class notes

Early starters outdo later starters: (explanation)

• Critical period hypothesis (CPH) = originally started as a support for Chomsky’s UG – then it extended to SLA

• Johnson & Newport (1989) - most frequently cited paper in support of CPH

Two versions of CPH are discussed (in Johnson & Newport):

1. Exercise hypothesis – in early life, we have a superior capacity to acquire language, when we train it, it will remain intact, when not, we will lose it = predicts no differences between adults and children

2. The maturational state hypothesis – the superior capacity have a time-limit and disappears after CP = differences are expected => supported by their study

• Correlation = relationship between two features (r=1 they are related, r=0 they are not related)

• Correlation analyses reveal a steep decline in the scores before age 17 (r=-0,87), but not for older speakers (r=-0,16) = discontinuity in the age

Criticism of CPH

1. Age-related decline in SLA successfulness does not show discontinuities

2. Some late starters achieve native likeness

3. Young learners simply have more time and exposure

4. Correlation does not imply causation (can only be due to the coincidence)

• Learner variables that modify the overall trajectory of the language acquisition processes

• 4 ID factors received special attention

1. Motivation (affective characteristics of the learner)

2. Language aptitude (cognitive dimension, quality of learning)

3. Learning styles (manner of learning)

4. Learning strategies (learner’s proactiveness in selecting specifid made-to-measure learning routes)

APTITUDE, MOTIVATION

• DTS approach – a move away from this idealization, ID’s display a considerable amount of variation from time to time and from situation to situation

Language Aptitude

• Intuitive notions that may contribute to teacher’s believes about aptitude:

• It is genetic (we are born with it)

• It has to do with intelligence, good memory, musical ear

• It is fixed

• It is dichotomous – you either have it, or not

So… What is it?

• “Basic abilities that are essential to facilitate foreign language learning” – Carroll & Sapon

• A variety of cognitively based learner differences

• A composite measure – need to break aptitude down into specific skills & capacities (phonological coding, working memory – around seven items)

• Instruments of measuring aptitude: MLAT (Modern Languages aptitude test) and Llama language aptitude test

Carroll’s 4 factor view of aptitude

1. Phonemic coding ability – the capacity to retain unfamiliar auditory material

2. Inductive language learning ability – you are able to learn from examples, able to generalize and find patterns

3. Grammatical sensitivity – ability to identify functions of words in sentences

4. Associative learning – capacity to learn and retain associations between sounds and meaning, to remember large quantities of foreign language material

MLAT

• Good predictor of ease and rate of formal language learning (r = .40 - .60)

• Standard aptitude measures are strongly correlated with L2 proficiency

• Aptitude is the most important variable, second one is motivation

• The test is designed for the classroom, learners that learn in the instructed context – the test gives good predictions, not good prediction for naturalist learners

• In 1970s – the loss of interest in these tests (little explanatory value, undemocratic with respect to learners)

• 1990s – renewed interest, focus on the information processing side (e.g. working memory)

• Aptitude found to be related to verbal talent in the L1