SLA.pdf

Second Language Acquisition

and the Critical Period

Grant Goodall

Dept. of Linguistics

What we will do today

• Introduction to second language

acquisition

• How age affects second language

acquisition

Second language acquisition:

a first look

• Classroom learning not the best example

of L2 acquisition

• L2 acquisition is much like L1 acquisition

• Child L2 acquisition is especially like L1

acquisition

• Adult L2 acquisition diverges in certain

ways from L1 acquisition

Classroom learning not the best

example of L2 acquisition

• Majority of humans speak an L2; few of

them learned it in classroom setting.

• Classroom language instruction is a

relatively recent phenomenon.

• It usually involves just the beginning

stages of acquisition.

A typical language class

3 hours per week

30 weeks per year

2 years of study

180 total hours of exposure