Contributions to Language Learning

L2 development
Adapted from Franceschina (2004)
What do we study when we study (L2)
development?


Developmental sequences
Mechanisms that cause these sequences
(transition theories)
What are the sequences of L2
development?
NB: It is important to separate rate and route of
development when analysing developmental
data.
Example:
Morpheme order studies
(Dulay and Burt, 1973, 1974; Bailey, Madden
and Krashen, 1974)
Dulay and Burt (1974)
The acquisition of question formation
Pienemann, Johnston and Brindley (1988)
Example:
1. A dog?
2. The boys throw the shoes?
3. What the dog are playing?
Is the picture has two planets on top?
4. Where is the sun?
5. How do you say [proche]?
6. It’s better, isn’t it?
Why can’t you go?
Can you tell me what the date is today?
The acquisition of negation
Schumann (1979)
Example:
1.
2.
3.
4.
No bicycle.
No have any sand.
I no like it.
He don’t like it.
I don’t can sing.
You can not go there.
He was not happy.
She don’t like rice.
It doesn’t work.
We didn’t have supper.
I didn’t went there.
L1 vs. L2 developmental sequences
Some similarities and some differences
Example:
Dulay, Burt and Krashen (1982),
Meisel, Clahsen and Pienemann (1981)
Dulay and Burt (1974)
Adult vs child L2 development
They are quite similar, although some
differences have been found in rate and route
of development of different age groups
Example:
Compare study by Dulay and Burt (1974) to
that of Bailey Madden and Krashen (1974)
*Dulay and Burt (1974)
** Bailey et al. (1974)
L1 effects on L2 development

Rate of development
Dulay and Burt (1974) on grammatical morphemes
Schumann (1982) on negation
Gilbert and Orlovic (1975) on articles
Keller-Cohen (1978) on yes/no questions

Route of development
Zobl (1982) on articles
Context of acquisition effects
on L2 development

Virtually no effects in terms of route of
development
Dulay and Burt (1973)
Pienemann (1989)
Pica (1983)
Perkins and Larsen-Freeman (1975)

Some effects of instruction on rate of
acquisition
Pienemann (1989)
Dulay and Burt (1973)
Methodological issues
How should one measure language
development?
- Emergence criterion
- Mastery (accuracy) criterion
Explaining developmental
sequences
According to Gregg (1996), developmental
sequences can be explained as:
–
–
–
–
Environmental
Reductive
Teleological
Psycholinguistic
Theories of L2 development
(a.k.a. transition theories)
1. General learning principles (non-modular)
2. Modular learning mechanisms
1. Non-modular theories

Based on general learning principles

Example:
- hypothesis testing
- automaticity
- inferencing, etc.

LA= acquisition of a complex cognitive skill
2. Modular theories

UG-based
Example:
Subset Principle
(Wexler and Manzini, 1987)

Other
Example:
Communicative Competence Theory (e.g.,
Canale and Swain, 1980; Bachman, 1990)
Subset Principle
(e.g., Wexler and Manzini, 1987)

Children select initially the smallest language
compatible with the input, i.e., they do not
select a language which go beyond the
available input
input of additional positive evidence
larger grammars
Communicative language competence
(e.g., Canale and Swain, 1980; Bachman, 1990)
Language Competence
Pragmatic Competence
Organizational Competence
Grammatical Competence
Textual Competence
Vocabulary Morphology Syntax Phonology/Graph Cohesion
Illocutionary Competence
Sociolinguistic Competence
Heur. Imag.fucntions Sensitivity Sensitivity Sensitivity Cultural
Manip.
Ideat.
Rhetorical
refs.
to register to nat.
to
organization functions functions functions
and
dialectal
figs. of
variety
speech
Components of Communicative Competence in Communicative Language Use
Language Competence
(Kowledge of the world)
Kowledge Structures
(Knowledge of language)
Strategic Competence
Psychophysiological Mechanisms
Contentext of Situation
Reading
Hawkins, R. 2001: Second Language Syntax. A
generative introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.
(Chapter 2)

Download Report