Final Re ective Paper Of SLA (Saville-Troike, 2006)

I learned in this course SLA from three different disciplinary perspectives: linguistic, psychological,
and social. Different approaches to the study of SLA have developed from each of these
perspectives in attempts to answer the three basic questions: What exactly does the L2 learner come
to know? How does the learner acquire this knowledge? Why are some learners more (or less)
successful than others? I have also learned the nature of language learning, some basic similarities
and differences between L1 and L2 learning, and “the logical problem of language acquisition.”
understanding of these issues is a necessary foundation for our discussion of linguistic,
psychological, and social perspectives on SLA. As well as Ability to use a language requires a
complex of knowledge and skills that is automatically available to everyone when they acquire L1
as a child. Different linguistic approaches have explored the basic questions about SLA with either
an internal or an external focus of attention. Psychological perspectives on what is acquired in SLA
concentrate on additions or changes that occur in neurological makeup, and on how the multilingual
brain is organized. Learning a second language for communicative purposes requires knowledge
and skills for using it appropriately, as well as knowing aspects of linguistic forms and how they are
organized. Now I have viewed SLA from three disciplinary perspectives: linguistic, psychological,
and social. As these perspectives provide different foci and different insights, their multiple lenses
bring us closer to the goal of a holistic understanding of second language learning.

This course had made me learn so much about SLA, and when I complete this course I will be able
to confidently say I know a lot about second language acquisition and the different approaches of it.

Reference: Saville-Troike, M. (2006). Introducing Second Lang Acquisition. New york:

Cambridge University Press.
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