Tips for Acquiring the Language
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Second Language Learning versus Second Language Acquisition
Linguists make a distinction between Second Language Learning and Second Language Acquisition. Learning is more conscious and is not communicative, while Acquisition is more hands-on and requires two-way conversation. Learning is more formal, while Acquisition is more informal.
Below is a list of examples of methods distinguishing the two:
| Learning | Acquisition |
|---|---|
|
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Ultimately, exchange students hope to acquire, rather than just learn, the second language.
Barriers to Second Language Acquisition
Aptitude
- Age - It is commonly known that the older one gets, the more difficult it becomes to acquire a language. This has to do with "linguistic maturity". Around the age of 18, one can notice a strong difference in the efficiency of learning and acquiring a second language.
- Grammatical Sensitivity- Some people pick up on grammatical rules more easily than others, both consciously and subconsciously.
- Inductive Ability - Noticing and identifying patterns and relationships between words
Attitude/Personality
- Motivation- Sometimes a student may be more concerned with other things than acquiring the language. This may be due to homesickness, laziness, lack of desire to integrate, lack of desire to achieve proficiency, "I'll do it tomorrow" syndrome, as well as other reasons having to do with motivation.
- Shyness - Students who keep more to themselves might take longer to acquire the language. They participate in less dialogue, and therefore practice their language skills less. Outgoing and self-confident students who talk alot often learn at a faster pace.
- Embarrassment - It can be discouraging to have one's grammar corrected over and over again on a daily basis. Teachers pass back papers with grammatical errors underlined, you try to tell a story but get interrupted by someone not understanding or inserting a grammatical correction, and perhaps the most painful: you mix up one word with another and the meaning comes out as something totally different often causing the audience to laugh. Also, toward the middle or end of the program sometimes a student feels like they should know a word or grammatical structure already, and so the student feels embarrassed to ask for help.
- Communicating too often in the native language - Students may have friends at school who speak their language, chat online, or call home too often. This can pose a problem if the student doesn't advance in language skills.
Tips for the Students
- Ask members of your host family at least five questions everyday. Not only will this bring you closer to your family by showing them you care, but it will spark conversation.
- Just sitting and listening can be more passive than talking. Talking means you are using what you know to get your own idea across. This is important in acquiring a language.
- Try to take notice of the pauses and the emphasis native speakers use on certain words or in certain parts of the sentence. When you mimic the way they talk, your speech becomes less robotic and more fluid and understandable.
- Some words in your language and the host country's language translate directly, but the host country uses the word in a different way than what you're used to. Taking notice of these uses and using these words appropriately shows a higher level of fluency.
- It is useful to learn proverbs. These are pieces of the language which you can use to decribe a circumstance in a precise and graceful way. It can show that you relate with native speakers and that you are trying to understand the culture.
- When reading the newspaper or a book for class, and coming across a word you don't know, rather than getting an English-(your native language) dictionary, use an English-English dictionary. This approach makes you more familiar with maneuvering around words you don't know during conversation, and will make you more familiar with other words.
- If you get to the point where you feel your language skills have reached a plateau, go back to the textbook, dust off the dictionary and ask people more about the language. After going a while without language learning, you will see how far you've come and will look upon these things with fresh eyes.
- Learning a third language in school helps you learn the language you're immersed in. In order to learn any second language, one must be familiar with grammatical structure. When going from English to another language other than your own, you will learn more about English. When taking beginning level classes at school, the English grammar will also be at an easier level.
- Translate from your natural country's language into your host country's language. Find articles in your native language online or elsewhere, and after translating have another person correct your grammar. This is a very effective form of practice.
- If you don't understand, be sure to say so. That might sound obvious, but it is just so easy to nod your head and move on.
- Please contribute.
Tips for Those Who Are Helping the Students
- Speak more slowly; don't speak louder. And when speaking slowly pause between phrases, not between every single word. It is important that the student hears the rhythm of the language. Try to speak as normally as possible.
- Wait for the student to finish their point before discussing grammatical errors. This allows the student to maintain concentration, and it is also less frustrating for the student.
- Each week pick one or two grammatical habits to concentrate on. By concentrating on one or two habits at a time, the student will take more notice and it will be easier to remember. It also helps (frustration-wise) to go for a period without commenting on grammatical mistakes.
- Praise helps a lot! Even in the middle of the program and toward the end, not just in the beginning. Praise at the end of the year is especially important if the student feels he/she has not reached the level in proficiency they were hoping for.
- Often we don't realize the amount of pressure we put on the student to speak. A conversation goes two-ways. Take turns coming up with the conversation topic and ask the student open-ended questions. It puts the student at ease to not always be expected to start the conversation.
- If you're not sure whether the student understands you and is just nodding their head, ask the student to paraphrase or to repeat what you just said in their language. If the student doesn't understand, there will usually be a strong pause and a blank look. This method is less intimidating to the student than flatly calling them out. It is also important not to let the head-nodding turn into a habit (but it's ok to let them get away with it on occasion).
- Please contribute.
What is 'fluency'?
Fluency in a language varies with your environment and needs. Many people who speak a second language can point to a day when they could easily and comfortably say what they needed to. For most, the day that you can understand what you need to comes first.
For this reason, the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages have differentiated each skill within a language and have a set of guidelines around what proficiency is, and how to tell when you have reached that level of proficiency. These guidelines can be a good way to both assess someone's ability, as well as to give them a clearer picture of what is to come.
