Insights into Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

Insights into Second Language Acquisition

_{Adapted from Ó Duibhir and Cummins ( NCCA NCCA
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Research Report No. 16 (2012, pp. 37-58)}

Language learners need both a rich repertoire of formulaic expressions Formulaic expressions
A sequence of words that has been memorised or stored. It is easily accessible for spontaneous use. It can be referred to as a prefabricated chunk. and a rule-based competence. 

Some chunks or expressions can be memorised and easily accessed for use in spontaneous fluent communication, while other language is stored in rule-based form and requires more working memory. Repeated daily rituals and the frequent use of age-appropriate games, songs, rhymes and storytelling can support the acquisition of formulaic language. 

Successful instructed language learning requires extensive meaningful and comprehensible L2 input.

The quantity and the quality of the L1 L1
a person’s native or 1st language / the language medium of a school input have been shown to influence the speed of acquisition. The more exposure the learners have to the L2 the more they will learn and the faster they will learn it.

Successful instructed learning also requires opportunities for output.

Meaningful comprehensible input alone is not sufficient for successful L2 acquisition. Frequent opportunities for the productive use of the target language in meaningful contexts gives the learner the opportunity to test their current understanding and reflect on the language they have produced.

The opportunity to interact in the L2 is central to developing L2 proficiency.

Through interaction, learners learn how to communicate in a way that they will be understood. When a communication problem arises, they are forced to engage in negotiation for meaning which can lead to modification of what they have said and encourage new learning.

Language learning activities that develop implicit knowledge of the L2 are supported by a focus on explicit knowledge. 

Implicit knowledge acquired through participation in communicative activities leads to the unconscious acquisition of grammar and vocabulary. Focus on form Focus on form
Drawing the learners’ attention overtly to linguistic features as they arise incidentally in lessons where the main focus is on communication or meaning. activities can help focus learners’ attention on desired linguistic features as well as drawing learners’ attention to grammatical errors.

Instruction needs to take account of the learner’s ‘built-in syllabus’.

When acquiring the linguistic features of a language, learners follow a predictable pattern which may not coincide with the features taught in a lesson. When the content of language lessons is based on the communicative needs of the learners, expressions can be acquired as unanalysed chunks and analysed later when learners are developmentally ready.

Instruction needs to take account of individual differences in learners.

When language learners are exposed to a variety of activities and strategies, learning becomes multi-sensory. The greater the number and variety of senses used by language learners in their learning, the stronger the connections in their brain will be, leading to more effective learning.

In assessing learners’ L2 proficiency it is important to examine free as well as controlled production.

Language learners’ language progression can be assessed through a range of learner- and teacher-led approaches, including communicative tasks, self-assessment as well as assessment of discreet features of language.