the
comprehension of morphology and syntax. The first question Ervin-Tripp
(1974:126) wanted to answer was whether the process of second
language acquisition looks like the first. The results of the study have
shown that the functions of early sentences, as well as their forms, their
reliance on short term memory, semantic redundancy, the
overgeneralization of lexical forms and the use of simple order strategy
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are similar to processes in first language acquisition. Ervin-Tripp came to
the conclusion that first and second language learning is similar in
natural situations. The results regarding the second question Is there a
change in the learning rate or process with age? have shown that, with
regard to every aspect tested, older children (in the age range of 4 to 9)
showed an advantage over the younger children in terms of the rate of
acquisition and learned faster than younger children (Ervin-Tripp,
1974:126). The research conducted by Ervin-Tripp, among others, has
shown that the fact that an L2 learner builds on previously acquired
concepts and it is not what differentiates L2 learning from L1 learning
(Firth, 1975). Another similarity found between first and second
language acquisition can be found in terms of linguistic universals and
markedness. The findings in these areas show that unmarked features
are learned easier and faster than marked rules in both first and second
language (Ipek, 2009:156-157).
Despite all the evidence presented above, in favor of the claim that first
and second language acquisition are similar, it is worth mentioning that
there are some differences that distinguish first and second language
learning. An important difference between children learning their first
language and adults learning a second language is the contextual
support for learning. It is argued that the contexts for L1 acquisition
cannot be duplicated in the L2 learning (Firth,1975:137). However,
studies conducted by Gardner and Lambert (1972, as cited in Firth,
1975:137) and H. Douglas Brown (1973, as cited in Firth, 1975:137)
have shown that if the settings in which the learning of the L2 takes
place offer instances of meaningful communication then the rate and
the quality of L2 learning will be greater than L1 acquisition
(Firth,1975:137). Pronunciation is another area in which first and second
language learning might differ. A child that learns his native language
acquires the pronunciation of the regional and social dialect to which he
is exposed. This is rarely the case when the adult learns a second
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language. Studies have shown that some extralinguistic and social
factors, such as ability and personality, might play a certain role in the
ultimate attainment of pronunciation (Firth, 1975:137).
From this paper we can conclude that the SLA is similar to FLA in many
aspects However, there are a lot of differences between SLA and FLA
which suggests that they are not nearly similar as we think. The
question of SLA and FLA similarity needs additional research because
the present evidence does not give us a clear answer to which extent is
SLA similar to FLA, only speculations to the claim.
Word count: 1525
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