Second Language Acquisition and Learning - Research Paper Example

Second Language Acquisition and Learning By + Introduction The rate of learning and acquiring a second language varies with an individual’s aptitude and other factors such as teacher or learner feedback, political and cultural openness and personality traits. Some second language learners are successful due to their hard work, determination, and persistence. Linguistic scholars have been researching on the factors that can facilitate the rate of second language acquisition and learning with respect to the formal and informal set up. Aptitude is one of the major factors that affect the rate of second language acquisition among learners. However, research shows other factors are useful in facilitating second language acquisition and learning. The rate, speed and level of acquiring a second language vary with individuals’ abilities and location. In addition, the ultimate level of acquiring a second language depends on the context of learning the language. Formal second language acquisition is the most effective method of language acquisition since the learner acquires in-depth clarification of the language. For example, the learner accrues the appropriate guidance regarding grammar and the pronunciation of the language. On the other hard, learners encounter difficulties acquiring a second language in an informal setup due to various reasons such as lack of exposure to the language, low-self esteem and cultural differences. Learning a second language both in a formal or informal context is facilitated by various factors such as Cultural and political openness, teacher feedback, personality traits, age, motivation and attitude. This paper reviews various factors that facilitate acquisition and learning of a second language in either formal or informal context. Moreover, the paper establishes the factors that have a long-term impact on learning a second language (Yoshitomi, Umino and Negishi, 2006). Learning a second language requires an individual to interact meaningfully and communicate authentically with the natives or experts in the language of preference. The learner is required to understand and convey the appropriate message rather than deliver utterances that are similar to that of the natives. In addition, teaching a second language functions to enhance the learner’s self-confidence in speaking the language. This enables them to identify their mistakes and correct these mistakes appropriately. Formal learning of a second language is characterised by the existence of grammatical rules and error correction. Error correction hinders effective second language learning owing to the development of developing phobia among learners. On the other hand, grammatical rules enable the learners to identify their weaknesses in the second language, which helps them to acquire an in-depth understanding of the language. Cross-cultural effects can also limit the speed and rate of learning a second language. It is human nature to observe the negativity of a given culture when they compare with their cultural background. This creates difficulties for individuals with different cultural differences to acquire a second language. The authorities and systems ascribed to a given country can also limit or facilitate second language acquisition and learning by promoting interaction of its citizens with foreigners. An appropriate education system is also another facilitator of second language learning. Students seeking further education in foreign countries tend to learn the new language to facilitate effective communication with the natives (Yoshitomi, Umino and Negishi, 2006). Factors Facilitating Second Language Learning The process of learning a second language is critical for both the learner and the tutor. Various factors influence the rate and level of acquiring a second language. They include aptitude, teacher’s feedback, political and cultural openness, personality traits, attitude and motivation. Aptitude is the main factor that influences second language acquisition among learners. However, research shows that factors such as political and cultural openness, personality traits, age, motivation and teacher feed back can facilitate the process of learning a second language effectively. Political and Cultural Openness Culture is the membership in a given community that has a common history and social space. Members of a particular culture share various social aspects such as behaviour, language, race and ethnical background. Language is the main characteristic of individuals from a particular culture, however, in some cases; minor differences emerge in the language structure of such individuals. The influence of an individual’s cultural difference in their acquisition of the second language emerges in many ways such as sentence construction, pronunciation and grammatical errors. Second language learners encounter cultural barriers in acquiring the second language in cases where the language tends to differ with their cultural practices. For example, individuals from certain cultural background have trouble in utilising gender-sensitive terms in the second language (Gass and Mackey, 2012). Cultural openness is, however, one of the main facilitators of learning a second language. Cultural openness enables the learner to interact with natives of the second language effectively by eliminating the cultural barriers in their language. In addition, the second language learner encounters new opportunities such as communicating to other members of their culture in the new language. Culture openness also ensures that more individuals from a particular cultural background learn the second language. This implies that members of a particular culture are able to communicate in the newly acquired language; hence, learners are able to correct each other in case they make pronunciation mistakes (González, 2004). Political openness entails the ability of a country to trade and interact effectively with other countries across the globe. It also entails freedom of movement from other parts of world to a certain country. A country that practices political openness relates well with other nations and its citizens are able to interact effectively with individuals from other parts of the world. Moreover, political openness translates to effective and balanced trade between countries, which enhances communication, and the interaction of citizens of the given nations. Political openness promotes the acquisition and learning of a second language in various ways such as trade, education, tourism and bilateral agreement (Gass and Mackey, 2012). A politically open country promotes trade among its citizens, a fact that facilitates second language learning. Second language learners interact effectively with traders from other countries, which enhances their pronunciation and grammar. In addition, second language learners gain confidence when communicating with natives since they command a lot respect in the society because of their ability to communicate in foreign languages. Education is one of the main characteristics of inter-country agreements. By