ELT1_2024 Unit 5_Learning and Acquisition

Instructor: Ms. Dang Ngoc Anh Thu

Members of Group 5:
1. Nguyễn Hồng Anh (49.01.701.011)
2. Vũ Mạnh Hùng (49.01.701.045)
3. Trần Ngọc Thảo Thy (49.01.701.136)
4. Huỳnh Lê Phương Uyên (49.01.701.148)
LEARNING AND ACQUISITION

I. Acquisition

1.1. First language acquisition

● How children acquire L1 (First Language):

1.1.1 Definition of First language acquisition

First language acquisition refers to how a child develops its ability to speak and
use the language of its environment: its native language or languages. Language
is part of the environment that a child is born into, and it is even part of the
environment before birth. Therefore, first language acquisition begins at or
before birth.

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1.1.2 Five stages of acquisition (Picture from: The English Cherry)

1.1.3. How to raise a bilingual or multilingual child?

1. One Person, One Language (OPOL): Each parent consistently speaks a

different language to the child.
2. Minority Language at Home (MLAH): The family speaks the minority
language at home, while the child learns the community's majority language
outside the home (e.g., at school).
3. Language Immersion Programs: Exposure to peers speaking the language
helps children learn more naturally.

1.1.4. Are L1 and L2 acquisition processes similar or different?

● Krashen believes that there is no fundamental difference between the way we

acquire our L1 and our subsequent languages.
● Humans have an innate ability that guides the language learning process.
● Infants learn their mother tongue simply by listening attentively to spoken
language that is (made) meaningful to them. Foreign languages are acquired
in the same way.

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1.2. Second language acquisition

1.2.1. Definition

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) refers both to the study of individuals and
groups who are learning a language subsequent to learning their first one as young
children and to the process of learning that language.

- SLA includes informal learning in natural settings and formal learning in

classrooms.
+ Informal learning happens through social interaction without specialized
instruction.
+ Formal learning occurs in structured classes.
+ A combination of both happens when learners use the language in both
classroom and real-life settings.

1.2.2. What is a second language?

Aspects Second Language Foreign Language

Definitions Not the native language, but Not native and not commonly
used regularly used

Learning Acquired where the language is Learned mainly in classroom

Environment spoken settings

Practice Practiced daily in real-life Limited practice outside the

Opportunities situations classroom

Examples English is the L2 in Hong Kong, English is the foreign language

Philippines, India, Malaysia, etc. in Vietnam.

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1.2.3. What is Second Language Acquisition?

FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

First language acquisition is children’s Second language acquisition is learning a

acquisition of their native language language after acquiring the mother tongue

A subconscious process An active and conscious process

Does not require explicit instructions or Requires explicit instructions or education

education

Learners reach native fluency Often difficult to reach native-like fluency

1.2.4. SLA barriers

- The second language (L2) is usually encountered during teenage or adult years in
a few hours each week of school. Very few adults seem to reach native-like
proficiency in using an L2.
- The critical period is the ideal time for language learning, usually before puberty.
After this period (around age 12), it becomes much harder to fully acquire a language,
especially in terms of fluency and pronunciation.

1.2.5. The Five Stages of SLA

Stages Descriptions Examples Actions

1. Silent or Learners focus on listening A learner recognizes Pointing at

Receptive and understanding, "book" and "cat" but does objects or
Phase absorbing vocabulary, not attempt to speak them. following
pronunciation, and grammar. commands.

2. Early Learners use new words and An English learner says, Forming key
Production combine them into short "Me want water," or asks, phrases;
phrases, making mistakes "Where bathroom?" vocabulary
along the way. emphasis.

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3. Speech Learners have a larger They might say, "I go to Simple

Emergence vocabulary and start forming school yesterday" and ask sentence
simple sentences with some questions like, "Can I have formation;
grammatical errors. more?" basic
questions.

4. Learners form complex A learner might say, "I Engaging in

Intermediat sentences, use conjunctions, went to the store because I conversations
e Fluency and can discuss familiar needed to buy milk," on familiar
topics with more accuracy. showing the ability to topics.
connect thoughts and use
past tense.

5. Learners speak fluently A fluent speaker discusses Handling

Continued across various settings, can topics like politics, saying, nuanced
Language express nuanced ideas, and "Although the conversations
Development may still make mistakes. government's decision was and idioms.
Fluency controversial, it sparked
important debates."

II. Learning

2.1. Definition
- A conscious process of study and attention to language rules and forms.
- Krashen asserts that learning can not turn into acquisition. He cites as evidence
for this that many speakers are quite fluent without ever having learned rules, while
other speakers may “know” rules but fail to apply them. When they are focusing on
what they want to say more than how they are saying it.
+ For example, many sellers at Ben Thanh Market speak English fluently even
though they have never studied grammar rules. That is because they have been
exposed to English every day, they have had many chances to communicate with
foreigners. In contrast, many students studied very hard, and they knew a lot of
grammar, but they could not speak.
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- According to Krashen, “learning” is less important than “acquisition”.

