ACADEMIA Letters

A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition

Can Akkoc, Affiliated faculty with the Middle East Technical University (METU),
Applied Mathematics Institute (IAM) - Ankara, Turkey

Abstract
A novel algorithmic approach based on internalizing ‘communication templates’ from the tar-
get 2nd language is introduced with a premise of training learners not too distant in command
of the foreign language from that of native speakers.
It is conjectured that a fundamental difference between a native speaker and a 2nd lan-
guage learner plausibly lies in the way thoughts are put into words, most notably usage and
positioning of ‘connective terms’ (communication templates) used in the discourse linking
context phrases.
Communication templates are context-free skeletal structures made up of stationary con-
nective terms, to be fitted with words of context for building a verbal discourse.
A training scheme centered on the usage of communication templates is proposed in this
article, hopefully to alleviate the frustration of 2nd language learners feeling uneasy about
communicating like, or close to that of native speakers. The methodology is currently being
implemented in an experimental setting, measurable results yet to be determined.
It is suggested that this algorithmic scheme is likely to work for all written languages on
Earth if it works for ESL.

Keywords: communication templates, connective terms, context-free skeletal structures

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.

1
Prologue
The author has been observing, over the course of decades, ESL learners trying their hand
in ‘speaking English’ as their second language, whereas actually talking in their own native
tongue, only using words from the English vocabulary.
A natural subliminal process? Possibly, with the speaker fully comprehending the end
product lying within the familiar domain of communication patterns of his own native tongue,
while arguably unaware of the fact that he is not, in reality, speaking English at all.
The author[1], a 70+ year ESL product himself, has been grappling with the thought of a
more workable, penetrating, and less painful - not necessarily easier - approach to learning a
second language. A totally mathematical, algorithmic approach appears to have the potential
of meeting the said qualities for ESL training.

Communication Templates
It is conjectured that every natural language on Earth has its own unique set of communication
templates for communicating things. Templates[2] are context-free skeletal structures made
up of stationary connective terms, to be fitted with words of context for building the verbal
discourse to be communicated.
When going from one’s native tongue to a foreign language, as in learning a new language
or translating between languages, templates from the native tongue invariably tend to over-
power, if not entirely dominate those from the second language. This phenomenon appears
to lead to a remarkably interesting, however a useless and frustrating experience for the indi-
vidual talking in terms of templates from the native tongue, only using words from the new
foreign language. At such a high noise level in the communication channel, comprehension
drops to extremely low levels, sometimes even leading to unintended gross misunderstand-
ings.
This line of reasoning puts forward the critical importance of templates in mappings be-
tween different languages, suggesting that learning templates in the new language should be
allowed top priority over all other linguistic structures, at least in the beginning. This, hope-
fully will position the beginner on a track simulating what the native speaker goes through,
beginning from early ages.
The following algorithmic approach in learning a second language is based on the learner
amassing templates in the new target language before moving into more conventional linguis-
tic structures.

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.

2
Methodology
Here is a suggested paradigm for setting up a program in ESL training:

Time allocation _ 50% (1,2,3,4,5,6), 40% (7,8,9,10), 10% (11,12)

1. Database: Start with a limited vocabulary used in everyday colloquial speech. Allow
translation into native tongue.

2. Pass out a deck of flash cards with communication templates commonly used in collo-
quial English[3].

3. Almost endless repetition of templates in every class, beating to death the meaning and
connotations behind every template[4]; starting with simple cases, moving up to more
intricate/sophisticated ones.

4. Experiment with building simple sentences using the templates in the handout[5] (flash
cards). Some sentences might involve two or more templates, linked with connecting
words from the database in item 1 above.

5. Online assistance on usage[6]: Entering templates into a Google search engine will
return cases, in abundance, from the English-speaking world, demonstrating through
real examples how and in what context a given template is commonly used in colloquial
English. This setting could serve as an effective proving ground for the learner, setting
the individual free to explore all linguistic patterns or structures on his own, at his own
pace.

