| 标题 | Second language—to acquire or to learn？ |
| 范文 | 田代军 【Abstract】 In this article， the writer tries to focus mainly on the acquisition and learning that seem not paid enough attention to and thus， in language teaching， language teachers and children have been teaching and “studying” through questionable approach. 【Key words】 second language acquisition learning It is true that many children whose parents speak different languages can acquire a second language in circumstances similar to those of first language acquisition， the vast majority of people are not exposed to a second language until much later （this is particularly true for most of Chinese children in our country today）. Moreover， for most people， the ability to use their first language is rarely matched， even after years of study， by a comparable ability in the second language. There is something of an enigma here， since there is apparently no other system of “knowledge” which one can “learn” better at two or three years old than at fifteen or twenty-five. Then how second language learners become as proficient in a second language as they are in their first language. In this article， I try to focus mainly on the acquisition and learning that seem not paid enough attention to and thus， in language teaching， language teachers and children have been teaching and “studying” through questionable approach. More efforts， less practical progress. I also try to take a closer look at the features of language and open the door to effective foreign language “acquisition”. 1. Acquisition barriers Some obvious reasons for the problems experienced in second language acquisition are related to the fact that most people attempt to learn another language during their teenage or adult years， in a few hours each week of school time （rather than via the constant interaction experienced by a child）， with a lot of other occupations （the child has little else to do）， and with an already known language available for most of their daily communicative requirements. Some less likely reasons include the suggestion that adults tongues “get stiff” from pronouncing one type of language （e.g. English） and just can not cope with the new sounds of another language （e.g. Chinese or French）. Its a cute idea， but there is no physical evidence to support it. 2. Acquisition and learning Perhaps the primary difficulty for most people can be captured in terms of a distinction between acquisition and learning. The term “acquisition”， when used of language， refers to the gradual development of ability in a language using it naturally in communicative situations. The term “learning”， however， applies to a conscious process of accumulating knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of a language. （Mathematics， for example， is learned， not acquired.） Activities associated with learning have traditionally been used in language teaching in schools， and tend， when successful， to result in knowledge about the language studied. Activities associated with acquisition are those experienced by the young child and， analogously， by those who “pick up” another language from long periods spent in social interaction （daily used of the language） in another country. Those whose second language experience is primarily a learning one tend not to develop the proficiency of those who have an acquiring experience. However， even in ideal acquisition situations， very few adults seem to reach native-like proficiency in using a second language. There are individuals who can achieve great expertise in writing， but not in speaking. One example is the author Joseph Conrad， whose novels have become classics of English literature， but whose English speech is reported to have retained features （e.g. vocabulary， grammar） of a second language are easier to acquire than others （e.g. phonology）. Although it continues to be a matter of some debate， this type of observation is sometimes taken as evidence that， after the Critical Period had passed （around puberty）， it becomes very difficult to acquire another language fully. In support of this view， the process of lateralization of the brain is cited as a crucial factor； we might think of this process in terms of the “language-faculty” being strongly taken over by the features of the first language， with a resulting loss of flexibility or openness to receive the features of another language. Against this view， it has been demonstrated that students in their early teens are quicker and more effective second language learners than， for example， seven-year-olds. It may be， of course， that the acquisition of a second language requires a combination of factors. The optimum age may be during the years from ten to sixteen when the “flexibility” of the language acquisition faculty has not been completely lost， and the maturation of cognitive skills allows a more effective “working out” of the regular features of the second language encountered. 3. The affective filter Yet even during the ‘optimum age， there may exist an acquisition barrier of quite a different sort. Teenagers are typically much more self-conscious than young children. If there is a strong element of unwillingness or embarrassment in attempting to produce the “the different” sounds of other languages， then it may override whatever physical and cognitive abilities there are. If this self-consciousness is combined with a lack of empathy with the foreign culture （e.g. no identification with its speakers or their customs）， then the subtle effects of not wanting to sound like a Russian or an American many strongly inhibit the acquisition process. This type of emotional reaction， or affect， may even be occasioned by dull textbooks， unpleasant classroom surroundings or an exhausting schedule. The term affective filter is often used to describe a kind of barrier to acquisition that results from negative feelings or experiences. Basically， if youre stressed， uncomfortable， self-conscious or unmotivated， you are unlikely to learn anything. Children seem to be less constrained by the affective filter. The literature on child second language acquisition is full of instances where such inhibitions appear to have been overcome by young children acquiring a second language. Adults can sometimes overcome their inhibitions too. In one intriguing study， a group of adult second language learners had their “self-consciousness” levels reduced by having their alcohol levels gradually increased. Up to a certain point， the pronunciation of the second language noticeable improved， but after a number of drinks， as you might expect， pronunciations deteriorated rapidly. References [1] Rod Ellis. Understanding Second Language acquisition[M]. Oxford： Oxford University Press， 1994. [2] Susan M. Gass. Input Interaction and the Second Language Learner[M]. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates， 1997. [3] Edward L. Deci. Why We Do What We Do[M]. Putnam Pub Group， 1995. |
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