1. Acquisition leads to Fluency and Intuitive Language Use

Through meaningful interaction, they just know how to form sentences based on
what sounds right.

2. Learning Produces Knowledge, Not Fluency

Learning, on the other hand, is a conscious process where learners study and
memorize rules of the language (e.g., grammar, syntax).

2.2. Characteristics

Acquisition Learning
- Subconscious - Conscious
- Natural - Taught
- Long lasting - Temporary
- Successful - Effortful
- Attention to meaning - Attention to form
- Fluent - May or may not

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2.3. The input hypothesis

- Input: What students hear or read.

- Comprehensible/roughly-tuned input: forms and structures which are just

beyond the learner’s current level of competence in the language.
- Output: what students speak or write.
- Definition
+ It is a theory proposed by linguist Stephen Krashen that suggests that language
acquisition occurs when learners are exposed to comprehensible input.
Comprehensible input is language input that is slightly above the learner’s current
level of language proficiency that is called “i+1”, but still understandable with the
help of context and visual cues.
- For example, if a learner at stage “i”, then acquisition takes place when he/she is
exposed to “comprehensible input” that belongs to level “i+1”.
- Principles:
- Krashen proposed that there are 4 main principles of the input hypothesis:
+ The input must be comprehensible: Learners must be able to understand the
meaning of the input they are exposed to, even if they do not understand all
the words or structures.
+ The input must be interesting: Learners are more likely to engage with and
learn from input that is interesting and engaging.
+ The input must be in sufficient quantity: Learners need to be exposed to a
large amount of input to develop language proficiency.

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+ The input must be at an appropriate level: Input that is too easy or too
difficult for the learner may not be effective in language acquisition.
- Since not all of the learners can be at the same level of linguistic competence at the
same time, Krashen suggests that natural communicative input is the key to
designing a syllabus, ensuring in this way that each learner will receive some 'i + 1'
input that is appropriate for his/her current stage of linguistic competence.

III. Modified input/ Adjusted speech

3.1. Caretaker talk/ motherese/ mother talk/ baby talk:

3.1.1. Definition:

Caretaker talk is a modified language that adults and older children use to
interact with younger children to improve communication with them.

Example: When the children's father is about to leave home for work. The brother will
ask his younger sister to say goodbye to their father:
+ Older brother: Say bye-bye to da-da! Can you say it? Bye-bye, da-da
+ The younger sister: Bye-bye, da-da!
+ Older brother: Yay, good job! Let’s wave!
In this context, the son uses repeated syllable expression in order to help his sibling to
enhance communication. Moreover, the repetition “da-da”, “bye-bye” will make it
easier for the child to say and reinforces the action of saying goodbye to their father and
even other people.

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3.1.2. Features of caretaker talk:

- About what is happening in the immediate environment, about their surroundings

and not about abstract or remote objects and events.
- Involving a slower rate of speech, higher pitch, more varied intonation, frequent
repetition, and paraphrase.
- Consisting of short sentences with simple structure.
- The words selected seem to be guided by some assumptions:
+ Some words are easier to pronounce than other
+ Some words are more useful than other
+ Some words are hard to understand and best avoided
- The way adults respond to children's speech often involves rephrasing their
utterances into grammatically correct sentences.
3.2. Foreigner talk/ teacher talk
3.2.1. Foreigner talk
a, Definition

Foreigner talk (FT) is such a type of modified speech used by native speakers (NSs)
in their communication with non-native speakers (NNSs) in the form of linguistic
simplification and foreigner-directed communication strategies.

b, Classification
Two types of foreigner talk: ungrammatical and grammatical.
Comparison table

Ungrammatical foreigner talk Grammatical foreigner talk

Socially marked The norm

Features: Features:
● Deletion of “be”/ modal verbs/ ● Delivered at a slower pace
articles ● The input is simplified (shorter
● Using base form for past tense sentences, avoidance of
● Using special construction like subordinators, …)
“no + Verb” ● Regularised
● Elaborated language use

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Types of talk Examples

Baseline talk You won’t forget to buy the ice-cream on your

way home, will you?

Ungrammatical foreigner talk No forget buying ice-cream, eh?

Grammatical foreigner talk The ice-cream . Get it when you are coming
home. All right?

