Unit 1

Second Language Acquisition and Learning

Foundations
 Index
Scheme 3

Key Ideas 4
1.1. Objectives 4
1.2. Introduction 5
1.3. Development of English Language Learning in
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Europe 7
1.4. English Language Learning Context in Spain 11
1.5. Differences between FLL & SLA 17
1.6. References 20

In Depth 22

Test 23
 Scheme
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Second Language Acquisition and Learning

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Unit 1. Scheme
 Key Ideas

1.1. Objectives

This is the first unit of ten, it is important that students understand the context of this
unit to have the foundations needed to follow the rest of the information provided.
In order to understand the unit, it is important that students read the mandatory
contents, listed in the key ideas. Students will also be provided with extra resources
in the in depth section, it is recommended that students take a gander at the
information to enhance their breadth and depth on the topic although it is not
required to complete the unit test.

To study this unit, which is an overview of the foundations of Second Language

Acquisition and Learning context within Europe and Spain as well as the differences
between foreign language and second language acquisition and learning, please read
carefully the following sections. This unit also provides a glossary of terms which will
be seen throughout the course as a reference point for the students. At the end of
this unit students should will be able to:

 Students will understand the definition between learning and acquisition.

 Students will know what big questions guide the lines of research in second
language acquisition and learning.
 Students will compare and contrast how Spain and the European context of
language learning have evolved.
 Students will analyze how socio-cultural, bibliographical and methodological
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components have evolved within Spain.

 Students will differentiate second language acquisition from foreign language
learning.
 Students will evaluate different types of language programs.

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 1.2. Introduction

The fundamentals of language acquisition will be presented throughout this course.

This is a field which over the last 50 years has had growing lines of research, into the
processes, how it relates to applied linguistic and the contexts of learning (Gass &
Selinker, 2008). It is fundamental prior to discussing the research in the field and how
it related to teaching within the classroom. Two concepts must be addressed and
defined, acquisition and learning. Although it is important to note that these concepts
are defined for the purposes of this course and that researchers may outline other
definitions for the purposes of their investigation.

Learning is the act of a conscious process of formal instruction to learn about

the process ‘about’ the language, for example, knowledge of grammar rules.

Acquisition is picking up the language, this is an unconscious process in which

the emphasis is on engaging in meaningful communication (Shütz, 2019).

Gass and Selinker (2008) provide a concise description of the nature of the study of
second language acquisition (SLA), research that is done within the field, hypotheses
that are posed from it, questions that arise from the investigations of the acquisition
and learning development of an individual’s (including children and adults) language
ability:

"The study of the acquisition of a non-primary language; that is, the

acquisition of a language beyond a native language.
It is the study of how learners create a new language system with only
limited exposure to a second language.
It is the study of what is learned of a second language and what is not
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learned; it is the study of why most second language learners do not achieve
the same degree of knowledge and proficiency in a second language as they
do in their native language; it is also the study of why only some learners
appear to achieve native-like proficiency in more than one language.
Additionally, second language acquisition is concerned with the nature of
the hypotheses (whether conscious or unconscious) that learners come up
with regarding the rules of the second language.

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 Are the rules like those of the native language? Are they like the rules of the
language being learned? Are there new rules, like neither language, being
formed? Are there patterns that are common to all learners regardless of
the native language and regardless of the language being learned? Do the
rules created by second language learners vary according to the context of
use? Do these rules and patterns vary more in individuals in a second
language than they vary in the native language? Given these varied
questions, the study of second language acquisition draws from and impacts
many other areas of study, among them linguistics, psychology,
psycholinguistics, sociology, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis,
conversational analysis, and education, to name a few.”

The research done with in the field is interdisciplinary, meaning it shares its base of
knowledge within other lines of research. That is to say a research cannot just
investigate SLA it is normally tied with other disciplines such as linguistics, cross-
cultural communication, language use, and language planning. There are many types
of research with coincides with SLA, and it is conducted all over the world, specifically
in regards to English as a second language.

The overarching questions with in the SLA are generalized but give a good description
as to what questions drive researchers to investigate (Vanpatten & Benati, 2015):

 What is the initial state? That is what do learners bring to the task of acquisition
in terms of underlying knowledge related to language?
 Can L2 learners become native-like?
 Is there a critical period for language acquisition and learning?
 What does development look like?
 What are the roles of explicit and implicit learning in SLA?
 What are the roles of input and output in SLA?
 What are individual differences and how do they affect acquisition?
Does instruction make a difference?
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 What constraints are there on acquisition?

