SLA concepts & theories + Individual differences (IDs) in SLA

 

SLA CONCEPTS & THEORIES

Interlanguage is the own version that a learner has of the second or foreign language they are acquiring. However, this is not static, it is dynamic and it presents changes all the time. In addition, interlanguage is halfway between the first language (L1) and the target language (TL). Therefore, it is influenced by the learner’s L1 knowledge, since they use it to understand the TL rules and, in that way, they counteract the competency gaps they may find in the TL. This is why it could be said that interlanguage acts as a bridge for the learner (Rangelova, 2018).

Here we have the example of a native speaker whose L1 is Russian. He is trying to learn English and, on his way, he develops his own interlanguage in order to cope with the new linguistic challenge and make some progress.



Image retrieved from: https://study.com/academy/lesson/interlanguage-definition-formation-effects.html

To continue with SLA concepts, we will now discuss a phenomenon which is entirely related to interlanguage: fossilization. 

Fossilization is a concept borrowed from paleontology, which is used as a metaphor in SLA studies. It refers to the permanent establishment of a feature, rule or linguistic form in the interlanguage of a language learner, which is deviant from the standard rules of the TL. However, what makes it to be fossilized is that, even though the learner will be exposed to further TL input, this form will continue to appear in the learner’s performance (Shormani, 2013).



Image retrieved from: https://www.capstan.be/the-origins-of-idioms-are-lost-in-the-mists-of-metaphor-and-meaning-they-are-the-fossilized-poetry-of-language/ 



INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES (IDs) IN SLA

When studying a second language, students’ personality is decisive in terms of failure and success. It is known that students can be extroverts and introverts. In addition, by simply knowing how people usually act when they are extroverts or introverts, it is crystal clear which type of personality will benefit the student when learning a second language. An extrovert person may have more facilities in order to communicate with others. This characteristic will make the student feel more comfortable when speaking a new language. For this reason, his language skills will improve faster than the ones of an introverted person, who will avoid speaking no matter what. To sum up, practice is the key aspect that will differentiate the progress of an extrovert and an introvert student in terms of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) (Zhang, 2008).


Image retrieved from: https://hypescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/introvertido-extrovertido.jpg


The anxiety produced by the acquisition of a second language consists in the feeling of fear when receiving inputs and producing outputs in that language. It is highly related to the last term that has been defined. Introverted students, who consider speaking with others a possibility to fail, may have high levels of anxiety when learning a second language. Lack of preparation in a testing situation could also be the cause of this negative response. The important aspect is that this fear, transformed into anxiety, will rise a rejection when receiving inputs of that second language. For this reason, anxiety hinders the process of acquiring a second language (Du, 2009).


Image retrieved from: https://gozen.com/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/anxietyicebergORIGINAL.jpg


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