Second Language Literacy Assignment sample

Introduction: Second Language Literacy

Access Free Samples Prepared by our Subject Matter Experts, known for offering the Best Online Assignment Help Services in Australia.

The inculcation of English as the second language acquisition is gaining on popularity (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009). The issue that will be discussed are the ways in which the learning in a second language is different and similar to the first language learning. The first language of the interviewee is Bengali and the second language is the English is the interviewee. The similarities in learning that will be discussed in details are developmental sequences, acquisition order, unmarked language feature and visual learning software through the deployment of Computer assisted language learning. The dissimilarities in learning that will be discussed are neurological considerations, affective component and affective filter.

Discussion

One of the major similarities that is associated with the learning of first language and second language is the developmental sequences. It is because formulaic speech is one of the development stages where the learners express the language through unanalyzable wholes in the form of memorized phrases and both L1 and L2 learners resort to such activities (Ipek, 2014). It is further observed in the interview session as the participant stated that the idioms and phrases like “Break the Ice”, “Call it a day” were memorized by the student while learning English as L2 subject. Similarly, the interviewee has also claimed that the phrases in Bengali literature such as “Apni Kemon achen”, “Dhonnobad and Namaste” was also memorized by the student. Furthermore, the interview stated that “It is easier to memorise phrases than remember by its meaning, both in the case of English and Bengali language”. Therefore, it is observed that the stage of the formulaic speech in the development sequence exists in the acquisition of both L1 and L2 learners in English and Bengali respectively. On the contrary, Ipek (2014) has proposed that the L2 learners skip on the silent period in the stages of development and is one of the major contrasting points. It is because this phase shows the learner's capacity of semantic simplification within the language and L2 learners often seem to miss out on such expertise. Hence, it can be stated that the LI and L2 experiences the formulaic speech phase of the development sequence whereas only L1 leaners are exposed to the silent period of the development sequence.

Another major similarity that is related to the learning of Bengali as first language and the English as second language is acquisition order. It is because the acquisition order is marked by the pattern in which knowledge about the grammatical functions, verb inflections and question words are procured and such pattern of acquisition is similar to bith L1 and L2 learners. Lightbown and Spada (2016) have supported that the L1 and L2 learners have illustrated striking resemblance in acquisition pattern while learning the question words. Similar observations are also encountered during the interview session as the student mentioned that the knowledge about the language was acquired in the order of noun, verbs, prepositions and articles and the same acquisition pattern was followed for learning English and Bengali. In the works of Abidin (2020), it is supported that the teaching of English as a second language could be effective if the learning of noun is prioritized first. Bhattacharja (2016) has also promoted that the learning of Bengali language becomes easier if the student is provided effective understanding about the nouns. Therefore, it is analysed that the acquisition order is similarity for the learners who are indulging in the learning of Bengali as first language and the English as second language.

A critical similarity between the L1 and L2 learners is the knowledge acquisition of the unmarked language feature. It is because the unmarked features in accordance to the typological universals are described as the terms which are present in most languages and the learner has tendency to transfer while knowing about the language and both the L1 and L2 learners learn about them with relative ease (Ipek, 2014). This similarity exists as they are able to identify the meaning of these unmarked terms since they can have idea of what it means in L1 and use them to interpret the definition of the terms in L2. Similar instances can be witnessed in the interview session as the interviewee resorted to cross linguistic comparison of the unmarked features by interpreting the meaning of “How are you” through the application of interviewee's knowledge in the phrase of “Kyamon acho” in the Bengali language while learning English as second language. Furthermore, the interview has stated that “I used to cross reference the English terms for any similarity with Bengali terms to understand the meaning effectively, like I did for ‘How are you with ‘Kyamon acho ” Ipek (2014) has supported that the cross linguistic comparisons in the typological universals play a key role in defining the successful learning of second languages such as English. Therefore, it is observed that the use of unmarked feature in typological universal during teaching has a positive influence on the learning of Bengali and English as L1 and L2 respectively.

One of the major similarities of teaching first and second language is the deployment of the visual learning software through the deployment of the CALL (Computer assisted language learning). It is because the teachers have been using the computer programs such as FluentU to demonstrate the picture of the object that is associated with the English word in an attempt to make them understand effectively. analogous opinions have been accounted during the interview session as the interviewee was satisfied with the teaching of the second language class as the teacher made use of software such as FluentU which showed the picture of the object and its corresponding and made the student realise what is the exact relation of the orange color with that of the fruit. Similar exertions are depicted by the findings of Novikov (2022) as the author depict the use of software and computer technology has a made a positive influence on the effective of learning of second language as the academic results has improved by 21%. Therefore, it is observed that the teaching method of implementing the CALL (Computer assisted language learning) has similar positive effects on learning English as second language and Bengali as first language respectively.

