Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco

División Académica de Educación y Artes

Licenciatura en Idiomas

Procesos de Aprendizaje de L2

Professor:

Miguel Hernández Hernández

Group:

3AIDI

Students:

González Aguilar Estrella Cristhell 222J25079

Hernández López Aída 222J25097

Osorio Valdez María José 222J25085

Villegas Chablé Miguel Antonio 222J25019

Analysis of SLA research

September 6th 2023

Villahermosa, Tabasco.

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 ÍNDICE

INTRODUCTION------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis of SLA research-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 INTRODUCTION

The research on second language acquisition (SLA) is a broad field drawing from
various disciplines like linguistics and cognitive psychology. Its coherence depends on
defining its object of study clearly: second language acquisition. This chapter aims to
provide a definition and framework to address this topic, involving the description of the
learner’s language and the explanation of its characteristics. While these objectives
cannot be entirely separated, this perspective offers an entry into the study of a complex
field, reflecting its historical evolution from description towards the quest for a theory of
second language acquisition.

For this report, everything that this field entails will be compiled, such as: L2
acquisition, L2 learning methods, internal and external factors, how people externalize
this learned knowledge, learning strategies, etc. This with the intention of showing the
SLA research in a more extensive way and from different points of view.

In this first chapter, you can see a work that is aimed at students who are
learning languages. Since we can observe different terms and definitions that are
directed to students. It is also aimed at teachers who teach a language, since this
chapter talks about how the student can learn and acquire a language, in this way,
teachers are given a tool to be able to teach based on these ways of learning.

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 Analysis of SLA research
The term “second language” used to denote any language other than the first
language. In the case of acquiring a second language, this language takes on
institutional and social significance within the community, making it a complex and
multifaceted phenomenon.

The acquisition of a second language (L2) can be considered complete either

when it is first used or when it can be used with a higher degree of accuracy. There are
various ways to acquire it, including natural communication in social settings or formal
study with the assistance of reference materials, books, or classroom instruction.
Language acquisition may occur through interaction or non-reciprocal discourse.
Second language acquisition research is a broad and somewhat undefined field drawing
from disciplines such as linguistics, cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics, social
linguistics, and education.

Different processes come into play during language acquisition. Some processes
explain how learners utilize their existing knowledge, including their mother tongue,
general learning strategies, or universal language properties, to internalize knowledge
of the L2. These processes are considered learning processes and contribute to the
development of an interlanguage, which reflects the learner’s current knowledge of the
L2. Other processes explain how learners use their existing knowledge to overcome
communication difficulties. For instance, when a learner lacks the vocabulary to express
an idea clearly, they may resort to paraphrasing or creating new words, known as
communication strategies. These processes draw from both cognitive psychology and
linguistics.

Ellis (1994) said: “in these aspects of performance which makes evident the
extent to which the learner user demostrates his knowledge of linguistic rules” . They
study usage if they focus attention on the extent to which the learners has mastered the
formal properties of the phonological lexical and grammatical systems. Use is that
aspect of performance which makes evident the extent which user demonstrates his
ability to use his knowledge of linguistic rules for effective communication.

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 Learner strategies are conscious or potentially conscious they represent the
learner’s deliberate attemps to learn. Oxford (1989) defines them as behaviors or
actions which learners use to make language learning more Successful, self-directed
and enjoyable. The vagueness of this and other definitions points to a major problems
In this area of SLA research how to identify, describe and classify the behaviors and
actions that constitute learner’s a temps to learn. Nevertheless, the study of learner
strategies has been one of the main areas of growth in pin research (jee O’Malley and
Chamat 1989 and Oxford 1990). A distinction is often down between learner strategies
that are cognitive for example relating new concepts to other information that is known,
and those that are metacognitive enables learners to plan, monitor and evaluate their
language learning strategies.

Language acquisition can be influenced by various factors. The social factors

that impact L2 acquisition vary depending on the social context. A crucial distinction lies
between natural and educational settings. Natural settings can further be categorized
based on whether the L2 is the native language of the majority, an official language
alongside another, or used by linguistically diverse groups in international settings this
can be considered implicit learning (intuitive and unconscious) . Educational settings
can also differ, with some focusing on isolating the L2 or teaching through the medium
of the L2 separately. These settings include mother tongue maintenance, submersion,
immersion, and foreign language classrooms this can be explicit learning (metalingual
and concious). (Ellis, 1994).