3.2.2. Teacher talk

a, Definition

Teacher talk is the language used by teachers while addressing their students.

b, Features
- Modifications/ Simplifications in vocabulary, syntax and discourse.
- Lower degree of subordinators, more declaratives and statements, self-repetition,
grammatical well-formedness.
- Teachers tend to talk more in class with louder and more distinct speech. Teachers
are likely to take longer pauses in speaking.
- Use of non-verbal support of the meanings that teachers are communicating by
means of gestures and visual aids.
IV. Role of input & interaction in L2 acquisition:
- Native speakers use modified speech to address non-native speakers (foreigner talk
and teacher talk), which is called input modifications.
- Interactional modifications happen because participants in the discourse engage in
the negotiation of meaning.
4.1. Comprehensible input
- Krashen saw the successful acquisition by students of a second language as being
bound up with the nature of the language input they received. It had to be
comprehensible, even if it was slightly above their productive level, and the
students had to be exposed to it in a relaxed setting.
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- This roughly-tuned input is in stark contrast to the finely-tuned input of much

language instruction, where specific graded language has been chosen for conscious
learning. Roughly-tuned input aids acquisition, Krashen argued, whereas finely-
tuned input combined with conscious learning does not.
- Comprehensible input is understandable but challenging, which motivates the
learners to acquire new knowledge.
- Example: A learner is at around the intermediate level, we should suggest the “Pre-
intermediate and Intermediate” book or “Upper-intermediate” in the “English
Vocabulary in Use” series to him/her.
-> Comprehensible input is important in L2 acquisition and it is most effective
when it is modified through the negotiation of meaning.
4.2 Negotiation of meaning
- One way to make input comprehensible is to modify through the negotiation of
meaning, particularly the negative evidence (is some kind of input that lets the
learner know that a particular form is not acceptable according to target-like norms).
- Learners and interlocutors work together to overcome communication
breakdowns and clarify misunderstandings. It typically involves strategies like
requests for clarification, repetition, confirmation checks, and paraphrasing.
- Examples:
+ Clarification
Learner A: "I went to the amusement park and rode the rollercoaster."
Learner B: "Wait, what is a rollercoaster?"
Learner A: "Oh, it's a ride that goes up and down very fast."
Learner B: "Ah, I see. It sounds fun!"
+ Repetition and Reformulation
Learner: "I like pizza, but my favorite is pasta with cream sauce."
Teacher: "Pasta with what?"
Learner: "Pasta with, um, white sauce? Like milk and cheese."
Teacher: "Ah, you mean cream sauce."
Learner: "Yes, cream sauce!"

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+ Paraphrasing
Native Speaker: "The protagonist has a complicated relationship
with his father, and this is the central conflict of the story."
Learner: "I’m sorry, can you say that in a different way?"
Native Speaker: "Sure! The main character has problems with his
father, and that’s the main issue in the story."
Learner: "Oh, I see now!"
+ Confirmation check
Hiroko: A man is uh, drinking coffee or tea with uh the sauce of the uh uh coffee
set is uh in his uh knee.
Izumi: in him knee
Hiroko: uh on his knee
Izumi: oh yeah
Hiroko: on his knee
Izumi: so sorry, on his knee

V. Implication

5.1. Make learning like acquisition by:

- Enhancing Language Interest:
+ Use modern teaching methods to make learning engaging and relevant.
+ Create a lively classroom environment that captures students' attention and aids
understanding.
- Promoting Language Acquisition:
+ Focus on informal learning outside the classroom to improve language skills.
+ Encourage students to interact in English and explore cultural contexts to enhance
learning.
- Encouraging Positive Attitudes:
+ Inspire enthusiasm for learning by creating a supportive classroom atmosphere.
+ Pay attention to students' emotions and foster a respectful teacher-student
relationship to build confidence.

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- Designing Effective Textbooks:

+ Ensure textbooks are relevant to students’ lives and include cultural elements.
+ Innovate teaching methods based on second language acquisition theory to improve
English learning quality.

5.2. In teaching for young learners & adult learners:

Key Area Young Learners Adult Learners

Comprehensive - Use visual aids and contextual - Use graded reading materials:
Input support, like picture books to (News articles at the right level)
explain vocabulary. - Provide video and audio content
- Engage in interactive (Podcasts with subtitles or slow-
storytelling, such as repetitive speed options)
story reading. - Contextualized teaching
- Incorporate songs and rhymes, (Simulated shopping experience)
like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and - Scaffolded tasks (Role-plays or
Toes" for learning body parts. discussions with new vocabulary)

Meaning - Focus on meaningful - Minimize explicit grammar

over communication (Simple language instruction
Form in play activities) (Discuss past experiences using
- Play-based learning present perfect)
(Pretend grocery store role-play) - Task-based language teaching
- Language through games (Role-play planning a vacation)
(Games like Simon Says) -Delayed error correction
(Address errors after the activity)

Low- - Create a fun, safe space for - Create a safe learning space
Anxiety learning (Colorful decorations and (Pair work for practice)
Environment interactive activities) - Reduce performance anxiety
- Use positive reinforcement (Casual conversations to practice)

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Interaction - Engage in pair and group work - Incorporate communicative

and Output (Simple conversations in pairs) activities (Pair work or group
- Play-based interaction discussions)
(Memory games with language - Language exchange programs
use) (Practice with native speakers)

VI. Conclusion

Teachers should: Create a supportive and stimulating environment where learners

can be exposed to comprehensible input and have opportunities for meaningful
interaction. This means providing authentic language materials, facilitating
communicative activities, and offering corrective feedback in a non-threatening way.

