Hi Everyone!
Welcome to my
second blog post.
I was able to
interview an acquaintance from back home via Skype to find out a little more
detail pertaining to English as a second language. Tami and her family moved to
Indiana when she was 3 years old from France with little recollection of life
before America. As I began to ask her questions as to why she only speaks
English now, it became obvious it was by nature and her socialization growing
up that she was greatly influenced to mainly speak English. Throughout this
interview Tami explained that the environment she was placed in didn’t allow
for her to be able to utilize her language, leaving her to only use English. Ortega
(2013) says “Interlingual identifications, however, do not always involve
a conscious judgment, as transfer will often occur at the subconscious level as
well” (p.33). Which she alludes to when speaking about how with age and
adaptation English subconsciously took over.
During
our conversation I found the question “what similarities and differences do you
notice between your first and second language?” to be a possible cause of her
conversion to English. Ortega (2013) discusses “By definition L2
acquisition takes place in humans who already possess one or more languages.
This being so, the mother tongue (and any other known 52 Summary 53 languages)
universally influences the processes and outcomes of L2 learning” (pg. 52). Tami had said how the French and English languages
have many common words so much that English almost felt natural and may have
played a large role in English as her dominant language because L2 takes place
with those who posses at least one language.
Ortega, L (2013).
Understanding second language
acquisition. London: Rutledge.
ENJOY MY VIDEO HERE
Hey Rachel! I loved watching your video and your interviewee, Tami, brought up some good points regarding her experience of learning English, while being fluent in French. When you mentioned that L2 is influenced by L1, it reminded me of when Ortega explained how L1 has influences on L2 learning rate and we were shown the idea that "relevant knowledge in the L1 can accelerate the rate of L2 learning" (2013, p. 42). Tami also discussed that L2 played a huge role in learning L1 because she was able to use the common words between the two languages to help her master English.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, L (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London: Rutledge.
Hi Kanwai,
DeleteThank you for your response, you really helped clarify some of the things Tami was speaking about. It reminded me of Oretga’s idea “L1 transfer cannot radically alter the route of L2 acquisition but it can impact the rate of learners’ progress along their natural developmental path.” since Tami also mentions it was more of a natural growth to learn English rather then purposely trying to (Oretga, 2013, p. 35).
Ortega, L (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London: Rutledge.
Hi Rachel, thanks for sharing your video. I also have a friend who was born in France and whose native language was French before moving to America at a young age. She was also immersed in a mainstream English classroom and learned English fairly quickly. The common words that Tami mentioned in your interview are known as cognates; “words that have a common origin and therefore have similar form and meaning in the two related languages” (Ortega, 2013, p.48). Using cognates with ELL students helps them better understand the content in the classroom and anchor their learning of the new language. They create connections between the two languages and give students more confidence with the new language in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteOrtega, Lourdes. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. London: Routledge