Universität Bielefeld
Fakultät für Linguistik und Literaturwissenschaft
Wintersemester 2008/2009
Veranstaltung: Introduction to Second Language Acquisition
Veranstalter: Nathan Devos
Presenters: Jacqueline dos Anjos, Hanna Heseker, Dana Meyer
December 12th, 2008
Developmental Sequences in Second Language Learning
The Idea of Developmental Sequences in SLA
 It is assumed that L2 learners, like L1 learners, pass through stages of development in
the acquisition of the grammatical structures of a language → hierarchy of complexity
determines when a structure is acquired in the learning process
 research found that there are similarities in the acquisition of English as L2 in learners
from different first language backgrounds/ in different learning environments/ at
different ages and that those sequences are also similar to the ones found in L1
acquisition
Background: Influences in SLA
 High level of cognitive development:
o in L1 learners, language acquisition and cognitive development benefit each
other
o L2 learners have knowledge of how language in general works and can employ
their analytical abilities
 Mental Lexicon of Real World Concepts
o L1 learners are exposed to aspects of cultural and physical environment and
have to learn especially about the pragmatic dimensions of language
(requesting, commanding, promising and apologising,…) in order to be able to
interact
o L2 learners have developed a mental lexicon of real-world concepts, but may
not be able to communicate those in their L2
 Knowledge of L1 structures
o L1 learners do not possess any previous linguistic knowledge
o L2 learners are influenced by specific features of their L1 which are only
partially relevant for the production of a second language
 Different learning environments and conditions:
o L1 language acquisition takes place in a spontaneous/ unconscious process
→ input through reciprocal social interaction necessary
o learning environments will differ (L2 environment/ classroom context/ selfstudy…)
Development of an Interlanguage
 consists of characteristics of previously learned languages, features of L2 and general
interlanguage characteristics such as omission of function words and grammatical
morphemes
 different levels of proficiency achieved, theoretically never native-like linguistic
competence
Obligatory contexts
 in language, there are “Obligatory contexts“ (signal words) which determine that
specific grammatical morphemes must occur in a certain position

in testing, obligatory contexts for each grammatical morpheme are counted separately
and then the correctly added morphemes are identified (accuracy percentage for each
morpheme is calculated)
Stephen Krashen (Natural Order Hypothesis)
 grammatical morphemes grouped together in boxes
 morphemes in higher boxes produced with higher accuracy by tested learners
→ therefore supposedly learned earlier by L2 learners
Movement through Developmental Sequences
 Stages in language learning are not like “closed rooms“
 Stress situations may cause learners to fall back into an earlier stage
 Learners may have difficulty moving beyond a stage when facing similarities between
first and interlanguage patterns
More about First Language Influence
 First language interacts with developmental sequences
 When learners reach a certain stage and perceive a similarity to their first language,
they may linger longer at that stage
 Addition of a substage
 May learn a second language rule but restrict its application
Phenomenon of “Avoidance“
 Feature in the target language too distant and different from their first language
→ learners don’t try it
 Extent of transfer has do to with the L2 learner’s beliefs about the distance between
the L1 and the L2
 Language acquirer
o will typically avoid those structures that he is not sure are grammatical in the
L2
o knows that idiomatic or metaphorical uses of words are often unique to a
particular language
Review Questions
1. What does the idea of developmental sequences in L2 acquisition imply?
2. In which ways is L2 learning different from L1 learning?
3. Which basic research results contributed to the development of Stephen Krashen’s
model of grammatical morpheme acquisition and how was the model constructed to
reflect those results?
4. Is it possible to say that there is always a clear distinction between two stages and that
there is a progressive development from a lower to a higher stage?
5. What is the phenomenon of avoidance?
References



Lightbrown, Patsy M. and Nina Spada. How Languages are Learned. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford
UP, 2006.
Saville-Troike, Muriel. Introducing Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge
UP, 2006.
Cook, Vivian. Second Language Learning and Language Teaching. 3rd ed. London: Arnold,
2001.