Linguistics in Foreign Language Teaching: First and Second Language Acquisition
TOPIC 6: Contribution of Linguistics to Foreign Language Teaching
The Language Learning Process: Similarities and Differences When Teaching and Learning the Mother Tongue and a Foreign Language
1. Introduction
Our standing Law in Education (LOE) 2/2006, May 3rd, which has been modified by LOMLOE 3/2020, December 29th, and its curricula, enforced in both RD 157/2022, March 3rd, and Decree 61/2022, July 13th, state that “the domain of a second language has become a priority in this global world we are living in.” Therefore, following Decree 61/2022, the learning of a foreign language can only be achieved through appropriate Communicative Competence. This leads us to believe that to achieve an appropriate Communicative Approach, we first need to understand how we acquire our first language to better understand how we can develop a second language in our students.
Throughout this topic, I will discuss the contributions linguistics has made to learning both one’s mother tongue and a second language. To do so, I will first define linguistics and grammar and continue with the main theories upon which first language acquisition is based. I will later explain the theories behind second language acquisition. To finish, I will provide the differences and similarities between them.
2. Linguistics and Language Learning
Linguistics is the study of language as human communication. It is, therefore, the science that studies how language works; it studies grammar.
2a) Grammar and Language
Grammar, on the other hand, can be defined as the system of signs shared by participants when communicating. It needs to be observationally adequate and differentiate between what is and is not possible in the language. On the other hand, it must be descriptively adequate and describe how sentences combine and build relationships.
Naturally, grammar must fulfill the following criteria: first, the phonological components indicate which sounds are possible in the language. It also points out the sounds we can find in words. Second, the semantic component relates to the meaning of utterances. And thirdly, the syntactic component establishes how sentences connect to other sentences coherently.
Having defined linguistics and grammar, let us see some contributions made to linguistics.
2b) Contributions of Linguistics to Foreign Language Learning
In the 20th century, we must mention Ferdinand de Saussure and Chomsky.
Concerning Saussure, he defined language and distinguished between speech, language, and speaking on language, langue and parole. He stated that we cannot start speaking if there is no already established foundation of language as a code. Therefore, language precedes speaking.
Regarding Chomsky (1957), he proposed the existence of an innate organ that everyone has that allows us to understand and produce language instinctively. This was the Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Following Chomsky, grammar has a combinatory system of language signs with a finite number of elements. I will now move on to analyze the first language acquisition theories.
3. First Language Acquisition Theories
Let’s begin by mentioning and explaining imitation. Imitation consists of reinforced correct utterances and correcting wrong ones. This theory led to some criticism since students do not instinctively repeat grammar structures and tend to regularize irregular forms. Linguistics finally considered that language learning could be more a matter of maturation.
Regarding Innateness, McNeill or Brown took Chomsky’s LAD theory and added that this organ allows us to distinguish what is or is not possible in the language, and it helps us organize language.
Concerning Cognition, it states that language learning is only settled on an already established language foundation.
When it comes to input, and according to Skinner, “motherese” is the language parents use to talk to their children to ease their comprehension. It is easy to learn, simple, clear, and establishes the base for more complex language learning.
Now that I have analyzed the main theories characterizing first language acquisition, I will turn to discuss the most relevant theories of second language learning.
4. Second Language Acquisition Theories
Let me begin by introducing Behaviorism.
Behaviorism is based on stimulus-response psychology, which claims that any behavior is a reaction to stimuli. It is entirely opposite to the innateness theory since this theory requires the outside world to develop language learning.
Another important theory to mention is the language acquisition theory that served as the foundation for foreign language teachers for designing the Audio-lingual method in the 1950s and 1960s. This particular theory holds that language learning is acquired through positive and negative reinforcement. That is, mistakes were severely criticized, and errors were not part of the language learning process.
To continue, I will now analyze the Cognitivist theory.
This theory is linked to the innateness theory and is the opposite of Behaviorism. According to Piaget, language is established depending on the child’s maturity level. Therefore, a child cannot learn new content if the previous proper knowledge has not yet been assimilated.
