Second Language
Acquisition
Introduction
10-0227
Roger
Gass, S. M., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second language acquisition: An
introductory course (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.
1
What is SLA?

The acquisition of a language beyond the
native language

Relatively young interdisciplinary field:
linguistics, psychology, psycholinguistics, sociology,
sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, conversational analysis, and
education.
2
Why need to understand how SLA is
learned?

Linguistics (the study of the nature of the human mind)


The determination of linguistics constraints on the
formation of second language grammars.
Language pedagogy
Learning to express communicative needs
 Expectation that teachers have about students (p.3)

3
Why need to understand how SLA is
learned?

Cross-cultural communication and language
use
our stereotypes of a culture influences learners to
learn its language (p. 4)
 ex. “barking at the wrong tree”


Language policy and language planning
English Only Movement in the US (California)
 Bilingual program in Taiwan

4
Which field should SLA belong to?


Humanities
Social Sciences
5
Language Terms in SLA






Native Language (NL): L1
Target Language (TL): L1/L2
Second Language Acquisition (SLA): L2
Foreign Language Learning : L2
Native Speaker (NS)
Non-Native Speaker (NNS)
6
Nature of Language

Sound systems (Phonology)

Sound systems in different languages
possible vs. not possible sounds: Thai, Spanish vs Chinese
 Very vs. Wery


Pace of the language: Native-like


Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Intonation of the language
7
Nature of Language

Syntax: the knowledge of grammar rules
Prescriptive grammar: grammar we learn in school
 Descriptive grammar: grammar we actually use
A: Mom, I broke the glassy vase on the TV.
B: What did you break?
You broke WHAT?
 Deep Structure vs. Surface Structure
 Good grammar knowledge
=\= Good language

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Nature of Language

Morphology and the lexicon: the study of word
formation


Morpheme: Affixes (prefixes, infixes, suffixes) and
root (p. 11)
Semantics: the study of meaning
Knowledge of meaning of words
 Knowledge of reference of words

a cup of coffee vs. a glass of coffee
 He married a girl with red hair.
With red hair he married a girl.

9
Nature of Language

Pragmatics: the way in which NS use language in
context.
 Related to cultural customs (p.13)

ex. thank you (danke and bitte) in German
10
The Nature of NNS Knowledge

Interlanguage


For example:
Fossilization

“…to become permanently established in the
interlanguage of a second language learner in a form
that I deviant from the target-language norm and
that continues to appear in performance regardless
of further exposure to the target language” (Flexner &
Hanck, 1988, p. 755)
11
Discussions
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