6. Online assistance on pronunciation[7]: Entering templates by themselves or templates

as used in complete sentences into open-source websites on the Internet will enable the
learner with correct aural support coming from a reliable source.

7. Start bringing in verb tenses, demonstrating how they are used/applied in association
with the templates shown on flash cards.

8. Experiment with building simple sentences using the templates in the handout (flash
cards). Some sentences might involve two or more templates, linked with connecting
words from the database in item 1 above.

9. Bring in connectors (articles, negations, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections), demon-

strating how they are applied in the templates used.

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.

3
 10. Bring in the remaining parts of speech.

11. Grammar structures.

12. Sentence construction.

Potential Challenges
Compared to conventional methods, it is anticipated that the suggested scheme is going to
be considerably up-hill in the beginning for a novice learner. However, significant progress
may be anticipated once the first set of templates have been mastered, smoothing out potential
frustrations experienced in the early days.
Whereas beginners may begin to form simple sentences from the start in a conventional
program, it might take quite some time for this to happen in a totally mathematical, algorithmic
approach suggested here. However, this approach arguably carries the potential of a dramatic
payoff in the long run, plausibly leading to a level of proficiency not too distant from that of
a native speaker.

Epilogue
The suggested algorithmic approach is not meant to be a modular nor a systematic complete
course for learning ESL. Instead, it can be viewed as an open-ended continuous venture, keep-
ing the learner in a lifelong-learning mode, seeking perfection in language skills over a life-
time.
Secondly, if the suggested paradigm proves to be effective for ESL, there is no reason for
it not to work for any natural language XSL on the planet.

Acknowledgements
The author is indebted to Professor Ömür Uğur of the Middle East Technical University, In-
stitute of Applied Mathematics (Ankara, Turkey) for his invaluable guidance at the inception
of this project.
The author would also like to express his deepest gratitude to Dr. Felix Helfer of the
University of Leipzig (Informatik) for his never-ending help in meticulously dissecting the
sentences in the said corpora (data base) for extracting the communication templates this ar-
ticle is based on.

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.

4
Appendix A
The Author:

• Native of Turkey (1936).

• Started learning English as a second language at the age of 12; now in it for almost 72
years.

• Taught Mathematics, in English, for 60 years: 20 years in Turkey, 40 years in the US.

• Tried his hand teaching Turkish as a second language (TSL) at the Alabama School of
Mathematics and Science upon popular demand from gifted students.

• Has been observing closely, since the past 72 years, Turkish native speakers grappling
with challenges in learning English as a second language.

Rationale
The following observations stand out, based on ESL classes observed at various colleges,
churches, civic organizations, including the Christian Missionary schools the author attended
in Turkey (4 years middle school, 6 years high school; 1948-1958):

• After 10 years of ESL in Turkey, the author was unable to speak English, even at a
passing level of fluence to his own satisfaction when he arrived in the US for graduate
studies in the year 1958.

• The author was hired in 1958 as a teaching assistant at Michigan College of Mining
and Technology (Houghton, MI), while getting his graduate degree in Engineering.

• The author was facing a group of American students in his classes. So, he had to learn
English, all over again, to come to grips with, what he likes to call, templates unique to
the English-speaking world. Furthermore, there was no room for transferring templates,
the way things are said, from other languages.

• Templates are speech fragments, so to speak, where certain words or terms are stacked
in a specific order for communicating certain things (thoughts, ideas, opinions, decla-
rations, teachings, . . .) in legible English. This self-discovery opened a whole new
window of learning for the author in ESL. The author is now inclined to conjecture this
to be the case with all languages, each having its own unique set of templates.

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.

5
 • When the author listens to two people, both natives of Turkey, trying to speak English;
what he is hearing is a conversation where Turkish templates are used with English
words. In other words, they are basically speaking Turkish using English words. The
author has no difficulty understanding what they are saying, since templates are Turkish,
the author’s native tongue. However, no native speaker of English would understand
such a conversation despite all words being English.

• The author has met students from overseas coming to the US for higher education,
scoring almost 100% on all written tests (basically on grammar structures) in an ESL
program, but unable to speak a word of English, inside or outside the classroom.

