Heterogeneity 2

DMTH

Developmentally Moderated Transfer Hypothesis

Late developmental structures

Similar L1 and L2 structures won't transfer if they are developmentally late.

Effective acquisition of similar structures

If L1 & L2 contain similar structures

Early developmental structures transfer

Early developmental structures transfer easily even if L1 and L2 differ.

Similarity and L2 acquisition speed

No. If a structure is developmentally late

Acquisition of early structures in L2

Yes. Early developmental structures are acquired early in L2

Advantage of similar L1 structures

Learners with an L1 similar to the L2 have an advantage over those without similar L1 structures

Idioms and translation difficulty

Idioms often differ between languages and are unique to each language's culture

German vowel pronunciation errors

/ɔ:/ and /əʊ/ confused → pronounced as /o:/ (caught vs. coat)

/ʌ/ pronounced like /ɑ/ (but)

/eɪ/ pronounced as monophthong /e:/ (day).

Consonant-ending difficulties for German learners

Final sounds like /ʒ/

Examples of consonant-ending difficulties

Examples include: etch (correct: /etʃ/) may be confused with edge (/edʒ/)

rice may be misheard or said as rise

leaf may be confused with leave.

Confused consonants for German learners

/θ/ and /ð/ replaced by /s/ or /z/

/v/ and /w/ mixed up.

Examples of confused consonants

wizard → withered

useful → youthful

vine → wine

very weird.

Cognates

Words with the same root

False friends

Look similar but have different meanings (e.g.

Common vocabulary confusions

One German word can have several English equivalents (e.g.

Confusion between similar English words

Confusion between say vs. tell ("Ich sage es dir doch…") and so vs. such ("Das war so ein spannender Film!").

Common spelling errors

Common spelling errors German learners make in English.

German-influenced spelling

e.g.

Capitalizing nouns incorrectly

e.g.

Auxiliary "do"

Has no German equivalent (e.g.

Progressive forms

German lacks progressive forms

Use of "würde" in German conditionals

Differs from English (e.g.

Verb placement errors

Errors in subordinate clauses (e.g.

Incorrect use of "There is…"

e.g.

Developmental problem in producing WH questions

Target: Where have you lost it? — Aux-2nd is a stage 5 structure

Incorrect WH question forms

Examples include: Where have lost it?

Omission of crucial elements

e.g.

Overuse of unmarked alignment

e.g.

Interlanguage variation

Arises from the choices the learner has when solving developmental problems.

Preferred solution to developmental problems

Learners favour one solution over the other consistently for all or most developmental problems.

Developmental errors

Constitute simplifications of the target language.

Simplifications of complex rules

These errors simplify complex rules of the target language.

Preference for certain simplifications

Each learner tends to prefer certain simplifications consistently.

Distinct patterns of language use

This preference creates distinct patterns of language use called interlanguage variation.

Developmental communication disorder

When speech and language skills are not acquired normally during the developmental period.

Acquired communication disorder

Characterized by initially intact speech and language skills that are disrupted due to disease

Displacement

Idea that humans can talk about things that are not physically present or that do not even exist.

Prevarication

Ability to lie or deceive.

Reflexiveness

Humans can describe what language is

Duality of patterning

Meaningless units (phonemes) are combined to meaningful ones (morphemes

Transfer in second language acquisition

Using sounds

Negative transfer (interference)

When differences between L1 and L2 lead to incorrect use or incomprehensible utterances.

Core claim of contrastive analysis in second language acquisition

All (learner) errors can be predicted

Role of instruction

The core assumption of the developmentally moderated focus on form approach to L2 teaching is that combining a developmentally moderated syllabus with developmentally sensitive feedback enhances L2 learners' gains in both accuracy and language development.

Predictable paths in learner speech

Learners' output (speech) often follows predictable paths with predictable stages in the acquisition of a given structure.

Interference errors

Errors that can be traced back to the L1.

Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia

neurological speech sound disorder in which the precision and consistency of movements underlying speech are impaired

motor programming

Disruption of motor programming

Developmental Phonological Disorder

ability to produce most sounds in isolation

phonological encoding

Disruption of phonological encoding (language encoding)

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

Breakdown in the phonetic/phonology domain alongside problems in grammatical & lexical processing

language encoding

Disruption of language encoding (or decoding)

Phonetic/Phonology domain

Trouble producing or distinguishing speech sounds.

Example of Phonetic/Phonology domain

confusing similar-sounding words or mispronouncing sounds (e.g.

Grammatical & Lexical processing

Struggles with grammar (e.g.

Example of Grammatical & Lexical processing

saying 'He go to school' instead of 'He goes to school.'

Language Encoding or Decoding

Problems putting thoughts into words (encoding) or understanding spoken/written language (decoding).

Example of Language Encoding or Decoding

difficulty finding the right word or understanding instructions.

Pidgin

A language developed by adults who do not share a language

Creole

A language developed by children who grow up in Pidgin-speaking communities

Language contact - Contact language

Pidgins and creoles are new languages which come into being in situations of language contact

Are Pidgins and creoles real languages?

Pidgins and creoles are real languages that are used for serious purposes (in the news) and have a describable and distinctive linguistic structure.

Pidgin languages originally arose

Around trade posts in West Africa and during the slave trade from the 1500s onwards.

The spread of English-based pidgins and creoles (EPC)

Today EPC mainly spoken in: West Africa (mainly pidgins)

West Africa

mainly pidgins

The New World (between the US and Brazil)

creolized varieties

The Pacific (Polynesia

Papua New Guinea

How do languages shape a pidgin?

All contact languages contribute to its sounds

Pidgin Vocabulary Source

A pidgin typically gets most of its vocabulary from a prestigious language because the prestigious language holds social/economic power

Local Vernaculars Influence

Local vernaculars shape the grammar and sentence patterns

Tok Pisin Vocabulary vs. Grammar

77% of Tok Pisin's words come from English (vocabulary)

Lexifier

The language that provides most of the vocabulary (words) in a pidgin or creole. In Tok Pisin

Superstrate vs. Substrate

Pidgins are the result of interaction between a superstrate language and one or several substrate languages.

Superstrate

Usually the lexifier language (the language that provides most of the vocabulary to the pidgin language

but similarity sometimes superficial).

Substrate

The language(s) that contribute (mainly) phonological and (some) grammatical features.

Difference between Pidgin and Lingua Franca

The note does not provide a specific definition for the difference between pidgin language and lingua franca.

Linguistic characteristics of pidgins and creoles

Phonological simplification

Language contact

Interaction between different languages can introduce new vocabulary

Language change

Variation within a language can trigger changes in phonology (sound system)

Early pidgin phonology features

Sound systems greatly reduced

Early pidgin grammar features

No or very few fixed grammatical structures

Lexical simplification and reduction

Limited vocabulary that extends over time

Imperfect second language learning

Indigenous people were attempting to learn language of colonizers

Foreigner talk

A talk designed for a 'foreign' hearer with simple vocabulary

Linguistic universals

All languages have certain common properties. Some features of language are easier to learn

Layers of lexical development

Several different periods and types of contact with different colonizers shaped vocabulary and structure.

Superstrate contribution: Lexicon (and grammar)

BUT

From pidgin to Creole

Most creoles derive from pidgin languages. Creoles = nativized pidgins. Structurally: Much expanded in comparison to the pidgins they derive from

Situational factors in Pidgins and Creoles

Pidgins develop with a narrow range of functions (e.g. buying and selling). Neither formality

Consequences of early choices on later development

Bad choices will accumulate. Interlanguage system will stabilize. Bad variational choices trigger stabilization! (Bad choice hypothesis