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CHAPTER 7 POPULAR IDEAS ABOUT LANGUAGE LEARNING: FACTS AND OPINIONS

1. Language are learned mainly through imitation. Leaners produce many novel sentences that they could not have heard before. Children do not imitate everything they hear, but often selectively imitate certain words or structures that they are in the process of learning. Second language learners produce many sentences that they could not have heard. They are like children learning their first language. 2. Parents usually correct young children when they make grammatical errors. There is considerable variation in extent to which parents correct their childrens speech. When children are very young preschoolers, parents rarely comment on grammatical errors, but they correct in politeness. As children reach school age, parents often correct the kinds of nonstandard speech that they hope their children will outgrow. Parents tend to focus on meaning rather than form when they correct childrens speech. They do not to react errors which do not interfere with successful communication. Without corrective feedback and guidance, second language learners may persist in using certain grammatical forms for years. 3. People with high IQs are good language learners. There is a link between intelligence and second language learning. IQ tests score are a good means of predicting learning success. People with high intelligence can be successful language learners (in grammar rules, vocabulary items). People with wide variety of intellectual abilities can be successful language learners (in oral communication skills). 4. The most important factor in second language acquisition success is motivation. Learners who want to learn tend to do better than those who dont.Learner who begin learning a second language as adult rarely achieve the fluency and accuracy that children do in first language learning. 5. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning. When the objective is native-like performance in the second language, it may be desirable to begin exposure to the language as early as possible. When the goal of the educational program is basic communication skill for all students, and where there is strong commitment to maintaining and developing the childs first language, it can be more efficient to begin second language teaching later. 6. Most of the mistakes which second language learners make are due to inference from their first language. The transfer of patterns from the native language is undoubtedly one of the major sources of errors in learner language. Research has shown that second language learners from different firstlanguage backgrounds often make the same kind s of errors. These are evidence of the learners

effort to discover the structure of the target language itself rather than attempts to transfer patterns from their first language. 7. Teachers should present grammatical rules one at a time, and learners should practice examples of each one before going on to another. Language learning is not simply linear its development. For example, when learners who have learned the past tense form went as a memorized chunk learn to use the regular ed inflection for past tense marking. They stop using went and produce goed. This is evidence that language development is not just adding rule after rule, but integrating new rules into existing system of rules; 8. Teachers should teach simple language structures before complex ones. Research has shown that no matter how language is presented to learners, certain structures are acquired before others. Second language learners benefit from the efforts of native speakers and fluent bilinguals to modify their speech to help second language learners understand. Teachers must be aware that some linguistic forms are so rare in their everyday speech that learners have very little opportunity to hear, use, and learn them if the teacher does not make a point of providing them. 9. Learners errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent he formation of bad habits. Errors are part of language learning. When errors are persistent, when they are shared by almost all students in class, it is useful to bring problem to the learners attention. If the error is based on a developmental pattern, the correction may only be useful when the learner is ready for it. It may require many repetitions. Teachers have responsibility to help learners do their best. Excessive feedback on errors can have a negative effect on motivation. 10. Teachers should use materials that expose students only to language structures which they have already been taught. Restricting classroom second language materials to those which contain little or nothing which is new may have several negative consequences (they will lose motivation). Students also need to deal with real or authentic materials if they are eventually going to be prepared for language use outside the classroom. 11. When learners are allowed to interact freely (for example, in group or pair activities), they learn each others mistakes. If the tasks are well designed, learners working in groups get far more practice in speaking and participating in conversation in group work than they ever could in a teacher-centered class. 12. Students learn what they are taught. Second language learners can only learn the language they are exposed to. Attempts to teach aspects of language which are too far away from the learners current stage of development will usually be frustrating. Conclusion Language learning is affected by many factors. Among these are the personal characteristics of the learner, the structure of the native and target languages, opportunities for interaction with

speakers of the target language, and access to correction and form-focused instruction. Teachers do not have control over all these factors. However, a better understanding of them will permit teachers and learners to make the most of the time they spend together in the processes of teaching and learning a second language. REFERENCE Lightbown, Patsy M. 2001. How Language Are Learned. Revised Edition. Oxford.
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1. Languages are learned mainly through imitation Neither L1 nor L2 is learned mainly through imitation. Learners produce many novel (original) utterances in addition to language they've heard before. Even children learning their first language imitate selectively.

2. Parents usually correct young children when they make mistakes Parents usually focus on correcting meaning, not form (grammar and pronunciation).

3. People with high IQs are good language learners They may have an advantage in memorizing grammar rules and vocabulary, but not in learning to use language.

4. The most important factor in second language acquisition success is motivation Motivation is important, but there are also many other factors. Motivation increases success, but success also increases motivation.

5. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning It depends on the objectives of the program and the amount of time spent. Starting earlier may lead to more native-like acquisition eventually (especially for pronunciation), but children who start later catch up quickly.

6. Most of the mistakes which second language learners make are due to interference from their first language

There are many causes of error; L1 interference is just one of them. Learners with different L1s make the same errors when learning a particular L2.

7. Teachers should present grammatical rules one at a time, and learners should practice examples of each one before going on to another Language learning is not linear in development, but involves integrating new rules into the existing system (i.e., "interlanguage"). Learners may use a rule correctly for a while, then begin using it incorrectly, and then relearn it.

8. Teachers should teach simple language structures before complex ones No matter how language is presented, certain structures are acquired before others (i.e., there is a "natural order"). Teachers should provide "comprehensible input" that is understandable to learners, but also contains some new words and structures.

9. Learners' errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits Errors are a natural part of language learning. Correction may only be useful when the learner is ready for it. Too much error correction can have a negative effect on motivation, but teachers should point out persistent errors.

10. Teachers should use materials that expose students only to language structures which they have already been taught Learners can comprehend the general meaning of many forms they have not learned completely. Students need to be challenged; otherwise, they may lose motivation. Students have to learn to deal with real language, not just artificial classroom language.

11. When learners are allowed to interact freely in groups or pair activities, they learn each others' mistakes Research says that isn't true; they don't produce more errors, and they can give useful feedback to each other. Group and pair activities can give students more chances to produce meaningful language.

12. Students learn what they are taught While students can only learn the language they are exposed to, they don't learn everything they are taught, of course. For learning to be successful, the language taught must be appropriate for their level of development. Students learn a lot of language that they are not taught.

_________________ * Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. (1993). How languages are learned. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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