1. The Psychology of Second Language Acquisition
Kensey Crump, Cindy Cervantes, Cindy Cruz, and Katia del Valle

2. Do you think that people has a natural ability to learn a language within their brain or do you think that all learning is base on the same principles or mechanisms?
Find your match…
Share your Ideas…
Tell the class…
As we have seen in the last chapters there are many different theories about language acquisition and how people learns.
In this presentation we will study more about the brain and its functions when it comes to learning and acquiring a new language, and how it affects each individuals learning.

3. Today you will learn about…
Language and the brain
Critical period Hypothesis
The framework most associated in SLA learning.
The different types of learning in the framework.
Associated assumptions
Fossilization
Three IP stages
Theories regarding order of acquisition
Competition model
Connectionist approaches

4. Languages and the Brain
Paul Pierre Broca found out that the left frontal lobe of the brain is what allow us to speak.
Carl Wernicke discover that an area close by the Broca’s area was responsible for our hearing.
Since the 19th century, there have been speculations about what parts of the brain are use for language.
In the 1860’s Paul pierre Broca discovered that the left frontal part of the brain is what allow us to speak, and that an injury to that side in of the brain can make us lose our ability to speak. This area of our brain is known as the broca’s area and it is located in this area. Another important part of our brain that contributes to language is known as Wernicke’s area which is responsible for our hearing it is also located on the left side of the brain.
On this website that I found I was able to learn how learning a new language affects our brain for better, in this research it was found that indeed that a student who is learning a L2 seems to have more activity in their left side of the brain when thinking and translating from their L1 to their L2 and the area that is most active is the Broca’s area. Another important thing that I found in this journal is that when it comes to bilingual children that suffer a brain injury to that specific area of the brain, in rare cases they will only lose their second language.
I recommend to read this journal because it has very interesting information about the brain and language, I think It will help you to understand more about patterns found in language and how they are translated to an L2.

5. Critical Period Hypothesis
Lateralization is found in both sides of the brain and it tells us how each side is dedicated to certain functions, as I said before the left side is what allows us to speak and hear and is here where activity is presented the most when learning a new language.
As grow up our brain has less plasticity, this means that we lose the ability to learn some things our we cannot perform certain functions using the oposite side of the brain. Here is where the Critical Period Hypothesis takes place according to Lennerberg young children who may suffer of brain demage in the left side of the brain, have more chances to keep their adquiere language because other parts of their brain can be use for this specific activity. The theory also saids that when a child is past the certain age ( I look for an specific age, but the only number I found was 12 years old and this was just because when they found genie, she was thirteen and she never recover in full) their brain will not be able to adapt to language therefore they will never be normal.
In this video you will see and example that will better explain the critical theory hypothesis and how it affects the acquisition of language.

6. Principal hemispheric specializations
Left Hemisphere
Right Hemisphere
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Function Words and Inflections
Tone Systems
Much Lexical Knowledge
Nonverbal (as Babies’ Cries)
Visuospatial Information
Intonation
Nonliteral Meaning and Ambiguity
Many Pragmatic Abilities
Some Lexical Knowledge
as I said before Lateralization is when one side of the brain focuses in master specific activities.
I have give you a list with different functions of the brain and I want you and your partner to find out to which side each function belongs .and paste the words to the right or left side of the brain.
Check your answers.
The text tells us that it does not matter what type of language is being taught, the left hemisphere is specialize in language and that the acquisition of a new language is done trough the left side of our brain.

7. Think and Share
How independent are the languages of multilingual speakers?
How are multiple language structures organized in relation to one another in the brain? Are both languages stored in the same area?
Does the organization of the brain for L2 in relation to L1 differ with age of acquisition, how it is learned, or level of proficiency?
Do two or more languages show the same sort of loss or disruption after brain damage? When there is differential impairment or recovery, which language recovers first?
Allow students to think on their question, then ask them to share their thoughts.

8. How independent are the languages of multilingual speakers?
According to the text they are not, totally independent, but they are not totally dependent either.
Look at coordinated, compound, and subordinated bilingualism.

9. How are multiple languages structures organized in relation to one another in the brain? Are both languages stored in the same areas?
we can see that both languages are storage in majority on our left hemisphere. They overlap in some areas and in others they are storage in different parts. the Sylvian fissure in the left hemisphere is a common are of storage for both languages.
Look at the study of 1992 and provided the example

10. Does the organization of the brain for L2 in relation to L1 differ with age of acquisition, how it is learned, or level of proficiency?
The answer to this questions is yes.
According to a test realize by Wuillemin and Richards, people how learn a language after the age of 12, tend to use more their right side of their brain, and this also tells us that younger children don’t have the need to use the right side.
On this note I have to said that as we learn before young children brains have more plasticity and therefore they don’t have the need to use the other side. The reason is that plasticity allows the brain to mold to the needs of the children. Specially when it comes to learning a new language.

11. Do two or more languages show the same sort of loss or disruption after brain damage? When there is differential impairment or recovery, which language recovers first?
On believe was that the last language learn was the first one to go, and if a person knew more than two languages, they would loose in the order their learn those languages, leaving the first one at last.
Another hypothesis said that the language use the most before the damage is the language that can be recover.
Some languages abilities may also be lost and this can be vocabulary, comprehension etc. look at your personal notes and examples.

12. Information Processing (IP)
Frameworks
Information Processing (IP)
Connectionism

13. Information Processing (IP)
More influence on SLA
Essentially like learning any other domain of knowledge
3 models to (IP)
Multidimensional Model
Process ability
Competition Model

14. IP Assumptions
Language learning is just like the acquisition of learning another skill
Complex skills can be reduced to a set of simpler skills and then scaffolded
Learning demands learners attention and involves controlled processing, which is limited in capacity.
With practice learners will move from controlled processing to automatic processing, causing a need for restructuring
In SLA restructuring of internal representations accounts for increasing levels of L2 proficiency.

