Second Language Acquisition

Acquisition barriers
A common and obvious problem related to a L2 second language acquisition is time. It is not the same being a kid who is close to an L2 because of having parents who speak other languages frequently at home than being a teenager or adult that has English lessons once or twice a week. Another issue is the difficulty of getting the pronunciation of the L2 due to the "stiffing" of the tongue from using only one language for a long time.

Acquisition and learning

Acquisition and learning tend to be mixed up, but it is necessary to know that they are quite different that what people believe. Acquisition is related to the ability of using a language naturally in communicative situations while learning has to do with the accumulation of knowledge (grammar and vocabulary). There are some people who suggest that the phonology of the L2 is harder to acquire than the vocabulary or grammar, and that learning before adolescence is easier than doing it when adults.

The affective filter

There is another barrier that changes the way in which people learn a second language: the affective filter. It makes changes about our performance during the learning of the L2, because our feelings and experiences affect our willing to learn. It is said that it is possible that children are less affected by this barrier due to their lack of inhibitions.

Focus on method
There are different views on how a foreign language is best learned:

Grammar-translation method
The language is learned by means of memorization of vocabulary and grammar when compared to the L1.

Audiolingual method
The systematic presentation of the structures of the L2, from simple to complex, is the way in which this method believes language should be learned.

Communicative approaches
Learning the grammar of a language is only possible when using the language

Focus on the learner

In recent years there has been a change about the focus of the learning process. Now it is important to take into consideration the fact that even if a student makes a mistake, it is possible that the mistake comes from their acquisition process. For example, saying "goed" reflects that the student is generalizing a rule.

Interlanguage
There is an in-between system in which a L2 learner is when learning, for the mixture made of L1 and L2, their structure or pronunciation.

Motivation
The motivation to learn has a major importance on acquiring a second language. When learning another language it is necessary to understand that success must be a cause and a result, because people are more motivated to learn when succeeding.

Input and output

The input is the language the learner is exposed to and the output is their production. When trying to communicate to an non-native speaker, simplifying the structure and vocabulary allows the development of communicative competence.

Communicative competence
It is the ability to use the L2 accurately, appropriately and flexibly. It include different types of competence related to the areas of communication: grammatical competence (the accurate use of words and structures), sociolinguistic competence (communicate according to the social context), strategic competence (effective organization of a message) and communication strategy (the effort to express themselves).

Applied linguistics It is the attempt to deal with practical issues involving language through the mixture with other fields as sociology, psychology, education and communication studies.

Mara Francisca Gonzlez Brquez