6.

CONTRIBUTION OF LINGUISTICS TO ENGLISH TEACHING AS A FOREIGN

LANGUAGE. THE LANGUAGE LEARNING PROCESS: SIMILARITIES AND
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FIRST LANGUAGE AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION

1. INTRODUCTION

Teaching a foreign language aims to provide the sts with c.c. in that language, which
goes beyond the mere teaching of the rules of language, as the use of English must be
contemplated as well. In this line, recent tendencies in FLT focus their attention on a crucial
aspect: language as a means to transmit certain meaning to others, rather than a theoretical
acquisition of linguistic and grammatical rules and items. FLT then, must be contemplated with
reality: with the reality as it takes place outside the classroom, and with the reality of the
learners outside and inside the classroom.

A linguistic theme could be worked perfectly in P.E. since we are providing sts with
activities which try to improve their linguistic production. The possibility of communicating
properly in order to understand and be understood is the most important aim of the Key
competences proposed by the CEFRL. Thus, the Linguistic Competence reinforces this, and will
be always present in the learning of the language. Besides, the Learning to Learn competence is
also decisive since it deals with having the right strategies to approach the language production
in the four skills. All these elements of the Curriculum are clearly shown in the current
Educational law, LOMLOE, and mainly in the Canarian Decree 89 /2014, August 1 st, which
makes specific reference to the English subject.

As linguistics makes reference to the acquisition of the language, any activity related
with both oral and written registers of English will be appropriate to work on: reading
comprehension activities are a must to apply reading and writing skills, listening comprehension
is also decisive to put sts in contact with real accents and oral registers, a speaking corner is also
one of the most representative activities which can be carried out through a brainstorming or
any other which tries to encourage sts to speak in English. Finally, a mistake correction activity
will always try sts to improve their oral and written productions, and the composition technique
has the aim to facilitate proper strategies to provide better sentences, paragraphs, or essays.

Along this topic, we intend to analyse the main contributions and dominant tendencies
in the field of FLT, as well as the distinction between the acquisition of the L1 and the
development of the FLT. In fact, as we mentioned before, our current legislation includes this
relevant issue along comprehension and expression strategies comprised in the 4 content blocks.

We should start by studying the beginnings of linguistics and its contribution to FLT.
 2. CONTRIBUTIONS OF LINGUISTICCS TO FLT

The interest towards grammars of the different languages led to the establishment of
linguistics as a science in the 19 th Century. Ferdinand Saussure was one of the main thinkers
who contributed to establishing the principles of the discipline as we know it today. He drew the
distinction between langue (language) and parole (speech). The presence of Saussure can be
found in relevant structuralist like Edward Sapir and Leonard Bloomfield.

The structuralist view of linguistics was challenged by Noam Chomsky, who views
language as a result of a universal innate capacity. At its heart, his theory of generative grammar
described the way people learn to communicate; and suggests that human language comes from
an innate set of grammatical rules inside the human mind.

As we know, Piaget suggested that children go through a sequence of 4 stages: senso-

motor, pre-operational, concrete operational and formal operational, and that these stages
determine what children can learn. To him, the language is another factor that contributes to the
development of mental actions, together with environmental interaction and mental madurity.

Leo Vygotsky considers that there are functional relations between language ant
thought. He was convinced that learning occurred through interactions with others. Vygotsky
sought to understand how people learn in a social environment and created a unique theory on
social learning.

-Applied linguistics-

The term refers to a broad range of activities which involve solving some language-
related problems. The process of applied linguistics is implemented through taking the known
research and theories of linguistics and applying a linguistic analysis to specific contexts like
language teaching.
Regarding the teaching and learning of languages, we may distinguish three main
components: connected disciplines (like descriptive linguistics, sociolinguistics, and
psycholinguistics); techniques (teaching approaches, methods and techniques of teaching
languages) and materials (all types of aids and equipment that teachers can use to search for the
improvement of learning and teaching. Nowadays, different approaches to research can be
identified in applied linguistics, In our European context, it has been done through the CEFRL.

-Role of Psycholinguistics-

Psycholinguistics is an interdisciplinary field of study in which the goals are to

understand how people acquire language, how people use it to speak and understand one
another, and how language is represented in the brain.
Regarding FLT, the learners and their peculiarities, we can consider that language
acquisition is a relevant area within psycholinguistics. Children in every culture acquire one
language without effort or formal teaching. This means that this rapid acquisition is possible due
to the natural factors of human brain. Regarding the role of Psycholinguistics, in language
teaching it may help us decide on the methods to be employed.

