TEFL La Plata

I have a special interest in this topic because of personal experiences. My native language is spanish and I learned english as an eight year old child when my parents left our native country Cuba and moved to the united states. I remember when we first arrived that I could not understand what my teachers were saying (particularly due to their Southern accent). Two years later when I changed schools I spoke english fluently. The learning process was unconscious and I had no special language instruction. I spoke spanish only with my family and the rest of my education was in english until I went to university. Because I spoke spanish fluently I was able to enroll in literature classes and did quite well when compared to my fellow students who had learned spanish as a second language. However, one of my professors along the way remarked that my writing in spanish was not that of an educated young woman and that I had to make a special effort to learn the rules of grammar, spelling etc. I became interested in language acquisition and decided that I would enjoy teaching foreign languages as a future career, which I ended up doing for almost two years. In doing research on this topic and from my own experience it is clear that a child can learn a second language and achieve fluency in the same manner that he learns his mother tongue. In order to accomplish this, the child must have a regular and constant input in the second language and the context to use the language. As with first language acquisition, exposure to language and the quality of input are important. In many cases children learning their second language have constant input from a native speaker. In comparison, an adult learning a second language, even one who is immersed in a country where the language is spoken, will not have the same constant one-on-one contact that the child experiences (with parents or caregivers, for example). Affective factors certainly come into play in language learning. children being egocentric are not afraid to speak incorrectly or to make mistakes and this facilitates learning both their first and second languages. On the other hand, adults can experience anxiety or inhibition when speaking a new language. The factor of motivation is also important. Both children and adults will experience what I read was termed “integrative motivation” (a desire to speak a language to become part of a group). In my family, for example, my niece and nephew learned spanish as their first language but lost their ability to speak it due to their interest in “fitting in” and speaking english fluently. (They also had a limited exposure to spanish). Adults also experience “instrumental motivation” which means they want to learn a second language as a means to an end (employment, education, etc.). There is extensive literature on the topic of first language and second language acquisition, with frequent comparisons between a child and an adult learning a second language. There is discussion of developmental, neurological and experiential factors related to age that impact language learning. Some authors point out the difficulty of achieving fluency in a second language when one learns it after puberty. Although it would appear that first and second language acquisition are similar processes, we acquire our first language naturally and unconsciously but learning a second language after childhood requires a conscious effort. Learners of a second language have varied reasons for wanting to learn a new language and these in turn will impact the learning process. In addition, age, exposure to the language, quality of exposure, and use, play important roles in second language learning. Undoubtedly, this is a fascinating but complex subject, and this essay is a brief introductory discussion of the topic. Sources Comparing First and Second Language Acquisition by Vivian Cook (homepage.ntlworld.com) Similarities and Differences between First and Second Language Acquisition by Carmen Villegas in Multilingualist .pbworks.com Attitudes and Motivation in Second Langauge Learnin by Robert C. Gardner in BILINGUALISM, MULTICULTULARISM & SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING, McGill University First and Second Language Acquisition by Margaret Tucker (serendip.brynmawr.edu)