furthering their education in the second language native countries, learners are able to interact and communicate with the natives (González, 2004). They are, therefore, able to correct mistakes in their newly learnt language as well as build confidence, which is essential when communicating with the natives. Education also enables an individual to acquire advanced knowledge regarding the second language. Research shows that second language learners who reside and interact with the natives tend to acquire advanced knowledge of the language when compared to those who learn it through tutors. The Political structure and cultural openness of a populace promotes interaction and communication among individuals of different cultural orientation, hence facilitating second language acquisition. It also promotes education among citizens of different countries, which enhances eloquence and proficiency in the second language. Cultural openness ensures that individuals of a given culture accept other cultures and have the capacity to interact with and learn the new language effectively. Learner Personality Researchers like Lambert and Gardener (1972) focus on the influences of learners’ personality on acquisition of second language. According to Lambert and Gardener (1972), various personality traits among second language learners vary with respect to individuals. The learner’s personality traits that facilitate second language acquisition and learning include Self-esteem, inhibition, risk taking, anxiety, empathy, and extroversion. Self-esteem Self-esteem is a personality variable that researchers deem a major influencer of the success of learning a second language. Low self-esteem is a hindrance to effective second language acquisition. Learners with low self-esteem disregard themselves and hence experience difficulties speaking the second language effectively. On the contrary, high self-confidence or self-esteem facilitates the acquisition and learning of the second language. High self-esteem is not only common among adults but also children. Self-esteem is the acceptance and reflection of an individual’s interaction with others. Learners with a high self-esteem interact amiably with others, facilitating their acquisition of the second language. Individuals with high self-esteem also accept mistakes and corrections positively and this enhances their proficiency in the new language. Generally, high self-esteem among second language learners improves their proficiency in the language in terms of pronunciation and grammar. Inhibition Inhibition is a personality trait that defines an individual’s perspective of how other members of the society judge them. A negative inhibition among second language learners can hinder its acquisition in great way. However, when learners to get rid of the self-defence aspect in their personality, they tend to inhibit a positive perspective of their second language learning process. Learners with positive inhibition value judgments highly and believe that mistakes are part of learning. This perspective enhances second language acquisition since the learner appreciates mistakes and works towards correcting them. It is therefore crucial to encourage learners to inhibit a positive perspective regarding mistakes and corrections to facilitate effective acquisition of second language. Risk taking Risk taking entails an individual’s courage to take up a particular endeavour regardless of the consequences. Risk takers are the most successful individuals in the world because of their ability to implement ideas by disregarding the consequences. In the same way, risk taking in second language acquisition is a major step by students to achieve success in acquiring the language effectively. Fear of making mistakes could prevent one from taking risks with a second language. Learners with high self-esteem take more risks than learners with low self-esteem. Perfection in learning a second language is achievable through taking the risks of enduring humiliation and correction. According to Ely (1986), best second language learners are highest risk takers (Cassady, 2010). Anxiety, Empathy and Extroversion Anxiety is a personality trait or the state of an individual resulting from a prevailing event. Anxiety resulting from competitive environment can facilitate success in second language acquisition. Once a colleague challenges a learner regarding a second language, they yearn to learn more of the language. Moreover, anxiety resulting from anticipation of the context of the new language encourages the learner to do more research regarding the language (Cassady, 2010). Extroversion is a personality trait in individuals who communicate openly without shying off. Extroversion facilitates second language learning in various ways such as communication, interaction and expression. When learners express themselves freely, their colleagues correct them hence; they are able to make the necessary adjustments to their mistakes. Moreover, learners who interact with natives and experts in the given language acquire more information with respect to the language as than those who keep their ideas to themselves. Extroversion is a sign of confidence among learners hence a facilitator of second language learning (Saville-Troike, 2012). Empathy facilitates communication among different cultures by enabling one to assume accurately about their audience. It enables the learner to understand and interpret the non-Para-linguistic and Para-linguistic cues of the target language. Quality of teacher feedback The ability of the teacher to convey appropriate information regarding the target second language varies with the training and culture of the teacher. A second language teacher can be a native speaker or a second language expert. The qualification of the teacher with respect to the target language affects the ultimate level of the learner’s acquisition of the language. A fluent second language teacher enables the learners to be fluent in the second language since most of the student tends to imitate their teachers. On the other hand, a qualified non-native teacher ensures that the learners acquire the appropriate information regarding the target language (August and Shanahan, 2008). Non-native teachers are, however, limited when it comes to providing all the relevant information since most of them are trained on the subject will limit their tutoring to the level of training. Teacher feedback facilitates second language learning and acquisition in many ways. For example, under trained teachers provide learners with minimal information as compared to highly trained teachers (August and Shanahan, 2008). This implies that, undertrained teachers tend to receive low quality teacher feedback, which hinders acquisition of the target language. Contrary, highly trained teachers receive quality feedback that facilitates second language learning (Saville-Troike, 2012). Second language learning is a process that requires the services of the best teachers since it gives learners confidence when interacting with others in the society. Teacher feedback is applicable in the formal context of acquiring second