First, this was an amazing experience! Meeting with Sue and inquiring about her past helped me gain valuable insight in immigration as it relates to SLA. As mentioned, Sue came to the United States at the age of six. According to Ortega, the biological window for children to acquire their complete L1 is between the ages of four-six (Ortega, 2013, p.12). Sue's language during this time-period was Taiwanese. Therefore, her native language is Taiwanese.
However, at the age of six, Sue experienced what is referred to in the video, "Why Is Learning a New Language after Childhood Harder?" true immersion. In this video, Dr. Norman Doidge describes true immersion as "if a hand picks you up and drops you with a family that speaks another language" (Fora.tv, 2010). Although Sue left Taiwan with her family, she was still immersed into a world, which the only language she understood outside of her home was the word "goodnight." Ortega states that learners who began acquiring their L2 at such a young age tend to exhibit intuitions that are very similar to those of native speakers of that language (Ortega, 2013, p.19). By listening to Sue's morphosyntactic and phonological competence, it is evident that this holds true for her. From the age of six until adulthood, she has shared her experiences with me describing what it was like to be immersed in a language that she did not understand. Sue does not recall the rate at which she picked up on the language nor strategies which assisted her in learning the L2. Sue did state that she recalled struggling with vocabulary. However, it was clear that socialization played a vital role in her learning. Sue informed me that children are children and all they wanted to do was play. She stated that through play with her peers is where she felt most comfortable and her learning enhanced.
I found our conversation very intriguing when we discussed and compared her L1 to her L2. At this point in her life, Sue states that her L2 has become her "dominant" language. She described her struggles with communicating to her parents in Taiwanese. Although Sue's parents live here in Sugar Land, they still only speak Taiwanese. Sue stated that often when communicating in her native language, much of the English rules transfer over and she has grammatical errors. Sue has difficulty in the ordering of elements in a sentence. She often applies the grammar rules of her L2, that she was taught in school, to her native language. According to Gass, these are referred to as syntax errors (Gass, 2013, p.6-7). Sue learned to speak Taiwanese as a young child but learned to speak, read, and write in English as a young child and throughout the majority of her life. According to Rowland these grammatical errors could be connected to the amount of input she did or did not receive. Rowland states that bilingual children are affected by the amount of language that they hear. The more a child hears in a language, the more that language develops (Rowland, 2014, p. 193). With that in consideration, it helps explain Sue's descriptions of feeling more dominant in her L2, while describing the feeling of her L1 fading.
In other words, Sue's native language was her dominant language at the age of six. Most children are entering school at this time. Sue did not have an opportunity to develop the reading or writing skills in her native language. Over the years, she has experienced a gradual fading of her native language partly due to the consistent increase of exposure and input in English. It is the English language in which Sue feels she can fluently speak, write, and read.
I want to personally thank the Tong family for not only sharing their story with me, but also allowing me to share their story with others! Hearing first hand has helped me gain a better perspective outside my limited personal experience in SLA!
Rowland, C. (2014). Understanding child language acquisition. New York: Routledge.
Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.
Fora.tv. (2010, November 5). YouTube. Why is learning a new language after childhood harder? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DryHvm8-jxw
Gass, S. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course, New York, Routledge.
Hi Amanda! I think it’s so interesting that you were able to interview someone whose first language is Taiwanese. What stood out to me in your video and reflection is when you said, “…it was clear that socialization played a vital role in her learning. Sue informed me that children are children and all they wanted to do was play. She stated that through play with her peers is where she felt most comfortable and her learning enhanced.” In the text, Ortega states that, “Second language sozialization studies revealed that learning outcomes can be greatly improved when L2 learners are not construed as definitional novices and instead their invisible expertise is made visible during socializing events” (Ortega, 2013). I think it certainly sound like this was true for Sue, wouldn’t you say?
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.
Hi Amanda,
DeleteThe sentence I am referring to is on page 238 of Ortega's text. I think we can both agree that socialization plays a huge part in SLA, based off of your interview with Sue and what we have read in this course so far. I just wanted to bring up one more theory that was presented by Gass—Sociocultural Theory. One of the concepts that is directly related to Sociocultural Theory is called internalization (Gass, 2013). Gass describes this as, “This is the process that allows us to move the relationship between an individual and his or her environment to later performance. One way internalization occurs is through imitation…” (Gass, 2013). I’m sure through her interactions and socialization with her peers Sue began to imitate the way they spoke, their mannerisms, etc. Thus helping her acquire her second language.
Danielle, thank you for checking out my blog! I searched for that sentence you stated from Ortega but I could not find it. What page was that on? Regardless, yes, what Ortega stated seems to apply to my friend Sue. Piggybacking off of what you stated, Ortega also states that languages are almost always learned with and for others, and these others generate linguistic evidence, rich or poor, abundant or scarce, that surrounds learners (Ortega, 2013, p.55). Sue learned this language with her peers who accepted her and made her feel a sense of belonging. Ortega also discusses noticing and attention. The text states that in order to learn any aspect of the L2 (sounds, to words, to grammar, to pragmatics), learners need to notice the relevant material in the linguistic data afforded by the environment (Ortega, 2013, p.63). Sue was working on creating her identity in the United States and these children helped her feel accepted and the more Sue (L2 learner) noticed during her interactions with her peers, the more she learned.
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.
Great and professional interview. The background sound can be a little distracting but the quality of the questions makes it worth.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, you mentioned Foratv's definition of immersion as something completely foreign and all encompassing (2010). Would you say that this is the best, or most effective method for teaching second-languages to our students? I have seen many documentaries where other countries use this technique on their early education students in hopes that they will become comfortable with the second-language and use it more often.
ReplyDeleteIs there another method you like more than immersion? If so, how can we utilize it in our own classrooms in the future? I also have a limited number of experiences with second-language acquisition, so I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Ila, to be honest, I am not sure if true immersion, as defined in the video I referenced to, is the best and most effective method. This is all a lot of information that I am absorbing and gaining perspective in from a variety of angles. Personally, I feel there are pros and cons to true immersion and sink or swim education policies. Consequently, it is hard for me to provide you with a clear answer. I am trying to be very open-minded regarding this topic. As Ortega states, language is one of the most uniquely human capacities that we possess, and one that is involved in all others, including consciousness, sociality and culture (Ortega, 2013, p.1). I too have wondered what methods are best for my students' and how to help them in my classroom. I do not have experience in what it feels like to go through immersion, but I have asked someone who has. My friend informed me that if you are the teacher, regardless if you feel like you are not sure how to help the student, that he could always tell by the body language if a teacher truly cared. It was that feeling of nurturing and compassion that he felt was valuable. So, going in as a new teacher, I am not sure what is best. I do know that I am willing to try to put myself in their shoes and work with my students' in anyway I can and outsourcing with my peers to help my students' be successful. While me and my students' figure it out together, my heart will always be filled with love, compassion, and determination every step of the way!
DeleteOrtega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London and New York: Routledge.