reading sla

Unit A2

• Many studies have shown that development of l2 is more or less linear, but it has been shown that the development is not straightforward

• L1 is to affect l2, but also l2 affects l1!

• The speaker may no longer be able to retrieve some of the L1 words and would retrieve words from L2 instead

• Speed of processing may be slower in L1 when L2 is learned

• In early stages of acquisition, strategies of L1 are used in processing L2, later L2 strategies dominate L1 strategies

• Retrieval is slower when we do not use the word very often, later becomes forgotten

Dynamic systems theory

• Two main properties – all variables interact, and this continuous interaction keeps changing the whole system over time

• Another property – complex systems may be nested (= meaning that smaller systems are part of greater systems)

• How does this apply on L2 acquisition? -> language is a complex system made from smaller one – register, pronunciation, vocabulary, which is continuously changing – new words are created/borrowed, some are removed because they are not used anymore

• Changes in a language happen, but very slowly over a long time

• Our language can also change – when we become interested in law and learn a lot of law-oriented vocabulary, we change our language, or when we move to another part of the country which slightly changes our pronunciation

• Sub-systems of language generally = phonemic, lexical and grammar systems

• Sub-systems of language of an individual = different languages, varieties, registers (which have their own phonemic, lexical and grammar systems)

• Attractor states = states of less variation/stabilisation of the sub-system (example: once we learn the form of past tense, it is unlikely to change again)

• Greater changes are caused by stronger external forces

• Fossilisation = process in which linguistic items, rules and sub-systems which speakers of particular native language will tend to be kept in their interlanguage relative to particular target language no matter what the age of the learner or amount of explanation and instruction he receives in the target language

• Variation = variability occurs when a child learns the language and goes through time of confusion, when there is a variation of correct and incorrect forms used during a relatively short time. This variability should be considered normal and important, not as an era of errors

• Unwanted variation (for example in language proficiency tests) are called measurement error

• Free variation = two or more forms that performs the same language function within one particular context (there church/there’s church used in the same context), usually occurs in the earlier stages of development and then disappears as learner develops better organised language system

• There are two broad stages of L2 development

1. Acquisition phase – learner uses one forms in a variety of situation and contexts, then introduces another form used in free variation with the first in all contexts

2. Replacement phase – each form is restricted to its own contexts through gradual elimination of the other