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Developmental Patterns

There are three main aspects of developmental patterns in second language acquisition: 1. Developmental sequences show that both first and second language learners progress through similar stages of silent period, formulaic speech, and structural and semantic simplification. 2. The order of acquiring certain grammatical morphemes, known as the Morpheme Order Studies, found that L2 learners progress through predictable sequences, similar to L1 acquisition. 3. The L2=L1 hypothesis suggests that the developmental patterns of first and second language acquisition are comparable, though L2 learners may be urged to skip the initial silent period.

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Walid Wac
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180 views

Developmental Patterns

There are three main aspects of developmental patterns in second language acquisition: 1. Developmental sequences show that both first and second language learners progress through similar stages of silent period, formulaic speech, and structural and semantic simplification. 2. The order of acquiring certain grammatical morphemes, known as the Morpheme Order Studies, found that L2 learners progress through predictable sequences, similar to L1 acquisition. 3. The L2=L1 hypothesis suggests that the developmental patterns of first and second language acquisition are comparable, though L2 learners may be urged to skip the initial silent period.

Uploaded by

Walid Wac
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Developmental patterns 

: order and sequence in sla

Do learners acquire some TL features before others ?

How do learners acquire a particular TL linguistic feature ?

The existence of developmental patterns can be investigated in different areas of language; linguistic
(phonological, lexical and grammatical), semantic and functional. This topic will deal more with the
acquisition of grammatical systems.

L1 acquisition orders and sequences provide a baseline and useful methodological procedures for
investigating developmental patterns in learner language and considering L2’s.

developmental pattern in SLA


there are three aspects of L2 acquisition :
2.1 Developmental Sequences Researchers have carried out numerous studies to understand the
nature of first and second language acquisition. These studies have revealed that both first and
second language learners follow a pattern of development, which is mainly followed despite
exceptions. Rod Ellis (1984) covers the idea of developmental sequences in detail and outlines three
developmental stages: the silent period, formulaic speech, and structural and semantic
simplification.

Research in natural settings where unplanned language, such as the learner language that results
from attempts by learners to express meaning more or less spontaneously, is used to show that both
first and second language learners pass through a similar initial stage, the silent period. Children
acquiring their first language go through a period of listening to the language they are exposed to.
During this period the child tries to discover what language is. In the case of second language
acquisition, learners opt for a silent period when immediate production is not required from them. In
general, however, many second language learners - especially classroom learners- are urged to
speak. The fact that there is a silent period in both first and second language learners (when given
the opportunity) is widely accepted. However, there is disagreement on what contribution the silent
period has in second language acquisition. While Krashen (1982) Vol. 2, No. 2 English Language
Teaching 156 argues that it builds competence in the learner via listening, Gibbons (1985, cited in
Ellis, 1994) argues that it is a stage of incomprehension.

The second developmental stage is termed formulaic speech. Formulaic speech is defined as
expressions which are learnt as unanalysable wholes and employed on particular occasions (Lyons,
1968, cited in Ellis, 1994). Krashen (1982) suggests that these expressions can have the form of
routines (whole utterances learned as memorized chunks - e.g. I don't know.), patterns (partially
unanalyzed utterances with one or more slots - e.g. Can I have a ____?), and Ellis (1994) suggests that
these expressions can consist of entire scripts such as greetings. The literature points out that
formulaic speech is not only present in both first and second language acquisition but also present in
the speech of adult native speakers.

In the third stage the first and second language learners apply structural and semantic simplifications
to their language. Structural simplifications take the form of omitting grammatical functors (e.g.
articles, auxiliary verbs) and semantic simplifications take the form of omitting content words (e. g.
nouns, verbs). There are two suggested reasons why such simplifications occur. The first reason is
that learners may not have yet acquired the necessary linguistic forms. The second reason is that
they are unable to access linguistic forms during production.

These three stages show us that L1 and L2 learners go through similar stages of development with
the exception that L2 learners are urged to skip the silent period. However, learners do not only
show a pattern in developmental sequences, but also in the order in which they acquire certain
grammatical morphemes.

The L2=L1 hypothsis

During the 1970s, researchers conducted a series of studies known as the Morpheme
studies to explore how second language (L2) learners acquire grammatical
morphemes. These studies utilized both cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches.

The aim of these studies was to determine the order in which L2 learners acquired
specific grammatical morphemes. Grammatical morphemes are units of language that
carry meaning and relate to grammar, such as verb tense markers (e.g., -ed for past
tense in English) or plural markers (e.g., -s for plural nouns in English).

To assess the learners' acquisition of these morphemes, the researchers employed a


method called Obligatory Occasion Analysis. This analysis involved examining the
learners' use of the target morphemes in specific linguistic contexts where their use
was obligatory or required. By focusing on these specific contexts, the researchers
could determine the accuracy with which the learners produced the morphemes.

Based on the accuracy of morpheme usage, an order of acquisition was calculated.


The underlying assumption was that the more accurately a morpheme was used by
the learners, the earlier they must have acquired it in their language development. In
other words, if learners consistently used a particular morpheme correctly, it was
inferred that they had acquired it earlier in their language learning process.

By comparing the accuracy order of different morphemes, researchers could establish


a general sequence in which L2 learners acquired grammatical morphemes. For
example, if the plural marker -s was used more accurately by learners compared to
verb tense markers like -ed, it suggested that plural marking was acquired earlier in
the learning process.

These Morpheme studies aimed to shed light on the developmental patterns of


grammatical morpheme acquisition in L2 learners and contributed to our
understanding of how second language learners acquire the complex systems of
grammar in a new language.

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