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Second Language Acquisition Report (Doc)

   

Added on  2021-06-15

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Running Head: SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION REPORT1Second Language Acquisition Report:Learning Styles in Second Language AcquisitionStudent's Name:ID:Institution:

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION REPORT 2IntroductionSecond language acquisition (SLA) is a process of learning an additional language following the mastery of the first language or mother tongue. It is a complex exercise that is progressive and involves developmental patterns, orders and sequences (Hudson, 1993). It is influenced by factors that are grouped into naturalistic and classroom SLA. Development of L2 is as a result of the strategies that learners put in place (Ellis, 2015). According to his research, children can learn the second languagequite easily as compared to adults due to other factors such as the influence of their first language. As opposed to the naturalistic SLA, in classroom SLA, learners may begiven formal instructions and rules to be followed in speech and writing. Other factorssuch as motivation, the rate of second language learning, cognitive style, personality etc. have an influence on L2 development. In the naturalistic SLA research found that children who are learning their mother tongue follow the same route of acquisition of elements such as negative and interrogatives structures while the study on second language errors shows that all learners learn the grammar of the second language in a fixed order. Those discoveries led to the development of the hypothesis that says that the processes of the first language and second language are similar due to the strategies learners employ. Learners who learn English as their second language, for instance, usually experience challenges when they are trying to learn and understand concepts that govern the language and this usually affects their attitude towards the language and it could possibly contribute to their demoralization in learning it. This means that for there to be effective second language acquisition, learners must be exposed to the right learning environment and their teachers should embrace motivating teaching strategies in classrooms.

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION REPORT 3This research is focused on the learning styles and learning strategies. It explores more on individual differences in learning a second language and also looks at the factors influencing SLA such as age, motivation, personality etc. The aim of this exercise is to survey, collect a small sample of empirical data on second language acquisition and analyze it and to write a report based on such analysis. It is structured to examine the aspects involved in the second language acquisition for an individual learner thus giving a clear understanding of SLA.Literature reviewResearchers have been conducted to examine the learning theories and approaches to the pedagogy of second language acquisition. According to research, general principles of learning have been examined carefully to draw the theories of approach that would constitute effective second Language acquisition in class (Ellis, 2015).Moreover, the factors that affect second learning acquisition, and those that contribute to the differences between one individual and the other in the second language acquisition have also been examined. The Role of L1 in SLAIn most cases, first language (L1) is acquired naturally and it is greatly developed through the environment the learner is exposed to. Researchers have found that L1 hasan effect on the acquisition of the second language through interferences in speech, conceptual transfer, a direct translation of words and cross-linguistic influence (Odlin,2005). As much as these factors can be looked at as influencing factors to SLA, the majority of errors made cannot actually be attributed to the first language influence directly (Corder, 1967). Contrastive analysis, therefore, can be used to check the errors made. It involves comparing and contrasting the aspects of learner's first and second languages. This does not, however, predict all the errors that the learners can

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION REPORT 4make and thus it is not an effective tool since it is based on hypothesis and predictions(Ferris, D. 2002). Recently, it has been discovered that learners transfer linguistic elements from their first language into the second language. These elements are said to be unmarked if they are more basic or core or usual while others are said to be marked if they are special or peripheral or unusual (James, 2013).Learners tend to transfer unmarked elements and resist marked forms. Leaners also draw their intuitionfrom how close or distance their L1 is from L2 in term psychotypology or psychological distance. Learners Differences in SLAThe differences between learners in the second language acquisition are contributed by many factors some of which are discussed below:MotivationLearners' motivation and needs are key in the development of L2. Learners who get interested in the social and cultural norms of the native speakers of the language they are learning are likely to have effective L2 acquisition (Dörnyei, 2001). This can also apply to learners who are learning the foreign language to achieve certain specific objectives such as for study purposes. Conversely, learners who are less concerned with the affairs of the native speakers of the language they are learning and have no particular instrumental of mastery of the language will have a hard task in learning. The Age FactorAge is considered to be a major factor in SLA. It is viewed that the brains of learners at an early age are able to information with ease as compared to learners at a late age. Children are believed to have greater memory and can be focus more easily or form features of a language. However, examination of critical period hypothesis shows that there is a period where when language acquisition takes place naturally and with less

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