1.

Acculturation Model

Proposed by John H. Schumann, American Linguist in 1978

Defined as: •Exchange of cultural features when two or more different cultures comes in contact
continuous contact

Acculturation model maintains that learners will acquire the target language to the degree they
acculturate to the target language group

Schumann Defines Acculturation as: “ Social & psychological Integration of the Learner with the Target
Language Group”

Acculturation factors:

#social variables/distances

[ ] Social dominance pattern

* 2LL group can bePolitically Culturally Technically economically superior(Dominant) Equal Inferior
(Subordinate)

[ ] Assimilation, preservation and adaptation

[ ] Enclosure

*Degree of sharing cultural construction (school, church, clubs, recreational facilities, trades, profession,
etc.)

*High Enclosure: The two groups have their own social constructs making the acquisition of l2 difficult

*Low Enclosure: The two groups shares the social constructs, therefore, making the acquisition of the
second language easier and faster.

[ ] Cohesiveness and size

*cohesiveness: If the secondlanguage learning group is firm or cohesive the members tends to separate
itself to the target language group. This makes Second Language Acquisition harder to accomplish.

*size: A large population of the secondLanguage learning group then it makes language acquisition more
difficult. Conflicts may emerge between the members.

[ ] Congruence
*Congruence is the similarity between the two groups. If the two groups are similar then second-
language acquisition is easier for the language-learning group to grasp the target language.

[ ] Attitude

*If the Target Group and the Language-Learning group have positive attitudes towards each other, there
would be less barriers between the two groups from learning the target language.

[ ] Length of residence in the target language area:

*If the Second-Language Learning group intends to stay in the target language are for a longer time, it is
likely for them to learn the language intensively. A lengthy stay would promote Second language
Acquisition

Affective factors/psychological variables

[ ] Language shock

*Member of L2Group Feel that It would look comic While Speaking

[ ] Culture shock

*L2 Member of L2Group Feel anxiety on entering In a new culture

[ ] Motivation

*Members of L2 Group are Integrative (Wish) or Instrumentally (Job) Motivated to Learn L2

[ ] Ego boundaries

* L2 Learner Perceive That L1 is Rigid or fixed boundaries L2 Learner Perceive That L1 is Permeable Or
Flexible boundaries.

Criticisms

[ ] Pidginization:A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication

that develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common

[ ] (Freeman & Long)Doesn't explain how .......affect rate of acquisition /vary from individual to
individual/it correlates to the learner's proficiency
[ ] (Kelley & Stauble) ×proficiency

Didn't include personal factors:age, family separation, previous educational experiences, or the
traumatic experiences of the learner.

Schumann’s Acculturation Model

By Jilani Warsi - May 23, 2017

Schumann's Acculturation Model

Consider how these social and psychological factors affect the extent of the learner’s capacity to learn
his or her second language (L2).  Schumann asserts that the more distance created between the L2
learner and his or her target language (TL) culture by such factors, the less contact s/he will have with
the TL culture and thus the lower will his or her expected L2 proficiency be. Furthermore, he considers
the social factors to be the prime influences; the psychological factors come into play and become the
deciding factors only in situations where the combined social factors create neither positive nor negative
circumstances for the learner.  Which outcomes of each of these factors make for a bad learning
situation and which ones for a good learning situation? Consider as many as apply to your group’s
learner testimonial.

Social Distance Factors

Social dominance: Is the learner’s native group dominant to, equal to, or subordinate to the TL group,
politically, economically, and/or socially?
Integration pattern: Does the learner assimilate - reject first language (L1) identity for the TL culture
identity, acculturate – take on some values of the TL culture without giving up his core L1 identity – or
completely preserve his or her own values and lifestyles with no acceptance of TL values/lifestyles? Does
the TL group want integration?

Enclosure: Does the L2 group share the same social facilities with the L2 learner, or different social
facilities (less opportunity for contact between groups)?

Cohesiveness: Does the L2 learner mix with other linguistic groups or does s/he only socialize with
members of his own ethnic group?

Size of learner’s L1 community: Are there many members of the learner’s ethnic group in his or her
surroundings, so that s/he has less of a chance or willingness to mix with the members of the TL culture,
or is s/he forced to mix with members of the TL culture because his or her ethnic group’s community is
small in number?

Culture congruence between native and target cultures: How large of a cultural gap is there between
the L2 learner’s culture and the TL culture?

Attitude: Does the L2 learner think of the TL group in a positive way or a negative way? Does the TL
group think of the L2 learner’s ethnic group in a positive or a negative way?
Intended length of residence: Is the L2 learner in the TL culture for the long haul (must psychologically
adjust to the TL culture) or does s/he intend to stay for only a short period of time (and therefore
doesn’t feel the need to psychologically detach himself or herself from his or her native culture and
acculturate/assimilate into the TL culture?

Psychological Distance Factors

Language shock: Is the L2 learner willing to take risks in using the L2, or does s/he fear that s/he will look
comic in using the L2 and thus is reluctant to approach it?

Culture shock: Does the L2 learner feel only slightly or greatly anxious and disoriented upon entering a
new culture (or not at all)?

Motivation: Does the L2 learner have integrative motivation (most important) or instrumental

motivation in learning the L2, and to what extent does this affect his or her proficiency?

Ego permeability: Is the learner flexible or rigid (unwilling to bend) in bending to the norms of the TL
culture? To what extent is this true?