Students should: Actively seek out opportunities to use the target language, engage
in meaningful interactions with native speakers or other learners, and create a
language-rich environment for themselves. Additionally, learners should be patient
and persistent, understanding that language acquisition is a natural process that takes
time.

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VII. QUIZ

1. “…”is a well-known theory about second language acquisition that emphasizes the
importance of natural and comprehensible language exposure.
A. Input hypothesis
B. Caretaker talk
C. Input modification
D. Foreigner talk
2. Which of the following statements best reflects the relationship between language
acquisition and learning?
A. Acquisition and learning are two completely separate processes.
B. Acquisition is subconscious and natural, while learning is conscious and formal.
C. Learning always precedes acquisition in second language acquisition.
D. Acquisition and learning are interchangeable terms.
3. The Critical Period Hypothesis suggests that:
A. Adults can learn a second language just as easily as children.
B. There is an optimal age range for language acquisition.
C. The critical period only applies to first language acquisition.
D. All of the above.
4. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of caretaker speech?
A. Simplified grammar
B. Slower rate of speech
C. Complex sentence structures
D. Higher pitch
5. The Interaction Hypothesis emphasizes the importance of:
A. Comprehensible input
B. Negotiation of meaning
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B
6. Which of the following is an example of negative evidence in language learning?
A. A teacher praising a student for using the correct grammar structure
B. A native speaker correcting a learner's mistake
C. A learner repeating a phrase they heard in a movie
D. A learner practicing a new vocabulary word

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KEYS: 1.A, 2.B, 3.B, 4.C 5.C 6.B

VIII. References

1. Abigail G. Scheg. (2014). “Identifying the Impact of Acquisition and Learning

on Education." Reforming Teacher Education for Online Pedagogy

Development. IGI Global.

2. Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the theory of syntax. MIT Press.

3. Dr. Katy Arnett. (2017). Access for Success: Making Inclusion Work for

Language Learners. Pearson Canada Inc.

4. Ellis, R. (2003). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford University

Press.

5. EUROSLA Yearbook 5. (2005). Focus on Form in Second Language

Vocabulary Learning. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

6. Hill, J., & Flynn, K. (2006). Classroom Instruction That Works with English

Language Learners. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development.

7. Ho Chi Minh City University of Education. (2023). General issues in English

language learning and teaching module 1. Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh

City University of Education.

8. Iulia Elena Cîndea Gîță. (2016). Implications for language acquisition theories:

A fresh look at the "genie case".

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313988554_Implications_for_langua

ge_acquisition_theories_A_fresh_look_at_the_genie_case

9. Ista Maharsi. (2011). The Importance Of Input And Interaction In Second

Language Acquisition.
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https://journal.uii.ac.id/JEE/article/view/4459

10. Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition.

Prentice-Hall.

11. Krashen, S. D. (1985). The input hypothesis. Longman.

Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2006). How languages are learned. Oxford

University Press.

12. Long, M. (1996). The role of negotiation of meaning in L2 acquisition. Modern

Language Journal.

13. Min Hu. (2022). When Native Speakers Meet Non-Native Speakers: A Case

Study of Foreigner Talk.

https://jltr.academypublication.com/index.php/jltr/article/view/3574.

14. Mohammed Q. Shormani. (2014). The Nature of Language Acquisition: Where

L1 and L2 Acquisition Meet?. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics

- An Open Access International Journal Vol.4.

15. Muriel Saville-Troike. (2016). Introducing Second Language Acquisition (3rd

Edition). Cambridge University Press.

16. Pinker, S. (1994). The language instinct. William Morrow.

17. Susan M. Gass & Larry Selinker. (2008). Second Language Acquisition - An

Introductory course (Third Edition).Taylor & Francis.

18. Upadhayaya, K. K. (2019, May 22). Chapter 1 how languages are learned -

pasty m. lightbown and nina spada. SlideShare. Retrieved October 9, 2024,

from https://www.slideshare.net/tshentashi/chapter-1-how-languages-are-

learned-pasty-m-lightbown-and-nina-spada.

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