239856 Introduction to Second Language Acquisition (S) (SoSe 2014)

This course will introduce students to what is known about how languages are learned. We will compare the stages learners go through in acquiring a second language with those of first language acquisition. We will first briefly review the stages children go through in acquiring their first language (or, in the case of bilingual children, two languages) and recall the major theories which attempt to account for this remarkable achievement. We will then consider how young children may also acquire a second or even third language parallel to their first language with ease, and contrast this with the difficulty usually experienced in acquiring a foreign language in adulthood, or in learning foreign languages in traditional classroom settings. Against this background we will consider some influential theories of second language acquisition, look at the idea of learner language and language error and examine transcripts of language classes. As the course progresses, we will be considering the implications of what we have learned for language teaching in schools.

Students will be expected to briefly present a topic from the course plan each week and provide a handout. Students will also be asked to keep their own personal course diary.

There is a course book for this course, which students will need to purchase and bring to the course each week. They will also need it for preparation for each week's session. For details see below.

Bibliography

Course book which must be purchased before the first session:

Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada. "How Languages are Learned" Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fourth edition, 2013.

Please make certain you get the fourth edition.