UNIT 12 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN L1 AND L2 LEARNING

Differences between L1 and L2 learning

Learning our mother tongue is something more natural and it does not require a lot of effort. While learning a second language it is a little bit more complicated, well it depends on the age, the context and ways of learning.  First, let’s differentiate the learning based on age, in L1 the learning process starts when the learner is a baby, continues through the early years of childhood and lasts into adolescence. Furthermore, babies learn language at the same time as their cognitive skills. And learners learn the language because they need to communicate with other people. On the other hand, in L2 the learning process usually starts in the classroom, for instance, primary learners are still developing their cognitive skills; secondary school learners have already developed many of their cognitive skills when they are learning a second language; and adult learners have fully developed cognitive skill, they are likely to show maturity in their attitudes to language learning. Second, the context and ways of learning, in L1 learners are exposure and pick up the language as much as they can. Obviously, learners need to be motivated and interact with their family or relatives, through the silent period, they also need to experiment with language,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                simplified speech help them to understand meaning better, it is not necessary to make corrections, additionally, could be better to avoid reformulation from the child phrases to acquire the language. Nevertheless, in L2 which also occurs in the classroom, teachers should motivate students to learn, also interaction between teachers and classmates is important, talking about life outside the classroom, making role-plays is a good example of the experimenting the language; it is recommendable to practice L2 about three hour per week. “An important way in which L2 learning is different from L1 learning is the influences of the mother tongue on second language learning. The mother tongue plays an important role in the process of L2 acquisition”. (Mey)

 This is something I will be aware when teaching a new language. I would like to let my students to practice the language as much as possible.

Bibliography

Mey, J. L. (1998). Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics. United Kingdon.