THE USE OF L1 IN THE CLASSROOM alexandra.reynolds@univ-nantes.fr IATEFL Glasgow 22 March 2012

A teacher and learners using L1 in an English L2 language classroom.

Identity and emotions linked to L1 REFERENCE LANGUAGE MOTHER TONGUE L1 MILK TONGUE LINGUA MATERNA NATIVE TONGUE 1ST ACQUIRED LANGUAGE How many of you speak more than 1 language? What is your mother tongue?

Language acquisition and NEW IDENTITY New identities linked to new interlanguages

Language acquisition modifies pre-acquired langage(s) and creates new interlanguages L1? --L2? L1?-- L3? L2?--L3? L1 Don’t think in your L1! Think in English! Don’t translate word for word!

How do you use L1? Do you use L1? How do you use L1? Other possible questions: How do you avoid using L1? Are you happy about how you use L1? How do your students use L1?

How we avoid students using L1

Direct method Aims to mirror the NATURALISTIC method within an INSTRUCTED environment

Zoltan Dornyei Professor of Psycholinguistics Nottingham University Hungarian Experiment Zoltan Dornyei Professor of Psycholinguistics Nottingham University

Jo napot kivanok! Hello! Dornyei Zoltan vagyok. I am Zoltan Dornyei. Most Nottinghamben vagyok. I am in Nottingham now. Hogy vannak? How are you? Tudom hogy beszelnek angolul. I know you speak English. Szomjas vagyok, mikor fogunk kavet inni? I’m thirsty when are we going to drink coffee? Koszonom szepen. Thank you very much. Viszontlatasra! Goodbye!

L1 + Translation Grammar L1 - Direct Audiolingual CLT

Problems with sole use of direct method Impossible to recreate authentic “immersion” situation seen in L1 acquisition. Gesticulating no better than miming? Demands a lot of physical effort from the teacher. Not always learner centered. Difficult to check student comprehension. Students remain silent rather than use their L1. L1 use seen as a failure.

How do your students use L1? Classroom layout affects student interaction and language choice. Team work and peer-elected group leaders make students responsible for their actions.

ROWS GROUPS

Constructive L1 use in class Translation Making comparisons

Instant vocabulary gratification Using mini bilingual dictionaries. Online dictionaries: Linguee http://www.linguee.com/, Wordreference http://www.wordreference.com/, IATE http://iate.europa.eu/. Mobile phones, smartphones. Laptops.

L1 specific translation issues Not all verbal forms are translatable. No present perfect in Arabic (cf. Sara AWAD, IATEFL VOICES Jan-Feb 2012). No present continuous in French. Spanish people will say «  is raining », French people will say «  I have 17 years old » or « I wash the car now » which are direct grammatical translations from their own languages.

Students’ reflections on their use of L1 in the classroom Interview with Science Masters students ESP classroom Faculté des Sciences, Nantes. Faculté des Sciences. Semester 1 Academic Year 2011_12. Physics and Chemistry Masters Students.

VIDEO English class for Masters Physics and Chemistry students. They mostly want to be General Science teachers in Secondary French schools. Some want to become researchers.

Reflecting on my L1 and English Prepare questions which your students can reflect on. How long have you been learning English? How many of your past teachers used L1 in English class? When do you use L1 in class? How do you think your teacher feels when you use L1?

VIDEO

Final points for reflection A teacher’s positive awareness of his/her students’ L1 language and culture will have an influence on their L2 learner self. Adaptability: The choice to use or limit L1 in the classroom will depend on your students’ needs.

Gloria Barnett-Powell Special Thanks to: Colin McKensie Gloria Barnett-Powell Zoltan Dornyei Xavier Cartron Douglas Carnall Linda Donne

References

Awad, S. 2012. 'Absent inter-lingua grammatical equivalence Awad, S. 2012. 'Absent inter-lingua grammatical equivalence.' IATEFL VOICES 224: 4-5. Byram, M. and P. Grundy (eds.). 2003. Context and Culture in Language Teaching and Learning. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Castelloni, V. 2001. La langue maternelle en classe de langue étrangère. Saint-Germain-du-Puy: CLE International. Cole, S. 1998 ‘ The use of L1 in communicative English classrooms’. The Language Teacher Online.(Retrieved 27 September 2011 from http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/98/dec/cole.html.) Cook, V. 2001.‘Using the first language in the classroom’. Spreading the influence of Second Language Acquisition. (Retrieved 27 September 2011 from  http://homepage.ntlworld.com/vivian.c/Writings/Papers/L1inClass.htm.) Cook,V. (ed.). 2003. Effects of the Second Language on the First. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Dornyei, Z. 2009. The Psychology of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

References continued: Dornyei, Z and E. Ushioda (eds.). 2009. Motivation, Language Identity, and the L2 Self. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Farrell, T.S.C. 2012. 'Plenary: Reflective practice for language teachers' in Pattison, T. (ed.). IATEFL 2011 Brighton Conference Selections. Canterbury: IATEFL. Feben, B. 2012. 'Grammar mimes: can we work on grammar without pens or paper? ' in Pattison, T. (ed.). IATEFL 2011 Brighton Conference Selections. Canterbury: IATEFL. Feuillet, J. 2005. Apprentissage précose d'une langue étrangère et bilinguisme. Nantes: CRINI. Hannam, S. 2011. 'ELT under the microscope.' IATEFL VOICES 223: 15. Krause, C. A. 1916. The Direct Method in Modern Languages. New York: C. Scribner's Sons. Thornbury, S and Meddings, L. 2010. Teaching Unplugged, Dogme ELT. Surrey: DELTA Publishing . References continued: