TOPIC 2

TEORÍAS GENERALES SOBRE EL APRENDIZAJE DE UNA LENGUA EXTRANJERA. EL CONCEPTO DE ‘INTERLENGUA’. EL TRATAMIENTO DEL ‘ERROR’.

INDEX A) SELF-INTRODUCTION
Good morning / afternoon / evening, my name is Cristina Montull and the
A) SELF-INTRODUCTION topic I’ve chosen to develop is TOPIC 2 which deals with the following area:
B) INTRODUCTION -General theories about the learning process of a FL.
C) MAIN CONCEPTS: -The concept of ‘Interlanguage’.
-‘The Error Treatment’.
-L1, L2, FL In order to explain it in a clear and structured way, I’m going to divide it into
the following points (INDEX)
-ACQUISITION VS. LEARNING

D) GENERAL THORIES ON SLA: B) INTRODUCTION

-Nativist Theories Once upon a time, there was a king whose main purpose in life was to become a great conqueror
and make the new conquered lands part of his enormous kingdom. So, although he first used violence, he
-Adult SLA then understood that the best way to gain his new serfs’ respect was by using diplomacy. In this way, he
maintained their mother tongue and tried to learn it in order to keep a good relation with them. He believed
that ‘having another language was like possess a second soul’ and after he made this situation be a real
E) ‘INTERLANGUAGE’
experience, he soon became ‘the king of part of the world’ between the 8 th and 9th Centuries.

F) THE ‘ERROR TREATMENT’

‘To have a L2 is to have a second soul’ (Charlemagne)
G) TEACHING PROCEDURES AND CONCLUSION
 Importance of FL learning and teaching:
H) BIBLIOGRAPHY o Economic and trade transactions (business English)
o Diplomacy
o Travelling abroad (studies / work / holidays)
o New technologies (Internet)
o Cultural knowledge of the country
 English is the predominant language in international communication
 Intention of TOPIC 2: to study the general theories about the
acquisition and learning of a FL.
 The main intention when teaching a FL is to allow our students to be able to
communicate with foreign people so that they can open themselves to a new
culture and understand different aspects of their behaviour.
 TOPIC 2
TEORÍAS GENERALES SOBRE EL APRENDIZAJE DE UNA LENGUA EXTRANJERA. EL CONCEPTO DE ‘INTERLENGUA’. EL TRATAMIENTO DEL ‘ERROR’.

C) MAIN CONCEPTS -Nativist Theory -Adult SLA:

a) Imitation Theory a) Behaviourism c) Enviromentalism
b) Reinforcement Theory b) Cognitivism d) Interactionism
 MOTHER TONGUE (L1): the language speakers learn from their parents
c) Creative Theory
when they are children.
-Students have a high level of competence in L1.
1. NATIVIST THORY: based on the way children acquire their mother
-Also called ‘Grammar’.
tongue (L1), as by the age of six, they are supposed to master it.
 SECOND LANGUAGE (L2): vernacular or regional languages (non-native
a) IMITATION THEORY: as children learn L1, through the imitation of the
languages) widely used in the country for communication, business or
adult speech, we can also learn a FL by imitating the adult speech. But this is
education.
not true as adults also talk to small children with incorrect structures but
-Students are intended to get a proficient level.
they do not acquire this bad habit. Even more, they are able to produce
-Also called ‘Valencian Grammar’, ‘Irish Grammar’, ‘Scottish
structures not previously heard from adults thanks to their intelligence and
Grammar’ or ‘Welsh Grammar’.
capacity of linking previous knowledge. So we cannot learn a FL just by
imitation.
 FOREIGN LANGUAGE (FL): the normative language taught at school with
no status of everyday means of communication in the country of the
b) REINFORCMENT THEORY: as children learn their L1 through ‘positive’ and
speaker.
‘negative’ reinforcement, we can also learn a FL in this way, through
-Also called ‘English’.
reinforcement. This can be possible but it is a theory to be complemented
with some others as adults may not have time to reinforce all the sentences
*Depending on the contact the speaker has with a specific language, we can
children try to learn (nor positive, nor negatively), and even adults commit
determine it as L1, L2 or FL, as it is more or less frequently used in the
mistakes that are not corrected and transmit them to young children.
speaker’s community.

c) CREATIVE CONSTRUCTION THEORY: children are equipped with LAD

-The way in which we learn L1, L2 and FL can be specified in 2 concepts:
(Language Acquisition Device) which allows them to create the grammar rules
a) ACQUISITION: subconscious and natural process in which the
of the language by making ‘hypothesis’ and ‘testing adults’ speech. These
speaker acquires a language with no interest in the grammatical rules (the
‘hypothesis’ and ‘testing’ can be used in the acquisition of a FL to allow our
acquisition of Spanish or Valencian as L1)
students to develop their own grammatical rules and provide the acquisition of
b) LEARNING: a conscious process in which the student learns the
a FL in a natural way. This theory is used in a specific stage in the learning
language through different instruction of the grammatical rules (English, as a
process of a FL, when the student is able to formulate several structures.
FL, or Valencian as a L2).

D) GENERAL THEORIES ON SLA

 TOPIC 2
TEORÍAS GENERALES SOBRE EL APRENDIZAJE DE UNA LENGUA EXTRANJERA. EL CONCEPTO DE ‘INTERLENGUA’. EL TRATAMIENTO DEL ‘ERROR’.
2. ADULT SLA
a) BEHAVIOURISM (1950 – 1960, influenced by the Structuralism)
-Learning a FL is a process of creating the ‘correct linguistic habits’:
1. Imitation – Intensive practise – Repetition
2. Positive and Negative Reinforcement
3. immediate Error Correction (point E)
4. Transfer from L1 to FL:
-POSITIVE TRANSFER: L1 is similar to FL in structure and
vocabulary, so it is easy to assimilate (animal – animal)
-NEGATIVE TRANSFER: l1 is different to Fl in structure and
vocabulary, it creates INTERFERENCE so you will need negative
reinforcement to eliminate it (false friends: actually = actualmente /
realmente)
-Main criticisms:
1- Learners are able to create new structures never practised before, so they
are not allowed to use language creatively using this method.
2- It is not good to learn a FL with different methods along the different
stages of your life (children methodology – adult methodology).
3- Not all errors can be predicted so not all of them can be immediately
corrected, and this does not mean a less efficient way of learning a FL.
b) COGNITIVISM (1970, Steve Krashen)
-Introduction of the cognitive and psychological factors within the learning
process. It introduces 2 main aspects:
1- It admits the learning process of a Fl is similar to children’s
acquisition of their L1 with the LAD (Language Acquisition Device) as the
Nativist Theory said (= ‘Interlanguage’ point E)
2- Appropriate method for learners totally immersed in the FL, with
no possibility of use of the L1, so they are able to develop communication in a
FL soon (‘Error Treatment: point F)
-The precursor of this method, Steve Krashen, determined the ‘useless need
of grammar rules and drilling activities’ to learn a FL. So he based his method
on 5 main hypotheses:
1. Acquisition and Learning Hypothesis: acquisition is more important than
learning (see point C)
2. Monitor: (editor) acts like a planner, editor and corrector in the learning
process of a FL (over-user / under user / optimal user)
3. Natural Order: the predictable order in which we learn the grammatical
rules (independent from the order they are taught in class). ‘Different
learning strategies produce different acquisition patterns’.
4. Input: (Inductive Grammar) you first teach the input to that grammar is
automatically provided.
5. Affective Filter: affective factors that act as a ‘barrier’ for the
acquisition of a FL:
-The filter is up: no learning due to students’ demotivation, lack of
confidence and failure concern.
-The filter is down: learning process due to students’ motivation and
relaxation.
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TEORÍAS GENERALES SOBRE EL APRENDIZAJE DE UNA LENGUA EXTRANJERA. EL CONCEPTO DE ‘INTERLENGUA’. EL TRATAMIENTO DEL ‘ERROR’.

c) ENVIRONMENTALISM (1980 – 1990, S. Schumann)

-This theory proposes that a person’s experience is more efficient in order to
develop the FL knowledge than the innate contributions (cognitive /
psychological factors ad the Cognitivism proposes).
-S. Schumann gave importance to ‘contextual factors’ related to personal
experience:
1-Enclosure (contact / no contact with different cultures)
2-Social Dominance (language community surrounding)
3-Attitude (positive / negative attitude towards the FL)
4-Integration (in a different culture)
-In order to achieve learning of the FL in our students, teachers should put in
practice several applications:
1- Use grammar properly: in an INDUCTIVE way (Practice – Rule)
2- Create motivating and comprehensive input for our students.
3- Be tolerant with the students’ mistakes.
4- Monitor the activities with its exact measure.
5- Use positive ad negative reinforcement when it is possible, so that
we will maintain the affective filter down in our students (motivated, relaxed,
self-confident etc).