On top of that, the Constructivist theory stands for teaching the foreign language.
In such a way, the new content is settled over already established previous knowledge. Therefore, students will safely learn grammar and vocabulary without missing information. This theory is the basis of our current curriculum.
Nevertheless, we cannot forget to mention Communicative Competence, as it is the ultimate aim of foreign language teachers to fulfill by the end of the Primary Education stage in our students.
Chomsky (1957) defined language as a set of sentences, each finite in length and structure, out of a finite set of elements. He added that a native speaker knows how to use grammar to produce sentences in their language. Nevertheless, Hymes argued that Chomsky had missed out on the rules of use and defined Communicative Competence as an intuitive mastery of the grammar rules that enable speakers to understand and produce appropriate language. He also distinguished four aspects:
On the one hand, the systematic potential is the potential speakers have to create language. While on the other hand, appropriacy indicates what is and is not appropriate in language, given the circumstances. Besides that, occurrence helps us know how often something is possible in a language. Finally, feasibility allows us to know if something is possible in a language.
Within this theory, we cannot forget to underline Canale and Swain (1980), who also defined Communicative Competence and developed four sub-competences:
- Grammar competence: the mastery of the language code.
- Discourse competence: the ability to use both oral and written communication.
- Rhetorical competence: the ability to create texts cohesively and coherently.
- Organizational competence: the ability to organize paragraphs, link sentences, use appropriate connectors, and summarize irrelevant content.
- Strategic competence: the ability to develop verbal and non-verbal communication.
Having developed the most important second language theories, I will now deal with the last part of the topic, which consists of the differences and similarities between one’s mother tongue and a second language.
5. Differences and Similarities Between First and Foreign Language Acquisition
Among the differences, we can highlight the age factor, as the older the children are, the harder it will be for them to learn and acquire a new language.
According to negative transference, children can transfer the already known knowledge from their mother tongue into the target language and make mistakes, such as false friends in English.
Regarding similarities, I need to underline interlingua transference. Naturally, what is learned in the mother tongue, no matter the language, will impact the target language.
Another similarity that needs to be mentioned is the affective effect the background and cultural context have on language learning, being a positive environment as healthy and comfortable for the child to learn.
I am reaching the end of the topic, so it is time for the conclusion.
6. Conclusion
As our standing Law on Education is based on a Communicative Approach, developing and fostering Communicative Competence in our students is essential, as established in objective “F” in the law LOMLOE 3/2020, December 29th, “to acquire in at least one foreign language the basic Communicative Approach.”
To do so, I will bring the development of the Communicative Approach through the improvement of the Key Competences. Thus, we can role-play in the classroom in which students must plan a trip to outer space to discover if there is life on another planet.
As students speak English, they will develop linguistic and multilingual competence. Moreover, they will have to make decisions and solve problems during the mission, so they will develop their citizenship competence and social and learning-to-learn competence.
And why not? If I carry out a Breakout where they must solve different tests to get a number code and go inside a spaceship, they will also be working on their mathematical competence.
Older students can also create an online newspaper using the free online application “Flipsnack.” They will hence develop their digital and entrepreneurship competence.
All these learning situations can be carried out following the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by offering multiple ways of expressing themselves or representing information, as well as adapted and individualized tasks for each student, from Low Order Thinking Skills (understanding, remembering, and applying) to Higher-Order Thinking Skills (analyzing, evaluating, and creating).
In my view, education cannot occur if the following aspects are not considered: content and activities must be meaningful for students, errors must be part of the learning process, oral skills must be developed before written skills, content must be prioritized over accuracy, and learners must take an active role in the learning process. Furthermore, as Alfred Mercier said:
“Education through pleasure leads to students who never forget.”
7. Bibliography
The main bibliography used for developing this topic is:
- Crystal, O. L. D. (2018). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (3rd Revised ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Hymes, D. (1972). On Communicative Competence (in Sociolinguistics). Penguin.
- Jakobson, R., & Halle, M. (2017). Fundamentals of Language. Andesite Press.