Week 14

Question 1

Q: What is Second Language Acquisition (SLA)?

Answer 1

A: The study of how people gain proficiency in a language that is not their first language.

Question 2

Q: How is SLA different from bilingualism?

Answer 2

A: SLA involves learning a second language after acquiring the first; bilingualism involves learning two languages at the same time.

Question 3

Q: Who does this lecture mainly focus on?

Answer 3

A: Adult L2 learners who are outside the critical period.

Question 4

Q: Does acquiring an L2 involve creating a grammar?

Answer 4

A: Yes — learners develop a new grammar, even if it never becomes native-like.

Question 5

Q: What do adult learners’ errors show?

Answer 5

A: They are systematic and reflect rule-building, not random mistakes.

Question 6

Q: What is interlanguage grammar (IL)?

Answer 6

A: The learner’s internal grammar at a particular stage of L2 acquisition.

Question 7

Q: What influences IL?

Answer 7

A: Both the learner’s first language (L1) and second language (L2).

Question 8

Q: What is transfer?

Answer 8

A: When features from L1 are carried into the interlanguage grammar.

Question 9

Q: What areas can transfer affect?

Answer 9

A: Vocabulary, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics.

Question 10

Q: What is fossilization?

Answer 10

A: When interlanguage stops changing and reaches a plateau.

Question 11

Q: Phonological transfer example?

Answer 11

A: French speakers drop [h]: have → iv.

Question 12

Q: Lexical transfer example?

Answer 12

A: Spanish embarazada → “embarassed” (meaning pregnant).

Question 13

Q: Morphological transfer example?

Answer 13

A: I didn’t took the car.

Question 14

Q: Syntactic transfer example?

Answer 14

A: He drinks frequently tea.

Question 15

Q: What is communicative competence?

Answer 15

A: Knowledge of both linguistic rules and social language use.

Question 16

Q: Why isn’t grammar alone enough?

Answer 16

A: Learners must also use language appropriately in context.

Question 17

Q: Grammatical competence?

Answer 17

A: Knowledge of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, vocabulary.

Question 18

Q: Textual competence?

Answer 18

A: Ability to connect sentences into conversations or stories.

Question 19

Q: Illocutionary competence?

Answer 19

A: Understanding implied meaning (politeness, sarcasm, requests).

Question 19

Q: Sociolinguistic competence?

Answer 19

A: Knowing how to speak appropriately in different social situations.

Question 20

Q: What is competence?

Answer 20

A: Knowledge of language.

Question 21

Q: What is performance?

Answer 21

A: Actual language use.

Question 22

Q: Why are L2 learners inconsistent?

Answer 22

A: Performance factors (stress, noise, complexity), not lack of knowledge.

Question 23

Q: What is segmental phonology?

Answer 23

A: Individual sounds (place, manner, voicing).

Question 24

Q: What is prosodic phonology?

Answer 24

A: Syllables, stress, rhythm.

Question 25

Q: What is a segmental inventory?

Answer 25

A: The set of sounds used in a language.

Question 26

Q: What is markedness?

Answer 26

A: Some sounds are more complex and less common cross-linguistically.

Question 27

Q: What is an unmarked sound?

Answer 27

A: Simple and common (e.g., [t]).

Question 28

Q: What is a marked sound?

Answer 28

A: Complex and rare (e.g., [ð]).

Question 29

Q: What is linguistic typology?

Answer 29

A: Comparing languages to see how common structures are.

Question 30

Q: Core idea?

Answer 30

A: Marked structures are harder to learn than unmarked ones.

Question 31

Q: Prediction 1? of markedness differential hypothesis

Answer 31

A: More marked L2 sounds than L1 → harder to acquire.

Question 32

Q: Prediction 2? of markedness differential hypothesis

Answer 32

A: Less marked L2 sounds than L1 → easier to acquire.

Question 33

Q: Are fricatives or stops more marked?

Answer 33

A: Fricatives are more marked.

Question 34

Q: Do all languages allow the same syllables?

Answer 34

A: No — syllable structures differ across languages.

Question 35

Q: Parts of syllable structure?

Answer 35

A: Onset, nucleus, coda.

Question 36

Q: What is epenthesis?

Answer 36

A: Adding a vowel to fix illegal clusters (stop → istop).

Question 37

Q: What is deletion?

Answer 37

A: Removing a sound (seed → si).

Question 38

Q: Which repair strategy increases with proficiency?

Answer 38

Epenthesis

Question 39

Q: Does L1 affect perception?

Answer 39

A: Yes — learners hear L2 sounds through L1 phonology.

Question 40

Q: What is an auditory discrimination task?

Answer 40

A: Participants judge whether two recordings sound the same or different.

Question 41

Q: What did these experiments show?

Answer 41

A: Learners often perceive epenthesis even when it isn’t present.

Question 42

Q: What is Universal Grammar?

Answer 42

A: Innate system shared by all human languages.

Question 43

Q: How do languages differ under UG?

Answer 43

A: Through parameters (on/off switches).

Question 44

Q: What is the null subject parameter?

Answer 44

A: Whether subjects can be omitted in tensed clauses.

Question 45

Q: Which languages require overt subjects?

Answer 45

A: English, French.

Question 46

Q: Which allow null subjects?

Answer 46

A: Spanish, Italian.

Question 47

Q: Who accepts subjectless English more: Spanish or French learners?

Answer 47

A: Spanish learners.

Question 48

Q: What is the subset principle?

Answer 48

A: Learners assume the most restrictive grammar first.

Question 49

Q: What is positive evidence?

Answer 49

A: Hearing allowed structures.

Question 50

Q: What is negative evidence?

Answer 50

A: Being told something is not allowed.

Question 51

Q: Which is easier: subset → superset or superset → subset?

Answer 51

A: Subset → superset.

Question 52

Q: Who learns null subjects more easily: English or Spanish speakers?

Answer 52

A: English speakers learning Spanish.

Question 53

Q: Does age matter?

Answer 53

A: Yes — before ~7 often native-like; after ~14 more non-native-like.

Question 54

Q: Can adults still achieve native-like proficiency?

Answer 54

A: Yes, though less commonly.

Question 55

Q: Instrumental motivation?

Answer 55

A: Practical goals (job, school).

Question 56

Q: Integrative motivation?

Answer 56

A: Cultural interest.

Question 57

Q: What is central to SLA?

Answer 57

A: Interlanguage grammar shaped by L1 and L2.