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 1.3. Development of English Language Learning in
Europe

English Education in Europe

In the 19th century, German and French were predominantly taught as the second
language within schools where as English was regarded solely for professional use. It
wasn’t until the 1920s that Germans began to teach English in the schools and leave
the French language behind. Prior to the Second World War, little English was taught
in Central and Eastern European countries (Truchot, 2002). Following the war most
Central European countries (such as Germany, France, and the Netherlands) as well
as Scandinavian (such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden) began to implement English
as their primary second language in schools. Spain, Portugal and Italy later followed
suit in the 1980s (Truchot, 2002). Finally, English reach Hungry, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Romania and Bulgaria following the fall of the Stalinist Period which
then integrated English and German into the schools. Now in all European Union
countries English is rapidly being taught to young school children to equip them with
the language tools they will need for a more globalized world.

With the flourished need to know English in Europe the integration into schools back
in the early 2000s was predominantly in international schools and those in Central
and Eastern Europe. The use of English as medium for instruction at higher level
education became another technique to continue with language learning.
Universities with the higher-level qualifications of international reputation began to
function with English as the means for teaching content. The logic for doing this was
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to open the doors to wider student body and to persuade students not to just think
of American or British institutions when it comes to reputable universities students
can attend (Truchot, 2002).

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 In 1999, the European Union created “The Bologna Process” this process is to
promote coherence between “intergovernmental cooperation between 48 European
countries in the field of higher education” (Council of Europe, 2019) The
establishment of this law is to provide inclusive and accessible higher education and
to compete on an international level. As a part of the process the 48 countries
committed to (Council of Europe, 2019):

 Introduce a three-cycle higher education system consisting of bachelor's, master's

and doctoral studies.

 Ensure the mutual recognition of qualifications and learning periods abroad

completed at other universities and.

 Implement a system of quality assurance, to strengthen the quality and relevance

of learning and teaching.

The significance of the Bologna process is to create successful learning across borders
and mutual recognition of studies and qualifications across Europe. This is promoted
through the Erasmus program and through regular reports.

The English Proficiency report who tests over 2.3 million people, from all over the
world, 100 different countries (10 in the Middle East, 13 in Africa, 19 in Latin America,
33 in Europe and 25 in Asia) with 59% female respondent and 41% male, 90% of the
candidate were under the age of 40 with the median age of 23. Provide results in the
language abilities around the world. The figure below is a map of Europe and how the
countries rank side by side.
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Second Language Acquisition and Learning

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 Figure 1. Europe Ranking in English Proficiency. (Education First, 2019).

Multilingualism in the EU

There are over 20 official languages in Europe, but the growing language is English.
Multilingualism is the co-existence of language within a society. The ways
multilingualism affects the school curriculum and language of instruction will be
included in the 8th unit of this course. The following image is included to consider the
importance of multilingualism in Europe. Consider as you look at the image the
variety there is in Europe of languages, culture and individuals – how this affects the
ever-changing and globalizing world. How does multilingualism play a role in the
classroom and affect teachers who are helping to educate the future of tomorrow.
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Second Language Acquisition and Learning

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 Figure 2. Multilingualism in Europe. Image from https://www.debatingeurope.eu/wp-
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content/uploads/2014/12/05-multilingualism.jpg

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 1.4. English Language Learning Context in Spain

The historical context of English learning in Spain provides insight into how the
education system has given it precedence since it was initially implemented into the
educational curriculum. Through the article “The teaching of Foreign languages in
Europe: A historical perspective on foreign language teaching in Spain” by Mar Viña
Rouco (2002) it is declared there are three aspects to take into consideration when
looking at the Spanish Context:

 The socio-cultural component, which includes the educational and historical

context.

 The bibliographical component, which includes the materials used to teach

foreign languages.

 The methodological component, which is how foreign language were taught and
learned.

Viñas Rouco (2002), overview of the Spanish context provides clarity in how foreign
language teaching has developed and changed since the 19th century. The following
components are outlined according to the article. For a closer look at the specifics
check out the bibliographical references.

Socio-cultural Component

Initially in the 19th and early 20th century learning a foreign language was considered
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a luxury, something for individuals and families who pertained to the upper class.
Generally, it was offered in private schools as an “ornamental” subject (Viña Rouco,
2002). As a result of society’s perspective on foreign language teaching being
insignificant, foreign language teachers were paid less and seen as lesser than
compared to teachers who taught the classical languages.

