SLA – Session 3

Language learning contexts

Learning a second language
I/ Naturalistic contexts

 Situations such as when people move to another country or region where a new language is
spoken
 Naturalistic contexts
 Immigration
 Study abroad
Immigration

 Studies on aspects related to L2 development in immigrant populations

 Relation between language skill and age of arrival (e.g. Oyama, 1976)
 Early arrivals (before teenagers) get higher profiency
 Relationship between language, identity, and personal investment (e.g. Norton Peirce,
1995) [identity = how you see yourself, see yourself like natives or see yourself different
from the natives]
 The power relations
Study abroad
The case of Steve and the case of Julia

 “at home” intensive immersion students > study abroad in France > “at home” formal language
classroom learners (Freed, 1995)
Determining factors: type of intensity of contact (not solely type of context)
II/ Instructed learning
Dual language instruction
Dual classroom instruction/ Dual immersion/ dual language immersion/ two-way immersion (TWI)/ two-
way bilingual immersion/ two-way bilingual education/ bilingual immersion/ developmental bilingual
education (DBE)
Transitional education: 2 stages => First stage study in both L1 and L2, second stage study only in L2
Developmental bilingual education: study in L2 from the beginning
Subtractive bilingualism: learning L2 at the expand of L1 => tend to lose L1
Heritage language: language spoken in the family and is considered as their L1 => tend to lose L1
Mainstream class: a class with local students and students there are treated equally, the same
ESL class: learners are treated as non-native speakers, as the one who are studying that language
SLA – Session 3

Forms of bilingual education

Languages used Educational/ Societal Language

Type of program Typical students
in the classroom aim outcome
Pluralism/
Bilingual with Enrichment
Bilingualism/
Immersion L majority initial emphasis (enrich your
Biliteracy
on L2 knowledge of
language)
L minority:
Maintenance,
Maintenance/ ethnic groups Bilingual, mostly Bilingualism/
pluralism/enrichmen
Heritage language (Chinese in L1 Biliteracy
t
Vietnam)
Maintenance,
Two-way/ Dual Mixed L minority Bilingualism/
Both L1 and L2 pluralism/enrichmen
language and L majority Biliteracy
t
Mainstream with
Majority L with Limited
Foreign language L majority Limited enrichment
L2 lessons bilingualism
teaching