Approaches to Second Language Acquisition

295 Pages·1994·1.36 MB·English

by  Rixhard Towell and Roger Hawkins

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Approaches to Second Language Acquisition
Richard Towell and Roger Hawkins
MULTILINGUAL MATTERS LTD
Clevedon · Philadelphia · Adelaide

title: Approaches to Second Language Acquisition
author: Towell, Richard.; Hawkins, Roger
publisher: Multilingual Matters
isbn10 | asin: 1853592358
print isbn13: 9781853592355
ebook isbn13: 9780585171531
language: English
subject Second language acquisition--Methodology.
publication date: 1994
lcc: P118.2.T68 1994eb
ddc: 418
subject: Second language acquisition--Methodology.
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acquisition
43
Summary

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Towell, Richard
Approaches to Second Language Acquisition/Richard Towell and Roger Hawkins p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Second language acquisition-Methodology.
I. Hawkins, Roger (Roger D.) II. Title
P118.2.T68 1994
418-dc20 93-50615
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 1-85359-235-8 (hbk)
ISBN 1-85359-234-X (pbk)
Multilingual Matters Ltd
UK: Frankfurt Lodge, Clevedon Hall, Victoria Road, Clevedon, Avon BS21 7SJ.
USA:1900 Frost Road, Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007, USA.
Australia:P.O. Box 6025, 83 Gilles Street, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
Copyright © 1994 Richard Towell and Roger Hawkins
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from
the publisher.
Typeset, printed and bound in Great Britain by the Longdunn Press, Bristol.

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Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 1
1. The Observable Phenomena of Second Language Acquisition 7
7
There is transfer of properties of the L1 grammar into the L2
grammar
10
There is staged development in second language acquisition
11
There is systematicity in the growth of L2 knowledge across
learners
13
There is variability in learners' intuitions about, and production of,
aspects of the L2 at certain stages of development
14
Second language learners stop short of native-like success in a
number of areas of the L2 grammar
15
Summary
2. Early Linguistic Approaches to Explaining the Observable
Phenomena of Second Language Acquisition 17
17
The Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis
18
Evaluation of the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis
23
The Natural Order Hypothesis
23
The morpheme studies
25
Krashen's five hypotheses
28
Evaluation of the Natural Order Hypothesis
31
Summary
3. Sociolinguistic Approaches to Explaining the Observable Phenomena
of Second Language Acquisition 33
34
Tarone's approach
36
Ellis's approach
37
The acculturation/pidginisation approach
39
Evaluation of sociolinguistic approaches to second language
acquisition
43
Summary

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4. Cognitive Approaches to Explaining the Observable Phenomena of
Second Language Acquisition 45
46
Pienemann's account
48
Wolfe Quintero's account
50
Evaluation of cognitive approaches to second language acquisition
54
General evaluation of the early linguistic, sociolinguistic and
cognitive approaches to explaining the observable phenomena of
second language acquisition
5. The Approach to Second Language Acquisition Based on Universal
Grammar 57
58
Goals and assumptions of work on Universal Grammar
61
Principles and parameters
61
An analogy
61
The structure of phrases
65
Phrase structure and first language acquisition
68
Phrase structure and second language acquisition
71
Summary
6. Parametric Variation and Transfer in Second Language Acquisition 74
75
The structure of clauses
79
Parametric differences between German/Dutch and English/French
84
The transfer of L1 parameter values in the second language
acquisition of word order properties in French and German
87
Transfer, parametric variation and differences between second and
first language learners
92
Two kinds of parameter and differences between second language
learners speaking different first languages.
97
Inclusive parameter values and the problem they pose for
learnability in first language acquisition
98
Markedness
101
The subset principle
103
Transfer, inclusive parameter values, and the resetting of
parameters in second language acquisition
104
Adverb placement in English and French
106
Parameter resetting versus parameter 'activation' in second language
acquisition
107
Summary

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7. Parametric Variation and Incompleteness in Second Language
Acquisition 110
114
The pro-drop parameter
120
Verb movement in French and English
127
Summary
8. Parametric Variation, Staged Development and Cross-learner
Systematicity in Second Language Acquisition 129
129
The logical and developmental problems in language acquisition
132
The logical and developmental problems in second language
acquisition
140
Summary
9. Parametric Variation, Variability and the Limits of the Explanatory
Power of Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition 142
151
Summary
10. Explanations of Variability 153
154
Variability is a pervasive phenomenon
155
Variability caused by differences in cognitive abilities and
learning environments
155
Variability caused by the demands of different tasks
157
Variability caused by variable focus of attention
158
Variability caused by the use of formulaic language
159
Variability caused by the use of strategies
159
Three explanations for variability
162
Psychological Mechanisms
162
Short-term and long-term memory, controlled and automatic
processing
165
A model of language production
171
Summary
11. Hypothesis Creation and Revision 174
177
Explicit instruction and negative feedback
183
Exposure to authentic data
185
Mental representation
192
Formulaic language seen in the light of changes in mental
representation
197
Hypothesis revision
199
Summary

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12. The Development of Language Processing 201
202
ACT*
204
A production system
205
Declarative knowledge, working memory and interpretive
procedures
209
Production memory and compilation
211
Matching, execution and application
211
Tuning: generalisation and discrimination
213
Processing different kinds of knowledge
213
Processing competence
215
Processing learned linguistic knowledge
216
Combining different kinds of knowledge in processing
217
Evaluation
218
Application
224
Summary
13. Approaches to Learner Strategies 226
229
Reduction and achievement strategies
232
The Nijmegen project
235
Analysis and control
238
Strategies based on declarative and procedural knowledge
243
Discussion
243
Summary
14. Towards a Model of Second Language Acquisition 245
246
An overall model
252