CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Describing and Explaining L2 Acquisition Ellis 2003, chapter 1 pp By Mazidatur Rizqiyah MENU Definition of SLA The goals of SLA Two case studies Methodological Issues Issues in the description of learner language Issue in the explenation of L2 acquisition

The systematic study of how people acquire a second language that is learned subsquent to the mother tongue. Definition of SLA

The goals of SLA Description Explanation

To enreach the product of language that can be spoken or written. Description To identify the external and internal factors that account for why learner acquire an L2 in the way they do Explanation

A case study is a detailed study of a learner’s acquisition of an L2 Two case studies A case study of an adult learner A case study of two child learners

Beginning = No knowledge the grammatical structure He did develop other ways (Using Expresion) He achieving considerable success as a communication. A case study of an adult learner

Complete beginners -Making request -Hear and perform in request -Writing down any request they preduced -Using hints instead of direct request - Using ‘can’ with arange of different verb A case study of two child learners

 Both learners were capable of successfully performing simple request even when they knew very little english  Both learners manifested development in their ability to perform request over the period of study  Many of their request seemed formulaic in nature

They raise a number of important methodological issue relatting to how L2 acqusition should be studied They raise issue relatting to the description of learner language They point to some of the problem researchers experience in trying to explain L2 acquisition What do these case studies show us

Methodological issue What is that needs to be described What it means to say that a learner has ‘acquired’ a feature of the target language First issue Second issue

1.Issue Language is such a complex phenomenon that researchers have generally preffered to focus on some specific aspect rather than the whole of it 2. Issue ‘acquisition’ in terms of whether the learner manifiests patterns of language use that are more or less the same as native speakers of the target language, Learners may manifiest target like use of a feature in a formula without having aquired the ability to use the feature productifelly

Issues in the description of learner language How to describe how learners use of an L2 changes over time and what this shows about the nature of their knowledge of the L2 Whether learner acquire the language systematically 1.issue 2.issue

 One finding is that learners make errors of different kinds.  Another finding is that L2 learner acquire a large number of formulaic chunks, which they use to perform communicative function that are important to them and which to contribute to the fluency of their unplanned speech 1.issue  Learners do acquire aspects of an L2 systematically and, moreover, that they follow particular developmental routes, with some featurs being acquired before others 2.issue

Issue in the explenation of L2 acquisition  What can account for these descriptive finding? What can account for these descriptive finding?  Why did wes seem to learn some grammetical items before others? Why did wes seem to learn some grammetical items before others?  Why did J and R learn different ways of making a request? Why did J and R learn different ways of making a request?

An explanation of L2 acquisition must account for both item and system learning and how they two interrelate 1.issue  One is that learners follow a particular developmental pattern because their mental faculties are structured in such a way that this the way they have to learn  Other explanation emphasize the importance of external as opposed to internal factors 2.issue