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 As result of political exiles from France and England moving to Spain, more foreign
language teachers were integrated into society. The exiles worked as teachers of their
native language to make ends meet. Due to the influx of exiles teaching their native
language the Spanish law then allowed for exiles to become civil servants in the
Spanish education system to teach their native language. Meaning that the Law
Moyano (1857), established that foreign language and music teachers did not have
to be Spanish nationals to sit for the public exams to become a civil servant in the
public school system (Viña Rouco, 2002).

Overtime the Spanish realized the importance of speaking French and English and
regarded it as an important skill. In the 21st century the need for foreign languages
became apparent in the globalizing economy and world. The creation of the
European Union also fostered that foreign language learning becoming an important
aspect for citizens of the EU. The relationships established between countries,
created the need for a unification through communication. The only way to do that
was to promote foreign language learning. Nowadays, within the Spanish system
there is an integration of foreign languages, there are language academies,
conversation assistants, private tutors, language exchanges and so much more.

Bibliographical Component

The bibliographical content refers to the materials that language learners would use
to acquire the language. In the 19th century, the first materials that were published
were written for Spanish foreign language learners. It is important to note that the
textbooks included social customs, traditions as well as history. The textbooks also
used some authentic materials but overall the textbooks were used for grammatical
instruction and to increase the learner’s vocabulary.
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Second Language Acquisition and Learning

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 The following table includes the different sections included in textbooks, a general
definition as well as an example provided from the 19th century (Viña Rouco, 2002):

Bibliographical Language Material in Textbooks

Type Definition Example

“The object of this work is to furnish the

traveler and the student with a concise
Provides information with the
A preface or and easy Manual of Conversation. To
contents and materials of the
prologue supply the student with a new simple and
book.
practical method for the study and
pronunciation of the English Language…”
It was divided into four parts:
 Orthography and/or

orthology was about spelling

and pronunciation;
 Etymology or analogy was

Grammar about the parts of speech

Section and in some cases about
word derivation;
 Syntax was about word

order;
 Prosody was about stress

and the rules of versification.

 He was back in the  Estuvo de

Idiomatic: Useful phrases that twinkling of an eye vuelta en

Idiomatic
appeared in both Spanish and un abrir y
Phrases
English in parallel columns. cerrar de
ojos.
 To affirm, deny,  Para

consult, consent, etc. afirmar,

Familiar  It is true, I assure negar,
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Familiar: Linguistic functions

Phrases you. consultar,
 The truth is, we are consentir,
ignorant. etc.

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
  Es verdad,

se lo
aseguro.
 Lo cierto es

que
ignoramos.
A: Good morrow. God be w'ye. How do
you do?
These dialogues were not
B: Very well. God be thanked.
structurally graded and they
A: At your service.
served purpose of providing a
B: I thank you
good context for revision of the
A: Are you sick?
material already learnt. They
B: No, I am well. I am not sick. But I'm lazy.
Dialogues also contained sociocultural
A: I believe you
information, customs and
B: You may believe me. I never lye.
political affairs. Some of the
A: You lye now.
dialogues tried to introduce the
B: You say true, because I am a bed.
vocabulary related to a specific
A: Will you not rise?
field.
B: I am sleepy. But I will rise. (Festeau,
1685).
Gentlemen,
With the hopes of enlarging the number
of our correspondents in England, we
have desired several of our friends to
They were presented with a
inform us of the different houses of that
proper layout to be used as
country, with which we might negotiate
models. As regards business
with safety, and as they have convinced us
letters, interesting sections such
of your integrity and the good commission
as: Weights and measures, forms
Letters you afford on the sale and purchase of
of address, abbreviations, tables
various goods, we request you will accept
of coins and money, etc.
our service, which you will find us ready to
Commercial letters carne in
offer on all occasions. A sufficient stock,
several kinds, such as, letters of
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all requisite knowledge and experience,

advice, consultation, etc.
will, we flatter ourselves, enable us to
actin this our present new establishment,
to the complete satisfaction of such as
may honor us with their trust.

Second Language Acquisition and Learning

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 Please to give credit to no other
signatures than the following.
We remain with esteem,
Gentlemen,
Your humble servant.
Thomas Haymer and C°
 Planta

muchas
veces
 Remove an old trasplantada
A word list; a vocabulary, usually tree and it will ni crece ni
grouped in semantic fields; a wither away medra
table of English money;  Rob Peter to pay  Ganar el

Miscellaneous abbreviations; a list of proverbs; Paul cielo con

texts with interlinear translation;  Rome was not built rosario ajeno
fables and other practice in a day  No se ganó

material  Saying and doing Zamora en

are two things una hora
 Del dicho al

hecho hay un
gran trecho

Table 1. Bibliographical Language Material in Textbooks. (Viña Rouco, 2002).