Ellis (1994) said that behaviourist theories of learning view external factors as of
central importance. Mentalist theories, however, emphasize the role played by learner
internal factors, crediting learners with a Language Acquisition Device that enables
them to work on what they hear and to extract the abstract ‘rules’ that account for how
the language is organized. Cognitive theories of language acquisition tend to be
interactional in the sense that they emphasize the joint contribution of external and
internal factors. The role of cognitive in L2 acquisition is very important. The former
consist of the mechanisms that learners use to notice futures in the input, compare this
features with those that are currently part of their mental grammar, integrate the new
features into their interlanguages.

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 Equally important are studies which have investigated the role of comprehensible
input. Krashen (1985) has proposed the input hypothesis, according to which learners
acquire morphological features in a natural order as a result of comprehending input
addressed to them. Long (1981) has argued that input which is made comprehensible
by means of the conversational adjustments that occur when there is a comprehension
problem is especially important for acquisition. Krashen's and Long's proposals have led
to several studies that have investigated what factors are involved in making input
comprehensible.

On the other hand, we have the Hypothesis testing, it refers to the idea that
learners form hypotheses about what rules of the target language are and then set
about testing them, confirming them if they find supportive evidence in the Input and
rejecting them if they receive negative evidence.

Finally, the Interlanguage, that is a transitional system reflecting the learner's

current L2 knowledge. The term interlanguage was coined by Selinker (1972) to refer to
the interim grammars that learners build on their way full target language competence.
At the same time, pragmatics is produced, that is the study of how language is used to
communication. It covers a wide range of Phenomena incluiding deixis (i.e the way in
which language encodes features of the context of utterance), conversational
implicature and presupposition (i.e the way language is used to convey meanings that
are not actually encoded linguistically), illucutionary acts (i.e the language to perform
speech acts such as stating, questioning and directing), conversational structure (ie. the
conversations are organized across turns), and repair (i.e the conversational work
undertaken to deal with miss communications of varius kinds). Pragmatics is particularly
concert with appropriateness, both with regard to what is said in a particular context and
how it is said. Learners have to learn when is appropriate to perform a particular
language function and also how to encode it.

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 Conclusion.
In summary, second language acquisition (SLA) is a complex and multifaceted
process involving the acquisition of a language other than one's first language. SLA can
be completed through various methods, such as natural communication or formal study,
and is influenced by social and contextual factors. It is an interdisciplinary field drawing
from linguistics, psychology, and education. Learners employ strategies, both cognitive
and metacognitive, to facilitate language learning. Theoretical perspectives on SLA
range from behaviorist to cognitive, with an emphasis on the role of comprehensible
input. Additionally, learners form hypotheses about language rules and undergo a
transitional phase known as interlanguage. Pragmatics plays a vital role in
understanding how language is used in communication, focusing on appropriateness in
different contexts. Overall, SLA is a dynamic and intricate process involving the
integration of various linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural elements.

Reflecting on the whole chapter, there are many issues where we can really think
about what we are doing wrong in learning a language. Initially many of the concepts
that were presented, we did not know that they existed or even that they were separate
from the process of acquiring a language, it is worth noting that some of them were
already known and therefore understood a little more. It is necessary to see what issues
we can apply in our learning and how to apply them for a better understanding of the
process of learning or acquiring a language.

Understanding the acquisition of a second language is of great importance both

on a personal and professional level, as it bestows a wide range of benefits that enrich
the lives of those who pursue it. The reading of this first chapter has provided insights
into concepts that were previously unknown to us. Each of these acquired
understandings will prove highly functional throughout our career, beginning with a deep
understanding of the process of language acquisition, its surrounding context, and,
above all, the practical application of these insights.

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References:

-Ellis, R. (1994). The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Chapter 1. Oxford

University Press.
-Oxford, R. 1989. 'Use of language learning strategies: a synthesis of studies with
implications for teacher training'. System 17:235-47.
-Oxford, R. 1990. Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know.
Mass.: Newbury House.
-Selinker, L. 1972. 'Interlanguage'. International Review of Applied Linguistics 10: 209-
31.