Second Language Acquisition & the 5 Stages of SLA
What is the “silent period” in SLA?
The stage where learners listen and absorb but do not yet speak.
What is positive transfer?
When L1 helps L2 learning
Who coined the term “interlanguage”?
Larry Selinker
What is “comprehensible input”?
Input just above learners’ current level
You are teaching a class of learners whose first language is Spanish. Based on SLA theory, design one activity you would do to reduce negative transfer and promote correct usage of English verb tenses. Describe how you would implement it in class.
Teachers judge the answer with their predetermined criteria. See google doc.
Give one example of a learner utterance in the early production stage.
Me go home.
What is negative transfer (interference)?
When L1 causes incorrect usage in L2
Define fossilization in SLA.
When errors become permanent and resist correction
Name one way teachers can incorporate focus on form.
Brief grammar correction embedded in communicative activities
In which stage do learners begin forming simple sentences with errors?
Speech emergence
“He go home yesterday” is an example of which type of transfer?
Negative transfer (interlingual)
Give an example of a fossilized error. Why?
“He go to work every day.” (persistent error) Chinese doesn't change verb tense.
Why is overcorrection in early stages discouraged?
It can inhibit fluency, discourage risk-taking, or raise anxiety
At what stage do learners approach native-like fluency but may still make residual errors?
Advanced fluency (or near mastery)
What is contrastive analysis used for?
To compare L1 and L2 to predict learning difficulties/error zones
Why do errors become fossilized?
Causes include limited feedback, low noticing, habit strength, insufficient input, motivated by communicating rather than correctness etc.
List two instructional implications from SLA theory.
provide rich input, scaffold interactions, recycle forms, use meaningful tasks, adapt feedback