-Role of Sociolinguistis-

Sociolinguistics refers to the study of language in use and is itself a field with different
theoretical perspectives dealing with: variability in L2 use, L2 socialization (which intends to
 take account of the wide scope of situation in which speech acts are performed), communities of
practice (it also deals with the study of social roles of language within different communities:
jobs interviews, telephone conversations…) and volitional factors in language learning (the
degree of success on the part of the learner depends to a great extent on appealing factors, such
as instrumental or integrative motivation).

3. THE LANGUAGE LEARNING PROCESS: SIMILARITIES AND

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FIRST LANGUAGE AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION.

Acquiring the first language starts with baby imitation of their parents’ speech.
However, according to Ellis, there is a number of stages in this process: babbling (from birth-8
months), first word (at about months-t 11 months, when infants put names to objects and people
around them), two words (between years they enter in this syntactic phase in which they join
words together), phonological, syntactic and lexical norms (this takes place during the 3 rd and 4th
years, in which the child’s grammatical system stars to resemble the norms of adults, syntactic
and lexical complexity and richness (between 6-12, children expand their vocabulary and
understanding of words), conversational skills (older children are able to realize if something is
unclear to identify an alternative and gradually move on to using persuasive arguments).

However, both 1st language acquisition and FLL rely to a great extent on the individual
differences. In this sense, Ellis focuses his attention in three main dimensions: language aptitude
(the natural ability to learn a foreign language), motivation (it plays a crucial role in FLL, and in
extent, in any type of learning. In fact, in a majority of cases, motivated sts can achieve a
working knowledge of FL regardless of their aptitude) and learning strategies (they are the
particular techniques used by sts in the FLL process, usually problem-solving oriented. We may
differentiate between cognitive strategies, that are involved in the analysis, synthesis or
transformation of learning materials, metacognitive, which are employed in planning,
monitoring and evaluating learning, and social-affective strategies, concerned with how learners
interact with other speakers.

Within this point, we cannot miss the cross-linguistic influences stemming from
already known languages or influence of L1 to FL. The mother tongue influences the process of
second LL, since many times unknowingly, learners rely on their L1 to accomplish something
not known in the L2. This process is called language transfer. In this sense, is not strange that a
Spanish child learning English says ‘I have got a car red’, paralleling the usual order of
adjectives in his L1. However, sometimes the L1 can facilitate the learning of an additional
language, for example, a Spanish st can understand the word ‘chocolate’ without having
previously studied it. Notwithstanding, it can sometimes lead to error, as in the case of ‘carpet’
(a false friend) since the apparently correct meaning, ‘carpeta’, is not an adequate translation.

Summing up, the mother tongue is a resource for learners to be used consciously and
unconsciously to help them process the FL data in the input and to perform in that FL.

Finally, the methodological implications of classroom interaction as a way to enhance

our sts’ c.c. have to do with supporting understanding, motivating and creating the optimal
conditions to foster interaction. In this sense, FL teachers should: use scaffolding techniques to
build on existence knowledge; devise activities within the ZPD, so that sts perceive them as
reachable challenges; take advantage of the information gap principle (one st knows something
that other st need to know to succeed in a specific activity) to create attractive and meaningful
tasks and arouse the sts’ need to communicate; create a pleasant classroom environment, where
diversity, different responses and errors are accepted as a natural part of the FLL process;
facilitate sts’ understanding through verbal and non-verbal means, and create a sense of
community in the FL classroom to promote collaboration and cooperation.

4. CONLUSION

The role of the teacher will be that of a mediator and will try to make sts aware of the
importance of communicating in other language to confront the reality out of the class and also
will make them recognize the different approaches there are to learn a language and which
methods will be closer to the st. Besides, the teacher will encourage sts to appreciate these
techniques and strategies to produce oral and written messages which can be properly
understood.

In this topic we have seen that LL is the subject of different disciplines. In this sense,
we have seen some contributions of Applied linguistics. Similarly, we have also analysed the
different perspectives regarding language learning. Additionally, similarities and differences
between l1 acquisition and FLL are central points in this presentation, since the methodological
implications may positively affect FL teachers’ practice. Finally, we have seen that sts ‘come in
all types’, and we have considered the importance of classroom interaction as a way to promote
c.c., which, as we know, is the final goal of FLT along PE, as it is stated in the D89/2014,
August the 1st.