Written and Second Language, Reaction Paper Example

This chapter of the textbook reviews various theories regarding how written and second languages are acquired, thereby providing strategies for the educator and the psychologist with regard to how to pedagogically approach the gaining of these abilities. The broader theoretical synopsis in this chapter, on the one hand, is valuable in so far as it provides the readers with an accessible and thorough account of relevant approaches to the subject matter. On the other hand, the presence of this diverse number of theories arguably reflects the difficulty of this subject matter, to the extent that the heterogeneity of presented viewpoints clearly opposes any preconceived notion that a type of consensus exists in the literature on the best approach to these issues.

From the viewpoint of practical learning activities that will motivate the acquisition of written and second language skills, it appears that the extent to which an activity will be deemed effective or not is largely determined by the theoretical approach towards the learning of language one takes. Namely, one could certainly attempt a plethora of approaches, using various activities and then judging their effectivity based on the interpretation of empirical results. This is an effective strategy nested in traditional postulates of the scientific method, such as observation. However, at the same time, if one does accept a certain theoretical viewpoint on how language is learned, this will either lead to the support for or disqualification of certain activities and approaches in an almost a priori manner.

For example, the chapter accurately summarizes this difference by posing the following two decisive questions: “is written language acquired naturally or learned consciously?” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 46) and “can people acquire a second language?” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 46) With regard to the first question, the theory of the conscious learning of language encourages the learning of second languages, in so far as there are a concrete set of practices which are consciously employed by the learner. In other words, there is no ambiguity or mystery to the learning process. We know that human beings as children pick up a first language, and, furthermore, to the extent that this process is conscious, in order to teach language, all that is required is to decipher how this is performed so as to create an effective didactic model for language education. Certainly, this also entails a complexity, since the conscious process must be accurately delineated so as to yield the eventual model: however, such a theoretical position clearly endorses the possibility of this approach.

If we adopt the other perspective, the process becomes even more complex. Language learning is not merely a conscious practice isolated to the mind of one learning, but is a social and also unconscious phenomenon. In the case of second language learning, the educator, therefore, has the enormously difficult task of attempting to re-create a situation which mimics the “natural” setting through which we acquire language, a reconstruction that is problematic in so far as it is constituted by elements that the educator could not possibly re-create, such as the parent-child relationship or a greater immersion in a social context where this language is ubiquitous.

Arguably, part of the problem with language education is that it is the second theoretical standpoint which appears to be much closer to the truth. The belief in some conscious learning of language clearly goes against theories of language learning which emphasize the unconscious, for example, the grammatical structures that we have already unconsciously grasped as children, a position effectively argued by Chomsky. In this sense, the educator must re-create unconscious learning practices as well as conscious learning practices to achieve success. This is not to discount the very possibility of such an educational goal, but instead underscores its inherent complexity.

References

Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.