Methodological Component

In Spain in the 19th century, most of the students learned languages through the
Grammar-Translation method. Following this trend came the Direct Method. The
following is the best way to describe the overall theory of the methods used.
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Second Language Acquisition and Learning

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 Figure 3. L2 Methodology used in the 19th century in Spain.

It is important to note that these methodologies will be later explained in the 4th Unit
of this course.

Language Teaching Now in Spain

Nowadays teaching a foreign language in Spain is quite different. All of this came
about as a result of Spain becoming a part of the European Union in 2002, where it
was agreed that two foreign languages should be taught within schools Spain having
an official national language and various official regional languages such as Spanish,
Catalan, Galician and Euskara began to integrate English learning into their school
systems.

As a result, Spain now has included bilingual education in what were once
monolingual autonomous communities (Madrid, Extremadura and Andalucía to
name a few). Whereas other regions with their official regional language have
included multilingual education. These educational policies to foster language
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learning and awareness promote learning through various facets. Students not only
are exposed to the language within their classroom but the Ministry of Education has
hired language assistants to be integrated into the classroom. These are individuals
who speak the second language as a native language although it is not required that

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 they have any formal training as teachers. They are there to provide oral
communication and exposure of the second language the students are learning.

Another aspect which has also being included in the education system in which Spain
“has become one of the European leaders is in the development of content and
language integrated learning (CLIL)” (Caraker, 2016). CLIL is a way to teach content
courses such as Science or Arts and Crafts (in Primary education) or Physics or
Geology (in Secondary education) through the English language.

In higher education the Bologna Declaration “in 1999 intended to increase

compatibility in universities throughout Europe (European Commission Higher
Education and Training, 2016), by streamlining academic mobility for students,
researchers and teachers” (Caraker, 2016). This has impacted foreign language
education policy in Europe due to the fact that English is the primary second language
taught in primary, secondary and higher education.

Through Spain’s adoption of the European Union’s policies there have been changes
in the education system from infant education to higher education. Although English
may not be as prevalent as it is in other countries such as Germany or the
Netherlands, it is clear that the Spanish are slowly but surely making their way in
English education.

1.5. Differences between FLL & SLA

There are two concepts which can seem as though they can be used as synonyms of
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one another. Although Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Foreign Language
Learning (FLL) are different. It is important to be able to distinguish the differences
between the two terms and become familiar with how they are implemented in the
Spanish context.

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 Second Language Acquisition (SLA): This is the term generally used for the discipline
of second, third or even fourth, language acquisition and learning, overall, this refers
to the “process of an individual learning another language after the native language
has been learned” (Gass & Selinker, 2008). Any language an individual begins to learn
or acquire after their native language (also known as L1) is considered a second
language (as referred to as L2). SLA refers to learning a language inside and outside
of a classroom, learners are not only exposed to the language within the school
context.

SLA: It is a second language, which can be learned inside and outside of the
classroom.
Foreign Language Learning (FLL): Foreign language learning is different from SLA in
that it refers to an individual learning another language in the environment of the
person’s native language (e.g., French speakers learning English in France or Spanish
speakers learning French in Spain, Argentina, or Mexico (Gass & Selinker, 2008). This
generally is learning another language in the context of a classroom or an academy.
“Second language acquisition, on the other hand, generally refers to the learning of
a nonnative language in the environment in which that language is spoken (e.g.,
German speakers learning Japanese in Japan or Punjabi speakers learning English in
the United Kingdom). This may or may not take place in a classroom setting” (Gass &
Selinker, 2008).

FLL: It is a second language, which is learned because of schooling.

The following table provides definitions and examples within the context of Spain as
to where SLA and FLL occur. Again, a reminder throughout this course the term SLA
is referred to because it is how the discipline is referred to, but it is important to
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understand the different language learning contexts here in Spain.

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 SLA v. FLL

Second Language Acquisition

Students are exposed to the L2 inside and outside the classroom all of the time.
 Students learning Catalan and Spanish in schools and outside of schools, in Cataluña.

 Students learning Galego and Spanish in schools and outside of schools, in Galicia.

 Students learning Euskara and Spanish in schools and outside of schools, in Basque

Country.
 Students learning Spanish and English in schools and outside of schools, in Miami,

Florida.