• What is presented in ESL to a beginner as essentials of the new language (English) is

mercilessly overwhelming and therefore, hard to retain, even for a well-educated adult
individual.

Thoughts
A newborn baby is exposed to his/her native tongue from the moment of delivery. The child
picks up the vocabulary and, most importantly, the templates on the street during childhood
years through constant usage. Grammar structures are not on the radar screen, fortunately,
until school starts (secondary education).
What is demanded of an adult learner in ESL is basically the childhood experience of a
native speaker, combined with grammar rules in full bloom, all tucked into one same program
within a finite time frame. This description might sound like ‘mission impossible’, and it
certainly is.
Whereas the human intellect is incredibly smart in capturing patterns[8] in any setting,
such as learning a new language, this feature of the human mind is completely ignored, tacitly,
in the current teaching strategy by mercilessly uploading the beginner with every conceivable
grammar structure under the sun for the new target language.
If beginners in ESL were allowed breathing room to exercise their pattern recognition
capabilities, they could go a long way, on their own, in uncovering some of the patterns making
up the language[9] in view, even some of the grammar structures, at least at an intuitive level.

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.

6
Appendix B
3-Word Templates drawn from a corpus of 300K sentences from EU communications:

Template | Frequency
as well as | 3424
one of the | 2306
in order to | 2177
part of the | 1731
the end of | 1100
be able to | 1050
the use of | 1046
a number of | 1027
a lot of | 898
is one of | 815
in terms of | 810
the field of | 754
in the field | 739
some of the | 700
there is a | 658
of the most | 654
based on the | 643
well as the | 608
the fact that | 594
the number of | 594
would like to | 587
need to be | 566
In order to | 565
the implementation of | 555

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.

7
 of the project | 551
end of the | 535
the rest of | 529
you want to | 505
such as the | 505
have to be | 499
to be a | 494

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.

8
References
[1] See Appendix A for personal challenges and frustrations the author has gone through over
the course of a lifetime.

[2] See Appendix B for samples drawn from a corpus of 300K sentences taken out of a data
base on EU (European Union) communications.

[3] Templates (2_Word, 3_Word, 4_Word, and 5_Word) drawn from a corpus of 300,000 sen-
tences taken from EU (European Union) communications are available (open source) at the
following Internet address: https://cls.corpora.uni-leipzig.de/en?corpusLanguage=eng#tblselect.
The instructor or the learner has the option of selecting templates from a voluminous col-
lection, in thousands, with different word combinations and frequencies displayed in the
corpus.

[4] Encouraging learners to focus on how they might put into words individual templates
in their respective native tongues might demonstrate the gap in syntax between the two
languages.

[5] Allowing (encouraging) learners into this venture might reveal clues on their pattern de-
tection capabilities. There might be pleasant surprises for the instructor here.

[6] Sample website at: https://sentencedict.com/

[7] Online assistance on pronunciation can be found at the following Internet locations:
https://www.naturalreaders.com/online/https://translate.google.com/?hl=en&tab=TT&authuser=0

[8] The author’s one-word description of mathematics is “exploration of patterns”.

[9] Each language is viewed as a mathematic, an architecture made up of patterns.

The following articles have been inspirational, although not directly connected with the ac-
quisition scheme proposed in the article presented herein:

“Algorithm Selection and Model Adaptation for ESL Correction Tasks” Alla Rozovskaya and
Dan Roth University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 61801 rozovska,danr@illinois.edu

“Second Language Acquisition Modeling” Burr Settles∗ Chris Brust∗ Erin Gustafson∗ Masato
Hagiwara∗ Nitin Madnani† ∗Duolingo, Pittsburgh, PA, USA †ETS, Princeton, NJ, USA
burr,chrisb,erin,masato@duolingo.com nmadnani@ets.org

Academia Letters, February 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Can Akkoc, can1936@gmail.com

Citation: Akkoc, C. (2022). A TEMPLATE-Based Approach to ESL Acquisition. Academia Letters, Article
4828. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4828.