Discussions about language acquisition

14 Nov 2011

My post about language acquisition on Friday provoked a number of discussions about the complexity of second language acquisition. I just wanted to share a little bit of what questions we've been pondering.

I want to preface everything by saying that there are a number of variables that go into language learning/acquisition. For example, these factors include: age (as I mentioned with the Critical Language Period Hypothesis), learning conditions (immersion setting versus classroom learning), motivation, learning styles, personality. It's hard to isolate any one of these factors (and the others that I didn't mention) and say that this is the most important in language learning/acquisition.

Obviously, learning conditions make a big difference--as I can attest given that I'm currently living in Spain. The more time you spent immersed in the language the more input you are getting. This may make your language learning more like acquisition. In contrast, if you are in a class for only an hour a day, you probably aren't getting enough exposure, and it's more learning-based.

At dinner tonight, we were talking about the ways in which people conceptualize their second language. While I can move between Spanish and English with ease, I think of them as two very separate languages as opposed to thinking of them as fluid. I don't think about translating or moving from one language to another. For me, the words in each of these languages retains a uniqueness that can't be translated--which is why I think of them as kept in two separate "boxes."

This led to a conversation about our students and what we try to do with them. I've noticed that the teacher tries to teach the students in "word clusters." This isn't a technical term. I've just used it to describe something that I've observed. So a "word cluster" is a grouping of words that acts as a unit. So my 6th graders were working on the phrase "want to go" as in "do you want to go...?"

When speaking a language, some people have to literally translate word for word what they are saying--so it becomes yo--hablo--espanol. However, if you think about the way you speak in your native language, you realize that native speakers/fluent speakers speak in word clusters.

That's what I'm working on while I'm here in Spain with some of the more challenging grammar. For example, anyone learning Spanish can tell you that indirect and direct object pronouns are super tough in Spanish. Generally, you have to put them at the beginning of the sentence--so you have to plan what you are saying a bit more. However, I'm getting more fluid with particular clusters of words that are always going to have a direct/indirect object--such as tell (I told her.)