Second Language Acquisition/Learning.

 Second Language Acquisition?Learning

I. Second Language Learning:

 A local person who study a different language as a foreign language if they learn it in their country. In other case, it is considered a second language if that person learn it in their originated country. In general, both the situations are expressed as second language learning.

*Acquisition and Learning:

 The term acquisition describes a  gradually development of the language ability by using it naturally in communicative with other people who know the language.

 The term learning is a process of conscious learning in which the person is accumulating knowledge through intention acts such as analyze features of language, research the grammar and vocabulary.

*Acquisition Barriers:

 For a L1 speakers, it's a whole different experience for them when they know about the L2. They usually encounter this in their teenage, adult years or a few hours in school. Despite there have been some difficult in pronunciation and understanding intonation. It's not impossible for native speakers to master a L2.

 But in some cases, even if the L1 speakers are efficient in using grammar and vocabulary, there speaking will still has a hint of their native accent when they are trying to pronounce the foreign language.

*The Age Factor:

 The inherent capacity of language is believed to be faded. This could be happened during the time of puberty. After that, it's hard for learners to effectively acquire another language.

 In contrast, the learners at the ages of 10 to 16 years old are still have the flexibility to gain knowledge of a foreign language, the reason is because the inherent capacity of language is not completely loss in this period.

*Affective Factors:

 This topic mentions that environment factors which surrounding the learners can greatly affect their study process. It's also important to consider the personality of the learner as it determines the efficiency of acquiring new languages. Basically, a stressed, shy and anxious learners are studying worse than a relaxed, confident and low anxiety learners.

II. Focus on Teaching Method:

 Despite the language barriers, the need of foreignal instructions has led to a variety of educational methods approaches at apparentice L2 learners.

*The Grammar-Translation Method:

 Using lists and sets of vocabulary definitions and grammar rules with the goal is to implant these knowledge inside the learner's heads is the most traditional approach to a new language. This method is more focusing on written language rather than spoken language.

*The Audiolingual Method:

 Emphasizing the spoken language. This method include a systematic presentation of the L2 structures. The teaching method involve students to have to speak and repeat words, moving from simple to complex. Unfortunately, this method is sometimes seems unrealistic, time-consuming and boring. 

*Communicative Aprroaches:

 Unlike the audiolingual method, this method is more focusing on the functionality of the language rather than the grammar structures of it. Although it has a different approaches, it's still following the belief that consciously learning a language will result in an ability to use the language similar to form a habit.

III. Focus on the Learner:

 The title suggests that accept the "errors" made by L1 learners will has a fundamental effect to the altidude of traditional teaching methods toward the "errors" students make.

*Transfer:

 This is happening when a L1 learner uses sounds, expression or structure from their language  when they are performing  in the L2. In case where the L1 and L2 have similar structure features, then the learners can have some benefit from the positive transfer of L1 knowledge to the L2. In contrast, using L1 knowledge that has the entirely different features  to the L2 will lead to the negative transfer.

*Interlanguage:

 These structures don't follow the structures in L2 and aren't used by L1 adult speakers. It is produced during the acquisition process of L2 that contains aspects of L1 and L2, but interlanguage has a variable system with rules of it's own. 

*Motivation:

 Have a good study spirit is also important in the contribution for a succesful learning.

There are two type of motivation:

*Instrumental motivation: Is our desire to archieve a specific task or goal in your life through learning the L2, but we have no preparations for social interaction.

*Integrative motivation: Is the study of L2 for social purpose, to become a part of a community and to be accepted by that community.

*Input and Output:

 The term input is used to explain a process of L1 learners desribes the language they encounter. To be beneficial for L2 learning, L1 learners have to understand the input. Input can be comprehensible by being simple in structures and vocabulary.

 Negotiated input is L2 material that the L1 learners can acquire through hearing and clarifying the terms used by the native speaker in order to understand their input and give a comprehensible output.

*Task-Based Learning:

 A method of study foreign language is to create lists of task in which L1 learners have to use the knowledge they have learned about L2 to describe tasks and plan activities in the lists. This helps to improve the fluency because it encourages them to use L2 more.

IV. Communicative Competence:

 It is defined by the ability levels of language users:

*Grammatical competence: involve the accurate use of words and structures.

*Sociolinguistic competence: the ability to use appropriate language.

*Strategic competence: the ability to organize a message effectively and to compensate.