On the contrary, there are several differences that are prevalent in the learning of first and second languages. One of the major comparisons is highlighted by the neurological considerations. It is because the neurological considerations in the critical period hypothesis state that the first and second language learning is driven by the laterisation of the brain and if the brain attempts to acquire learning in second language learning after puberty then it is difficult for the individual to reflect on pronunciation fluency in the second language whereas as no such effect occurs on the acquisition of the first language. Similar reflections have been underlined during the interview round as the interview was extremely vocal about the problems in proper pronunciation of terms like “hour”, “Wednesday”, “burial” and the interviewee also started taking second language classes after 20, which depicts the end of puberty. Xu (2023) has supported that the learning of English language as second language has been problematic for the students who have started after puberty due to the low cognitive capacity. Ramírez et al. (2013) has also opined that there are no issues in learning first language when it comes to the onset or demise of the puberty. Therefore, it is observed that the learning of second language in English is more difficult after completing puberty as compared to the learning of the Bengali as first language.

Another major difference that has been observed in the acquisition of English as the second language and Bengali as first language has been the affective component. It is because the inhibition element of the affective component has been posing difficulty for the learning of second language whereas no such influence is exerted on the acquisition of the first language. The previous author finding bear striking resemblances with the outcomes of the interview as the interviewee has expressed that “I was really apprehensive about speaking in English and I felt inhibited in resorting to conversation where conversation in English was mandatory and I started to learn English after 20 years old”. However, the interview stated that “There was no such problems of inhibitions while conversing in Bengali as it is my first language”. Terui (2015) has proposed that the learning of second language remain effective as several individuals refrain from using English in conversation due to their preconceived inhibitions. Therefore, it is observed that the inhibition as a component has a negative impact on the learning of English as second language whereas the inhibition does not bear such negative influence on the learning of Bengali as first language.

One of the major reasons behind the inhibition has been the prevalence of anxiety. It is because a preconceived notion persists amongst the students that they might be subjected to humiliation if they mispronounce a term in English or lack fluency during conversation, which, in turn inhibits them to make use of English language. This lack of application of English language adversely impacts their learning efficiency from the second language classes. The existence of such anxious mindset and its influence on inhibiting the use of English language is depicted by the interview session. It is because the interviewee stated that “I was so anxious about the embarrassment that I might face if I was not able to catch up with the fluency and accuracy of the English-speaking capacity of my peers, in most cases, I did not engage any type of conversations.” The interviewee stated that “I had no anxiety issues while speaking in Bengali” In the works of Teimouri (2018), it is observed that several of the students have been avoiding to hold conversation in English as most of them are anxious about-facing shame and embarrassment from the peers. Therefore, it is observed that the anxiety has been the driver of inhibition component for the second language acquisition in terms of English whereas no such effect of anxiety on learning Bengali as first language is witnessed.

Affective filter is defined as the motivation of the leaner to absorb new knowledge inputs. Another critical difference that lies in the first language acquisition and second language acquisition is the affective filter. It is because a high affective filter has a more positive impact in the attitude of second language acquisition learners as compared to the first language acquisition learners. This previous inference is observed in the opinions of the interviewee as she stated that “When I have high motivation, I really feel like knowing the new terms and the phrases of English language. Therefore, it is observed that the implications of the affective filter plays a key role in the learning capacity of second language acquisition in English as compared to first language capacity of Bengali.

Conclusion

From the study, it is concluded that the similarities in first language acquisition and the second learning acquisition are more as compared to the differences as there are four similarities in opposition to the three differences. However, the findings indicate that the learning of English as second language is hampered due to their anxiety of speaking in English. Therefore, the pedagogical implication of the teacher is to promote environment where the students are motivated and encouraged to speak English. The teacher should also deploy inclusive teaching practices in accordance to TESOL teaching so that the students are not looked down upon by the native English-speaking students when they falter or mispronounce terms.

References

• Abidin, A. (2020). Systematic Approach to Teaching English Nouns in The Context of Private English Course Classroom Instruction. Shautut Tarbiyah, 26(2), 157-173.
• Bhattacharja, S. (2014). Bengali Noun Phrase complex: A minimalist approach. Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics, 1(2), 67-86.
• Hedgcock, J.S. & Ferris, D.R. (2009). Teaching readers of English: Students, texts, and contexts. New York: Routledge. (E-book available through UOW library.)
• Ipek, H., (2014) Comparing and Contrasting First and Second Language Acquisition: Implications for Language Teachers. English Language Teaching, 2(2), pp.155-163.
• Lightbown, P. M., & N. Spada. (2016). How languages are learned (3rd ed.). China: Oxford University Press
• Novikov, P. (2022, September). The effects of introducing language learning software during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 7, p. 959995). Frontiers.
• Ramírez, N. F., Lieberman, A. M., & Mayberry, R. I. (2013). The initial stages of first-language acquisition begun in adolescence: when late looks early. Journal of child language, 40(2), 391-414.
• Teimouri, Y. (2018). Differential roles of shame and guilt in L2 learning: How bad is bad?. The Modern Language Journal, 102(4), 632-652.
• Terui, S. (2015). Second language learners coping strategy in conversations with native speakers. Journal of International Students 2012 Vol 2 Issue 2, 168.
• Xu, L. (2023). The Age Effect in Second Language Acquisition and Its Study Design Method. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 8, 1215-1222.