Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Theories

BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills)

Conversational, social language used in everyday, low-stakes interactions. Cognitively undemanding and context-embedded (takes 6 months to 2 years to develop).

CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)

Formal, textbook language required for academic success. Cognitively demanding and context-reduced (takes 5 to 7+ years to develop).

Comprehensible Input (i+1):

Stephen Krashen's concept that language acquisition occurs when learners understand messages slightly above their current proficiency level (i+1).

Affective Filter

A psychological barrier (composed of anxiety, low self-confidence, or lack of motivation) that can prevent input from reaching the language acquisition part of the brain.

Interlanguage

The transitional, idiosyncratic language system developed by an L_2 learner that exhibits features of both the native language L_1 and the target language L_2.

Fossilization

The process in which incorrect language features become permanently fixed in a learner's speech or writing, resisting further correction.

Language Transfer

The influence of a learner's native language L_1 on their development of the target language L_2. Can be positive (facilitating learning) or negative (causing interference errors).

Monitor

An internal editor that checks and corrects output based on learned grammatical rules.

CUP (Common Underlying Proficiency)

The "interdependence hypothesis" stating that skills, ideas, and academic concepts learned in L1 transfer directly to L2.

Interlanguage

An emerging, evolving linguistic system developed by an L2 learner that features elements of both L1 and L2, alongside independent errors.

Language Transfer (Positive & Negative)

• Positive: L1 structures help learn L2 structures correctly.

Negative (Interference): L1 habits cause errors in L2 production (e.g., a Spanish speaker placing an adjective after a noun in English).

Overgeneralization

Applying a grammatical rule too broadly, even to irregular forms (e.g., saying "fishes" or "broked").

Circumlocution

Using strategies to describe a word or concept when the exact vocabulary word is unknown (e.g., saying "the thing you open bottles with" for an opener).

Scaffolding

Temporary support structures provided by teachers to help students accomplish a task they cannot yet do independently.