language, which is very critical in the learning process. Formal learning of second language entails acquisition of knowledge regarding sentence construction, grammar, tenses and creative writing, which is essential for class and office work. Quality teacher feedback facilitates second language learning by ensuring that learners access unlimited information regarding the target language. A teacher with high quality feedback can handle all questions from the learner on the target language (August and Shanahan, 2008). Other factors that facilitate second language acquisition and learning include: motivation, age, experience, cognation, native language, access to native speakers and curriculum. Age Children with tangible literacy levels in their native language are in a good position of acquiring a second language effectively. On the other hand, children with limited literacy levels have trouble acquiring a second language. Adults with adequate motivation are successful in learning the second language but experience difficulties in achieving native speaker intonation and pronunciation. Children are eager and have confidence in expressing themselves in the new language. Some children make inquiries regarding a given mistake, making it easier and efficient to learn the second language. On the other hand, most adults are preserved to their ideas and cultural background, which hinders their ability to learn a second language. Adults who learn a second language for employment or legal purposes acquire it easily because of the motivation (Saville-Troike, 2012). Motivation Motivation contributes success in most students regardless of the subjects they are taking. Students with high levels of motivation perform better than those with lower levels of motivation. Similarly, highly motivated second language learners achieve more success than the learners with lower motivation do. Learners who enjoy second language learning and are proud of succeeding outperform those who do not enjoy learning a second language. Individuals who undertake second language learning to achieve their carrier goals perform exemplary than those who learn the language for pleasure (Nunan and Bailey, 2009). Experiences Experience facilitates second language learning in many ways. First, an individual who has interacted with several cultural finds it easier to learn the second language. Learners with general experience and knowledge regarding different languages are generally successful in learning a second language. Secondly, a student who has previously interacted with natives of the target language finds it easy to understand and learn the language. Experience enables one establish the common grammatical and structural requirements of various languages which makes it easier to understand a second language (Albert, Connor and Obler, 2002). Relation to Native Language Learning a second language that relates to the native language is easier than learning a completely new language. Students studying a second language within the same language family of their native language have great chances of succeeding. For example, a Dutch has higher chances of succeeding in learning English than Japanese (Albert, Connor and Obler, 2002). Curriculum The education system affects the student’s ability to learn a second language. Some systems prevent the student from joining the mainstream until they achieve a given level of proficiency. Second language learners who are exposed to the mainstream during in their early days find it easier to learn a second language than others do. Generally, a curriculum that allows students to join the mainstream earlier facilitates second language acquisition and learning (Nunan and Bailey, 2009). Interaction with Native Speakers The opportunity for second language learners to communicate with native speakers is a great facilitator of second language acquisition. Interacting with native speakers enables the learners to identify pronunciation and sentence construction mistakes in their second language. In addition, the learner is able to name various objects in the environment in the second language in addition to speaking like the natives (Albert, Connor and Obler, 2002). Technology Advancements in technology enhance communication and movement of people from one place to another. Development of social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatapp and others promotes cross-cultural interactions. A second language learner is able to interact with the natives of the target language on the social network platforms. An individual can easily learn the basic regarding a second language through interacting with the natives. In addition, the internet facilitates second language acquisition and learning by providing the learners with adequate resources for reference (Zhao, 2005). Conclusion Second language acquisition and learning is a tiresome yet a critical part of an individual. The process of learning a second language involves having an in-depth knowledge of the language’s grammar and pronunciation. In some cases, one is expected to speak in a similar way as the natives of the target language. Aptitude can limit or facilitate second language learning in an individual. It entails the individual’s ability to understand and utilise the second language effectively without difficulties. Excellent aptitude qualities enable one to learn the second language easily while poor aptitude traits limit the process of learning a second language. Other factors can easily be controlled by the individuals to facilitate second language acquisition such as political and cultural openness, quality teacher feedback, age, and motivation, interaction with the native speakers, personality traits and closeness of the second language to the native language. Political and cultural openness enables the learner to interact with individuals from other cultural background hence facilitating second language learning. It also promotes cross-country trade and education which enables second language learners to interact effectively with the target language natives. The level of delivering information differs among teachers implying that, a teacher with quality feedback with respect to the target language facilitates its acquisition and learning. Personality traits are also facilitators of second language learning. Individuals with high self-esteem are more successful in acquiring a second language than those with low self-esteem. Moreover, extroverts express themselves easily in the second language implying that they can easily identify errors in their sentences as well as pronunciation. Other factors that facilitate second language acquisition and learning are motivation, age and interaction with the natives of the target language. Advancements in technology facilitate second language learning through the development of social networks that enable cross-cultural interactions. References Albert, M., Connor, L. and Obler, L. (2002). Neurobehavior of language and cognition. 1st ed. New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers. August, D. and Shanahan, T. 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