Glottodidactics Lesson 2
Glottodidactics Lesson Outline What is Glottodidactics? What are the objectives of SLA? 3. Two Case studies
Glottodidactics Glottodidactics is a field of language education. It can be defined as the teaching of languages. The Italian corresponding term is “Didattica delle lingue straniere”
Glottodidactics Objectives of SLA -1 Describe: how learner language changes over time. SLA focuses on the formal characteristics of language that linguists have traditionally concentrated on. (Pronunciation of an L2, the words learners use, how learner build up their vocabulary, and grammatical structure).
Glottodidactics Objectives of SLA -2 Explain: identifying the internal and external factors that justify why learners acquire an L2 in the way they do. External factors: where learning takes place Internal factors: why learners vary in the speed they learn an L2 and how successful they ultimately are.
Glottodidactics Two case studies A case study of an adult learner Wes was a thirty-three year-old artist. He was Japanese native speaker. He only had a little knowledge in English. He went to the Hawaii and lived there for about three years. A researcher at University of Hawaii, Richard Schmidt, studied Wes` language development during those three years. Richard was interested in how Wes` knowledge of English grammar developed.
A case study of an adult learner – 2 Glottodidactics Two case studies A case study of an adult learner – 2 Wes had learned to use the grammatical features with the same level as a native English speaker. However, Richard suspected that Wes not really acquired these. For example, Wes did not have the same language of progressive –ing as a native speaker or he continued to omit –s from plural nouns.
A case study of an adult learner – 3 Glottodidactics Two case studies A case study of an adult learner – 3 In fact, Wes still became a good communicator and a skilled conversationalist in English. In addition, he was able to give talks about his painting and also highly skilled at repairing communication breakdowns.
A case study of two child learners 1 Glottodidactics Two case studies A case study of two child learners 1 J and R were beginners in English at the beginning of the study. J was a ten-year-old Portuguese boy and literate in his native language. R was an eleven-year-old boy from Pakistan speaking Punjabi as his first language. They were learning English in a language unit in London.
Two case studies The two learners had little exposure to the TL outside the classroom. The focus of this study was delivering requests. When Ellis analyzed J`s and R`s requests, their requests were verbless. They only mention the things they needed or even only pointed at them. A little later, they began to use imperative verbs like ‘give me…’
Two case studies And then they learnt to use ‘Can I have…’ In the end of the study, their ability to use requests had grown considerably but still limited in a number of respects. Their requests were very direct and simple; they only modified their requests by adding the word ‘please’.
A case study of two child learners Two case studies A case study of two child learners It was really different with English native speakers who usually perform a request with different addressees to ensure politeness.
Key words… Language learner Target language Input Language aptitude
Key words… A language learner is….. An English language learner (ELL) is a person who is learning the English language in addition to his/her native language.
Key words… A target language is a language other than one's native language that is being learned
Key words…. INPUT refers to the exposure learners have to authentic language in use. This can be from many different sources, including the teacher, other learners, and the environment around the learners. The most important and available input for learners is the teacher, who gives opportunities for learners to develop their intellectual capacity.
Key words…. Language aptitude refers to the potential that a person has for learning languages.