L2 Language Adquisition

1. Language acquisition
When you still a very young child, you began acquiring at least one language-what linguists call your L1-probably without thinking much about it, and with very little conscious effort or awareness. Since that time, you made have acquired an additional language-your L2-probably also in the natural course of having the language used around you but more likely with the sameconscious effort needed to acquire other domains of knowledge in the process of becoming an “educated” individual.
What is SLA (Second Language Acquisition)? It is the study of individuals and groups who are learning a language subsequent to learning their first one as young children, and to the process of learning that language. The additional language is called a second language (L2). It isalso commonly called a target language (TL), which refers to any language that is the aim or goal of learning. The scope of SLA includes informal L2 learning that takes place in naturalistic contexts, formal L2 learning that takes place in classrooms and L2 learning that involves a mixture of these settings and circumstances; for example, it takes place when a student form the USA takes Chineselanguage classes in Taipei or Beijing while also using Chinese outside of class for social interaction and daily living experiences.
What exactly does the L2 leaner come to know?
How does the learner acquire this knowledge?
Why are some leaners more successful than others?
There are corresponding differences in what is emphasized by researchers who come from each of these fields;Linguists emphasize the characteristics of the differences and similarities in the language that are being learned, and the linguistic competence (underlying Knowledge) and linguistic performance (actual production) of learners at various stages of acquisition.
Psychologists and psycholinguists emphasize the mental or cognitive processes involved in acquisition, and the representation of language(s) in the brain.
Sociolinguists emphasize variability in learner linguistic performance, and extend the scope of study to communicative competence (underlying knowledge that additionally accounts for language use or pragmatic competence).
Social psychologists emphasize group-related phenomena, such as identity and social motivation, and the interactional and larger social contexts oflearning.
Key Terms:
A second language is typically an official and societally dominant language needed for education, employment, and other basic purposes. It is often acquired by minority group members or immigrants who speak another language nativity.
A foreign language is one not widely used in the learners’ immediate social context which might be used for future travel or other cross-culturalcommunication situation, or studied as a curricular requirement or elective in school, but with no immediate or necessary practical application.
A library language is a tool for further learning through reading, especially when books or journals in a desired field of study are not commonly published in the learners’ native tongue.
An auxiliary language is one which learners need to know for someofficial functions in their immediate political setting, or will need for purposes of wider communication, although their first language serves most other needs in their lives.
Language for specific purposes restricted or highly specialized second languages, such as French for Hotel Management or English for Academic Purposes (EAP).

What is a fist language (native language, primary language,and mother tongue)? It is acquired during early childhood-normally beginning before the age of about three years-and that they are learned as part of growing up among people who speak them. Acquisition of more than one language during early childhood is called simultaneous multilingualism, to be distinguished from sequential multilingualism, or learning additional languages after L1 is the...