What is the difference between second language and foreign language learning?

Second language learning is when you learn a language spoken in your surroundings.
Foreign language learning is when you study a language at school/university that is not the
spoken language where you are at

What is the difference between acquisition and learning?

Acquisition is the gradual development of ability in a language by using
it in communication with others who knows the language
Learning applies a conscious process of accumulating knowledge of
the features, such as vocabulary and grammar.
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When is the optimal age for learning a n L2?
Between 10-16, before out flexibility of our inherent capacity for
language has not been completely lost and the maturation of cognitive
skills allows a more effective analysis of the regular features of the L2.
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Affective factors when learning an L2?
Affective factores can be the self-conscious teen's unwilligness to
embarrass himself in front of peers. Dull textbooks, unpleasant
classrooms. All these can create a barrier to acquisition.
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Focus on method
The grammar-translation method
Has its roots in the traditional teaching of Latin. 
May leave the students unaware in how the language is used in
everyday conversations
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Focus on method
The audiolingual method
Emphasizes on spoken language. Involves a systematic presentation
fo the structures of the L2. 
Influenced by the belief that the fluent use of a language was a set of
habits that could be developed with a lot of practice. 
Included language laboratory where oral drills were repeated. Can be
incredibly boring.
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Focus on method
Communicative approaches
Are a reaction against the pattern practice and the belief that
consciously learning the grammar rules will result in the ability to use
the language
Lessons are arranged around concepts as "asking for things", rather
than "the forms of the past tense"
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Focus on the learner
Transfer
When the learner is transfering features from L1 to L2. If the languages
are similar this works and will be a positive transfer, if the languages
are different it is a negative transfer
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Focus on the learner
Interlanguage
Interlanguage is when the student uses rules that doesn't apply on
either L1 or L2. There is an understanding that rules are different but
not a knowledge of the rules.
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Focus on the learner
Motivation
Motivation to learn is important.
Instrumental motivation: the student wants to learn the L2 in order to
achieve some other goal (school graduation, reading scientific
publications etc.)
Integrative motivation: the student wants to learn the L2 in order to
take part in the social life of a community using that language.
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Focus on the learner
Input and output
Input is the language that the learner is exposed to. To be beneficial to
the learner it has to be comprehensible, we can't process what we
don't understand. It can be made simpler as in foreigner talk. 
Eg 
How are you getting on in your studies? - English class, you like it?
Output is the tasks and activities in which the learners interact.
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Communicative competence
Several components
Grammatical competence, involves the accurate use of words and
structures.
Sociolinguistic competence, enables the learner to know when to say
Can I have some water vs Give me some water.
Strategic competence, the ability to organize a message and to
compensate via strategies for any difficulties.

foreign language setting – learning language that is not generally spoken in the surrounding
community.
second language setting – learning language that is spoken in the surrounding community.

2. Give concrete examples:

- English as a foreign Language – Japanese students in an English class in Japan
- English as a second Language – Japanese students in an English class in USA.
3. Give conclusion: In either case, they are simply trying to learn another language, so the
expression SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING is used more generally to describe both
situations.

Two ways of developing L2

Acquisition – the gradual development of ability in a first or second language by using it
naturally in communicative situations with others who know the language.
Learning – the conscious process of accumulating knowledge, in contrast to acquisition.
1. Mathematics is not acquired but learned.
2. Activities associated with LEARNING: (used traditionally in language teaching in schools)
- this is the conscious process that results in ‘knowing about’ the language.
- those demonstrated on tests -- may result in more knowledge about the language than
in fluency.
3. Activities associated with ACQUISITION:
- this is the subconscious process
- those experience by child
- those who pick up a second language from long periods spent of interaction in different
social setting.
- constancy of using the language in an environment where people speak the language
4. CONCLUSION: Those individuals whose L2 exposure is primarily a learning type of
experience tend not to develop the same kind of general proficiency as those who have
had more of an acquisition type of experience.
5. State that you will be using these two terminologies interchangeably since both explain the
Language acquisition.
6. There are two ways of developing a L2. Acquisition is a subconscious process and learning a
conscious process that results in ‘knowing about’ the language.
7. Acquisition and Learning are used in producing a language. Acquired competence
(subconscious knowledge) allows the learner to produce utterances while learned language
(conscious language serves as a monitor. The monitor allows correction of the language.

Acquisition barriers – incite their interests by saying: try to recognize yourself on one of these
barriers.

Insufficient time is devoted in the process – a few hours each week—in class—rather than
through the constant in experienced as a child.
- a lot of things to be made while children have little else to do.
Insufficient incentive – adults already know a language and can use it for their daily
communicative needs thus they find it less advantage of learning the language.
Critical period for language acquisition has passed – difficult to learn a language because your
brain already reached its adult function unless of course if you are well motivated to learn.

1. State that very few adults seem to reach a native-like proficiency in using a 2nd language.
 - some of us may achieve a great expertise in writing the 2nd language, but not the
spoken language
- some may also be good in speech but there is always an interference of the features of
st
our 1 language.
for example: in our language we speak p in family as in pamily, d in this or that as
in dis and dat.
2. Give a concrete example by introducing Joseph Conrad who speak English, as his 3rd
language, yet retain his strong Polish Accent.
Give other examples: Filipino bilinguals, friends who speak English yet retain their strong 1st
lang. accent.

