Theories of SLA
SLA and theory
Enlightenment – modernism – search for unity,
comprehensiveness, “grand scheme of things,”
Grand Narrative
Social Sciences – Walt Whitman Rostow, The
Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist
Manifesto (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1960) v. Andre Gunder Frank, Capitalism and
Underdevelopment in Latin America: Historical
Studies of Chile and Brazil (New York: Monthly
Review Press, 1967).
Piaget, Marx, and so on.
In postmodern era, less of this kind of theorizing. 1
Theories of SLA
SLA follows this same pattern, foreshortened.
In the 1970s, there were several attempts to
develop comprehensive theories of SLA.
This tendency has dramatically lessened today –
scholars seem content in exploring circumscribed
aspects of SLA – whether as “mini-narratives” of the
postmodern era, or something else (not much
discussion of postmodernism in SLA; though see
Michael Long [2007], Problems in SLA [Chapter 6,
“Breaking the Siege, pp. 139–168]. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum).
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Theories of SLA: Acculturation
Lybeck, K. (2002). Cultural identification and second
language pronunciation of Americans in Norway.
Modern Language Journal, 86(2), 174–191.
John Schumann, UCLA
10-month study of untutored acquisition of English
by 6 native speakers of Spanish.
Interested in development sequences in negative
formation, question formation, and so on.
Alberto did not progress. Why?
• Intelligence – IQ test indicated no problem
• Age – but other adult learners were progressing
• Pidginization – restriction to communication
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Theories of SLA: Pidginization
What is a Pidgin language?
A language developed by speakers of distinct
languages who come in contact with one another
and share no common language.
Venues: trade, plantation
Examples: Sabir (Mediterranean); Tok Pisin (Papua
New Guinea); Hawaiian Pidgin English; various
Pidgin languages of Pacific Northwest, involving
native American language, English / Russian
Pidgins are usually based on a dominant language
(English, French, Dutch, Russian), but contain
relatively more / less lexical / syntactic items from
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other languages.
Theories of SLA: Pidginization
What is the difference between a Pidgin language
and a Creole language?
Creoles are spoken as a first language by children
of Pidgin speakers.
Some evidence that BVE is a creole language (from
Gullah), English and W. African languages.
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Theories of SLA: Pidginization
Pidgins are languages reduced to a purely
communicative function – to the purveyance of
meaning.
Certain regularized features of pidgins across time
and space, including:
• replacement of inflectional with free morphemes
• absence of tense markers and definite articles
• reduplication
• lack of some kind of movement rules
(transformations)
• reduced lexicon
• possession by juxtaposition
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Theories of SLA: Pidginization
Schumann noticed that Alberto’s speech was
characterized by pidgin-like features, and he asked,
Why? His hypothesis (the pidginization hypothesis):
“the speech of the SL learner will be restricted to the
communication function if the learner is socially and
/ or psychologically distant from the speakers of the
target language” (Schumann. [1976]. Second
language acquisition: The pidginization hypothesis.
Language Learning, 26, 391-408).
“Psychological distance” referred to affective
considerations like culture shock, and motivation.
“Social distance” was an innovative concept,
predicted on a complex comparative analysis.
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Theories of SLA: Pidginization
Analysis of Political, Economic, Technical, Cultural, and Structural
Characteristics for Good and Bad Language Learning Situations and for
Worker v. Professional Immigrants from Latin America to the United States.
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Theories of SLA: Pidginization
Group Activity #1:
In your 6 groups
• examine Schumann’s social distance graphic
• be able to explain it relative to Latin American
professionals and workers
• identify another group-pair for which social
distance would suggest good / bad language
learning situations.
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• examine Schumann’s social distance graphic
• explain it relative to Latin American professionals and workers
• identify another group-pair for which social distance would suggest
good / bad language learning situations.
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Theories of SLA: Acculturation Theory
On the basis of the Pidginization Hypothesis and
the social distance model, Schumann later
developed Acculturation Theory: “The degree to
which a learner acculturates to the target language
group will control the degree to which s/he acquires
the language.”
Schumann, 1978, The Pidginization Process: A
Model for Second Language Acquisition, Newbury
House Publishers, p. 34.
Elegant theory, simple, hard to test.
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Theories of SLA: Lybeck
Lybeck, K. (2002). Cultural identification and second
language pronunciation of Americans in Norway.
Modern Language Journal, 86(2), 174–191.
Note: “Schumann’s acculturation model has not
been the focus for analysis for some time [but] with
some modification [it may yet provide] a useful
framework for investigating the effects of social and
affective factors in L2 acquisition” (p. 174).
Four modifications of Schumann
Group Activity #2:
What are they, and do they make sense?
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1.
2.
3.
4.
Theories of SLA: Lybeck
Eliminating the distinction between social and
psychological distance
“consolidating them into one group of socialaffective variables that affect what can be
labeled as cultural distance” (p. 175).
(This is not entirely clear to me.)
Focus on pronunciation
Bidirectional Analysis of Culture
“acculturation is a two-way street[:] the social
behaviors of the target culture will be just as
influential as those of the learner group” (p. 175).
(I think Schumann does this.)
Operationalization via Social Network Theory. 13
Theories of SLA: Lybeck
Nine Americans sojourners in Norway.
1. What are the acculturation patterns of American
sojourners in Norway?
2. How native-like is their Norwegian pronunciation
across 6-month interval?
3. Do acculturation patterns correlate with
acquisition of L2 pronunciation?
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Theories of SLA: Lybeck
Data collected:
• semi-structured interviews (on informants’ social
networks, and their opinions about Norwegians
more generally), over 6 months
• pronunciation data: global rating, and use of
American / r /.
Analysis of cultural distance / acculturation (as
operationalized through social networks) showed
there to be three groups: A, B, C.
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Theories of SLA: Lybeck
Group Activity #3:
Grp 1: Describe Group A acculturation experience;
discuss in Schumann’s terms
Grp 2: Describe Group B acculturation experience;
discuss in Schumann’s terms
Grp 3: Describe Group C acculturation experience;
discuss in Schumann’s terms
Grp 4: Describe pronunciation skills of all groups
Grp 5: Discussion acculturation / pronunciation
correlation of all groups
Grp 6: Consider how the conclusions of this study
correlate with, and differ from, Schumann.
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Grp 1:
Describe Group A acculturation experience; discuss in Schumann’s terms
Grp 2:
Describe Group B acculturation experience; discuss in Schumann’s terms
Grp 3:
Describe Group C acculturation experience; discuss in Schumann’s terms
Grp 4:
Describe pronunciation skills of all groups
Grp 5:
Discussion acculturation / pronunciation correlation of all groups
Grp 6:
Consider how the conclusions of this study correlate with, and differ from,
Schumann.
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