*Example: S. Schumann experimented with a boy with little contact with the
FL and realised about the importance of a learner’s context / situation
whenever he was nvolved in the learning process of a Fl (= Pidginization
hypothesis)

d) INTERACTIONISM (1980)

-It evokes the importance of both:

1- Innate factors (from the Cognitivism)
2- Environmental factors (from the Environmentalism)

CONCLUSION:
 TOPIC 2
TEORÍAS GENERALES SOBRE EL APRENDIZAJE DE UNA LENGUA EXTRANJERA. EL CONCEPTO DE ‘INTERLENGUA’. EL TRATAMIENTO DEL ‘ERROR’.

E) ‘INTERLANGUAGE’ (by Selinker) -Common errors are made by students with a different L1 with the FL to find
and sort out the problems of ERRORS (as it determines the ‘Contrastive
(=APPROXIMATE DIALECT by Nemser or IDIOSYNCRATIC DIALECT by
Analysis Hypothesis).
Corder)
-Difference between ERROR and MISTAKE:
-Interlanguage: linguistic system between the native (L1) and the target (FL)
language that provides order and structures of the language to learners and CORDER JULIAN EDGE
through which learners succeed in getting closer t the FL through ‘hypothesis
SLIP Temporary mistake
of grammar rules’ and ‘error correction’.

-Teachers must check out learners’ ‘Interlanguage’ by giving appropriate MISTAKE Random slip, can be
feedback. Nevertheless, students’ mistakes 8when dealing with hypothesis of corrected
the grammar rules) help them to develop from L1 to FL. There are 2
ERROR Systematic deviation Systematic deviation
characteristics:
a) SILENT PERIODS: periods in which students seem not to use the language ATTEMPT Try to get something
or progressing in the construction of grammar, but hey are dealing with right again and again
‘hypothesis’ to get the grammar rule.
b) FOSSILIZATION: periods in which students use rules of the L1 to be
integrated and used in the FL, but they do it inappropriately, that is, COMMONEST ERRORS STEPS IN ERRORS ANALYSIS
committing errors, as students are not really concentrated on the FL. -Omission of grammar morphemes 1-Identify the error
-English dental sound /∂/ is alveolar, not dental /d/ (he speak--- English)
-False friends: sensible (intelligent) vs. sensible (Spanish) -Double marking 2-Describe the error
(He didn’t worked)
-Brown’s 4 STAGES in ‘Interlanguage’ are: -Overgeneralization 3-Explain the error
1- RANDOM ERRORS: the learner is only aware of the systematic order of (Three womens)
structures: S + V + C (I love pizza) -Archiforms 4-Evaluate the error
2- EMERGENT STAGE: internalization of rules, but maybe not the correct (I miss he a lot)
ones: position of the adverbs of frequency (I eat always pizza) -Misordering 5-Prevent and correct the error
3- TRULY SYSTEMATIC STAGE: learners show consistency in producing FL, (She eats never apples)
they are able to correct their mistakes when the teacher points at them: verb
tenses (I have eaten pizza yesterday)
4- STABILIZATION STAGE: learners have fluency in the use of FL and self-
correct their mistakes in activities and even in compositions.
F) ‘THE ERROR TREATMENT’
 TOPIC 2
TEORÍAS GENERALES SOBRE EL APRENDIZAJE DE UNA LENGUA EXTRANJERA. EL CONCEPTO DE ‘INTERLENGUA’. EL TRATAMIENTO DEL ‘ERROR’.

-ERROR TREATMENT (remedial action) 1-Teachers must act as mediators when analysing our students’ errors and
try to avoid fossilization.

PRESENTATION OF LESSON PRACTICE PRODUCTION 2-We need to use a Communicative Approach in our daily classes to use
THE LESSON (fossilization) practise, introduce grammar through practise, promote interaction among
-Students’ self- -Students’ or peers’ -Negative reinforcement students in FL classes and use the language in real situations:
correction correction COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH:
-Repetition of the -Second self-correction -Repeat correct a) 4 communicative skills (R / W / L / Sp)
mistake structure b) 3 traditional skills (G / V / Ph) implementing the 4 communicative

-Body language and face -Highlight the mistakes skills.

expression c) Promote interaction among students and teacher-students.
-Teacher’s correction -Tone and pitch change d) Use authentic materials.
e) Use English in real contexts or situations
-Code correction
3- We must use new technologies to help our students reach a good level
of competence in the FL through real materials: readings, listenings,
speakings and writings (chat, penpals, songs, ‘youtube’, etc)

4- Important: teacher’s enthusiasm to motivate students (Affective

Filter) to promote the learning of a FL.

H) BIBLIOGRAPHY
-S. Krashen: ‘Second Language Acquisition and Learning’
-Selinker: ‘Interlanguage’
-Corder: ‘Error Analysis’
-www.onestopenglish.com

G) TEACHING PROCEDURES AND CONCLUSION