3. Give Conclusion using these observations

- this suggest that some Language features, such as vocabulary and grammar are much
easier to learn compared to pronunciation.
- this type of observation is sometimes taken as evidence that, after the critical period for
language acquisition has passed, around the time of puberty, it becomes very difficult to
acquire another language fully.
1. Affective factors – the negative feelings or experiences which can create a barrier to
acquisition.
Perhaps, we are unlikely to learn anything if we are:
Stress - due to tiring schedules of study and or work
Uncomfortable- unpleasant classroom surroundings
Self-conscious- the unwillingness of attempting to produce the diff. sound of
another language
- feeling no identification with its speakers
- the fear of committing mistake in the utterance (like wrong
diction and enunciation of words in the utterance) which may
consequently result in embarrassment and later inhibit
learning.
Unmotivated - if we find it less advantageous to learn 2nd language, it will be
very difficult to learn the language even if more hours will
be spent in the process.
2. Conclusion: These affective factors creates inhibitions which impedes the acquisition
process.
3. Inhibitions:
children – quickly overcome
adult or teens – sometimes overcome by gaining self confidence.
Experiment: In one intriguing study, a group of adults L2 learners volunteered
to have their self-consciousness levels reduced by having their alcohol levels gradually
increased. Up to a certain point, the pronunciation of the L2 noticeably improved, but after a
certain number of drinks, as we might expect, pronunciations deteriorated rapidly. These may
give partial solution but inhibitions are likely returned with sobriety.

Input – it is the language that the learner is exposed to, either in writing or in speech.
- linguist say that learning takes place through the interaction of the linguistic
environment and the internal mechanisms of learner.
- for that to happen, the input must be comprehensible; it can be made comprehensible
by being simpler in structure and vocabulary (foreigner talk).
The learner is exposed to input, which is processed in two stages:
1st – parts of it are attended to and taken into short-term memory. These are refered as intake
2nd – some of the intake is stored in long-term memory as L2 knowledge.
Finally – L2 knowledge is used by the learner to produce spoken and written output.

• Transfer Errors:
Example: Here, it is quiet obvious that some features of learner’s L1 creates and error in
producing an L2. Instead of “single room”, he substituted it in “room single”, which correspond to
his L1 subj.-adj. syntactic order.
• There are two kinds of errors common in L2 production
Global errors example:
- the syntax of the sentence.
Local errors example:
- the errors in the use of preposition or correct form of the past tense.
• We cannot see errors in verbal production of L2 as something negative since these are
indications that they are in the active and of gradual process of learning, for realizing
errors would lead to general competence of using appropriately the language.
• Learner constructs its own system of linguistic rules.
• Learner’s grammar is transitional.
• This rules is influenced from the outside (through the input as to how do they see the
grammar works), and inside (the internal processing – the errors they produced as they
try to make their own rule: overgeneralization, omission, and transfer errors)
• Learners change their grammar from one time to another by adding rules, deleting rules,
and restructuring the whole system. This is done in order for them to accommodate new
learning
-1. Learner fail to mark the verb for the past time.
-2. learner begin to produce irregular past tense forms.
- these are the first stages of acquisition. Here, it does not necessarily mean that
this form has already been acquired. This will still undergo various stages of
reconstruction to the point of arriving to the correct form.
• 3 & 4 Learner overgeneralizes the past tense form.
-These occur because learners reorganize their existing knowledge in order to
accommodate new knowledge; thus, mixed these up with the current knowledge
they have. In fact these productions are more advanced than the 2nd stage, who
produces the correct form, since at this time learners have begun to acquire new
form of regular –ed (as in ‘jumped’). Forms like ‘eated’ and ‘ated’ represent an
overgeneralization of the regular –ed past tense. (just write these examples in the
white board). Another examples might be the comparative and superlative: That
dog is the ‘most little’ instead of ‘littlest’, or ‘excitinger’ instead of ‘excitingest’.
• 5. Learners produce correct irregular past tense forms.
- Finally, learners arrive at the point that their interlanguage is the same that of the target
language, where it arrive at the correct form.

• Learner employ their various learning strategies to develop their interlanguages.

• Learner’s grammar is likely to fossilize
Fossilization – the processes responsible for the cessation of learning while still
short of target-language competence. Most of L2 learners’ interlanguages fossilize.

• Here, they use different strategies that will help them to easily acquire L2.
We will examine the different learning strategies on the proceeding discussion.
• If some learners develop a fairly fixed model of L2 expressions and assume new rules
that those expressions are the correct form of the L2, which usually do not match the
target language, and seem to be not progressing any further, their interlanguage is said
to have ‘fossilized’.
- In the U-shaped development (you can probably preview the diagram), if either
of the 3rd or 4th stage of acquisition is adopted and considered by the learner as the
“correct” form of the target language, then fossilization takes place.
- The language that they produced does not correspond to that of target
language. (ask them some other examples.
- Fossilization does not occur in the L1 acquisition.

Communicative Competence
As what I have discussed in the previous slide, I have talked about the output and its
role in developing a communicative competence. So now let us examine what does it
mean.
Grammatical competence – as is
Sociolinguistic competence – enables the learner to know when to say Can I have some
water? Versus Give me some water!; Would you mind closing the door or Close the
door!.
Strategic competence
In their process of learning, learner usually experience a moment when there is a gap
between communicative intent and their ability to express that intent. Some learners may
just stop talking (which is definitely a bad idea), whereas others may try to express
themselves using a communicative strategy as part of strategic competence.