15. Controlled Processing
Cognitive
Commands learners attention
Usually new learners

16. Controlled
You have a 3 gallon jug and a 5 gallon jug. You need to measure out exactly 7 gallons of water. How do you do it?
Fill the 5 gallon jug with water, pour it into the 3 gallon jug until the 3 gallon is full, leaving 2 gallons in the 5 gallon jug. Now pour out the water in the 3 gallon jug. Pour the 2 gallons of water (in the 5 gallon jug) into the empty 3 gallon jug. Fill the 5 gallon jug. You now have exactly 7 gallons

17. Automatic Processing After initial stage of controlled processing
Requires less mental space
Requires less focal attention
More passive

18. Automatic
2+2=
Who is the president?
What is the speed limit?

19. Fossilization Cessation of learning
Aspects of L2 may become automatized before reaching target levels which causes learning to stop

20. IP Stages Input Central Processing Output Perception
Controlled-Automatic processing
Production
Declarative-Procedural knowledge
Restructuring

21. Find the Fib! Get into groups of 3 or 4 with one sheet of paper.
Write down two facts and one fib.
When we say “Go” switch with a neighboring group and work together to find their fib!

22. Quick Review

23. SLA is… Learning a second language after a first has been established.
Example:
Child who speaks a language other than English at home goes to school for the first time.

24. Stages of Information Processing
Input
Central Processing
Output

25. Input
Perception:
the sample of L2 that learners are exposed to, but not available for processing unless learners actually notice it or pay attention to it.

26. Likely contributors to the degree of noticing or awareness are:
Frequently of encounter with items
Individual’s processing ability
Readiness to notice particular items (related to hierarchies of complexity)

27. Central Processing Fluency is achieved, learning occurs
Learners go from controlled to automatic processing
Restructuring of knowledge takes place
Controlled-automatic processing
Declarative-procedural knowledge
Restructuring

28. Is the language that learners produce in speech, sign or writing.
Output
Is the language that learners produce in speech, sign or writing.

29. Meaningful production practice helps learners by :
Enhancing fluency by furthering development of automaticity through practice
Noticing gaps in their own knowledge as they are forced to move from semantic to syntactic processing, which may lead learners to give more attention to relevant information
Testing hypotheses based on developing interlanguage, allowing for monitoring and revision

30. Theories regarding order of acquisition

31. Multidimensional Model:
An approach to SLA which claims that learners acquire certain grammatical structures in developmental sequences, and that those sequences reflect how learners overcome processing limitations.
Claims that language instruction which targets developmental features will be successful only if learners have already mastered the processing operations which are associated with the previous stages of acquisition

32. Multidimentional Model Strategies
Canonical Order Strategy
Initialization/finalization strategy
Subordinate clause strategy

33. Processability Theory
A reorientation of the Multidimensional Model that extends its concepts of learning & applies them to teaching second languages with the goal of determining and explaining the sequences in which processing skills develop in relation to language learning

34. Acquisition hierarchy of processing skills
Lemma/word access
Category procedure
Phrasal procedure
S-procedure
Clause boundary

35. Competition Model
A functional approach to SLA which assumes that all linguistic performance involves “mapping” between external form and internal function.

36. Competition Model
A psychological approach of how languages are learned by Brian MacWhinney and Elizabeth Bates.
It was created to have a better understanding of how adults and L1 child speakers processed sentences.
However, the model has been extended and its main focus is in second language performance/sentence processing.

37. The Competition Model
The Competition Model was developed to account for sentence processing as well as language acquisition (MacWhinney & Bates, 1989).
The study of sentence processing seeks to understand how people rapidly analyze the structure of sentences and gain access to their meaning as a whole (Wingfield & Titone, 1998).

38. THE Competition Theory
In this theory, its is stated that the way in which people interpret the meaning of a sentence is by taking in account various linguistics cues contained in the sentence. Such as….
Word order /Syntax
Morphology
Semantic

39. Different languages assign different weights to syntactic and semantic cues.
Learners of a second language tend to transfer the weights associated with the cues in their first language"
Second language learners transfer their L1 sentence processing to sentence processing in the second language.

40. Cue weights will differ between languages.
People will use the cue weights associated with that language to guide their interpretation of the sentence.
Why They named it the Competition Model?
Several cues are presented all simultaneously and it involves “competition” among various cues!

41. The problem among bilinguals is that not all cues are the same among languages!
For Example….
Word order: Subject/verb/object
English
Morphology: Subject/verb/agreement
Spanish, Italian, German,
Semantic: Animacy
Chinese and Japanese

42. “gato negro” in Spanish adjectives come before noun.
Ex….
A child that is making the transition from Spanish to English will use his background knowledge and the cues that he was taught in Spanish while processing a sentence.
“gato negro” in Spanish adjectives come before noun.
“cat black” this is how it would translate because the child is applying the Spanish cue.
Another example ,
English speaker translating to Spanish
He will say “bonita muchacha” because he is basing it on his L1 cues trying to say “pretty girl”.

43. The Importance of knowing this Model!
We need to know how the linguistic input can be structured to maximize
effective learning. What aspects of the phonology, syntax, semantics, and morphology of the input does the learner use to “crack the code” of the new language?
We need to understand exactly how the cognitive abilities of the learner shape the process and outcome of second language instruction. (MacWhinney, 1987; MacWhinney & Bates, 1989).

44. What you learn today

45. Brain Quiz
Lets review

46. According to the text, the lateralization of the right side of our brain is responsible for most of our language activity
A) True B) False

47. Correct
Here we will explain the correct answer, to each question.