Language and Linguistics

Social Identity and Investment in L2 Learning Children tend to acquire two languages simultaneously and become balanced bilingual because their social identity has not been formed yet and they can keep the two languages apart. Adults, however, have rigid socio-emotional boundaries, and their social identity may hinder successful acquisition of a second language.  In his book, " Second Language Acquisition ", Rod Ellis discusses how some adult second language learners achieve limited proficiency in their second language and how some are able to attain ultimate proficiency based on their social identities. Here is an excerpt: "The notion of social identity is central to the theory Peirce advances. She argues that language learners have complex social identities that can only be understood in terms of the power relations that shape social structures. A learner's social identity is, according to Pierce, 'multiple and contradictory'. Learning is ...

Language and Cultural Awareness Second language learners come from diverse social, linguistic, political, and cultural backgrounds and have different notions of teaching and learning. Language teachers must be cognizant of the contrasting cultural values of their students and understand how the social and linguistic variables influence and determine the learning process. The following recommendations are made by second language acquisition researchers and sociolinguists who believe that being aware of individual variation and sensitivity to the contrasting linguistic and cultural backgrounds can make the learning atmosphere conducive. 1. Be sensitive to those starting: allow time and silent periods. 2. Boost confidence and do not ridicule. 3. Go at the learners' pace and take interest in the learners' lives. 4. Leave time to check understanding, and encourage learners' questions. 5. Remember that content, meaning and the desire to communicate are all import...

Error Analysis Errors in the speech and writing of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners are caused by a gamut of factors. It was once believed that language transfer was the primary cause of errors in second language writing. The assumption that had gained currency in the sixties was that:  1. The prime cause, or even the sole cause, of difficulty and error in foreign-language learning is interference coming from the learners' native language; 2. The difficulties are chiefly, or wholly, due to the differences between the two languages; 3. The greater these differences are, the more acute the learning difficulties will be; 4. The results of a comparison between the two languages are needed to predict the difficulties and errors which will occur in learning the foreign language; 5. What there is to teach can best be found by comparing the two languages and then subtracting what is common to them, so that what the student has to learn equals the sum of the d...