Foreign Language Learning

Students are exposed to the L2 in the classroom for one session a day (in English
class).
 Students who only have English class to learn English, this tends to be non-bilingual

schools in Spain.
 Students who learn Catalan and Spanish in schools and outside of schools generally

also learn a third language, English, this would be the students’ English class once a
week.
 Students who learn Euskara and Spanish in schools and outside of schools generally

also learn a third language, English, this would be the students’ English class once a
week.

Bilingual Language Learning

Students are exposed to the L2 only in the classroom but for half of the day, every
day.
 Students learning in the bilingual education program in Primary school, where the

students have Sciences, English, Arts and Crafts, and/or Physical Education in English.
 Students learning in the bilingual education program in Secondary school, where the

students have Geography, Geology, History, Physics, Chemistry, English, and/or

Physical Education in English.
 These schools give half of the student content in English.

 For secondary, students must pass a language exam to enter into the Public school
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system in Spain.

Immersion Language Learning

Student is exposed to the L2 in the classroom for 80-100% of the school day, every
day.
 Students who are sent to a school in Spain that is taught all in English, for example the

American School of Madrid, which using the American Education system in the school.

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
  Other language schools include the Italian school of Madrid or the German school of

Madrid.

Table 2. SLA vs. FLL. (Bilash, 2011).

1.6. References

Bilash, O. (2011, January). Foreign Language (FL) vs. Second Language (SL) Context.
Retrieved from University of Alberta:
https://sites.educ.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.bilash/Best%20of%20Bilash/flvsslcontex
t.html

Caraker, R. (2016). Spain and the Context of English Language Education. Research
Bulletin, 23-35.

Council of Europe. (2019). Education and Training. Retrieved from European Union:
https://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/higher-education/bologna-process-and-
european-higher-education-area_en

Education First. (2019). EF English Proficiency Index: A Ranking of 100 Countries and
Regions by English Skills. Retrieved from Education First:
https://www.ef.com/__/~/media/centralefcom/epi/downloads/full-reports/v9/ef-
epi-2019-english.pdf

Gass, S. M., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second Language Acqusition: An introductory

course. New York: Routledge.
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Shütz, R. E. (2019, October). Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language

Acquisition. Retrieved from English Made in Brazil: https://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash-
english.html

Second Language Acquisition and Learning

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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 Truchot, C. (2002). Key aspects of the use of English in Europe. Strasbourg: Council of
Europe.

Vanpatten, B., & Benati, A. G. (2015). Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition (2nd
Edition ed.). New York: Bloomsbury.

Viña Rouco, M. (2002). The teaching of foregin languages in Europe: A historical

perspective on foreign language teaching in Spain. Revista de Filología y su Didáctica,
255-280.
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Unit 1. Key Ideas
 In Depth
Council of Europe’s Language Policy Portal

Council of Europe. (2019). Council of Europe’s Language Policy Portal. Retrieved from:
https://www.coe.int/en/web/language-policy

This is the website for the Council of Europe’s language policy, programs, and
resources for language education.

Bilingual Education in Spain

British Council. (2019). Bilingual Education in Spain. Retrieved from:

https://www.britishcouncil.es/en/partnerships/success-stories/bilingual

Success stories and links to bilingual education implementation in Spain with the
British Council.
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Unit 1. In Depth
 Test
1. Learning is the act of a conscious process through formal instruction where the
individual learns about the process ‘about’ the language.
A. True.
B. False.

2. Acquisition means to use the language to communicate.

A. True.
B. False.

3. Second language acquisition and learning is its own disciplinary field.

A. True.
B. False.

4. The European Union fosters second and third language acquisition.

A. Correct.
B. Incorrect.

5. Understanding the Spanish context for language learning, it is important to

consider the socio-cultural context, education and methodological.
A. True.
B. False.

6. In the 19th century methodology implemented in the Spanish classroom included

Grammar-Translation and the Direct-Method
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A. True.
B. False.

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Unit 1.Test
 7. Spain already had bilingual education before becoming part of the European
Union in 2002.
A. True.
B. False.

8. Second language acquisition is generally used only when speaking about learning
a second language.
A. True.
B. False.

9. Foreign language learning is when the students are exposed to the L2 for half of
the day, every day.
A. True.
B. False.

10. Immersion language learning is the best way to learn a second language.
A. True.
B. False.
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Second Language Acquisition and Learning

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Unit 1.Test