Linking Language

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Linking Language Learning 1Communication

• Fall 2006
• Scott, Grenvicz, Schwab, Dessein

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Series Overview

• This semester you will see three power point
  presentations designed to make you think about
  second language learning.
• Each presentation will begin with guiding
  questions to engage you in the material.
• Discussion questions appear at the end of each
  presentation. You will write your ideas about
  these questions and turn them in to your teacher.

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Guiding questions

• What do you want to be able to DO with French?
• In what ways is the classroom a good place to
  learn French?

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What do students want?

• We have found that students studying French hope
  to achieve TWO goals
• Students want to be able to COMMUNICATE in
  French.
• Students want to become BILINGUAL.

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GOAL 1 Communicate in French

• What does communicate mean?
• INTERACT with French-speaking people.
• UNDERSTAND and INTERPRET the meaning of what
  you hear and read in French.
• EXPLAIN your thoughts and ideas to
  French-speaking people.

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Goal 1 Communicate in French

• How do you learn to communicate in another
  language?
• Listen to lots of French?
• Read lots of French?
• Write lots of French?
• Learn grammar?
• Practice talking?

je suis nous sommes tu es vous
êtes il/elle est ils/elles sont
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Goal 1 Communicate in French

• There are two important theories about what it
  means to learn a second language and develop the
  ability to communicate in that language
• Monitor Model theory
• Communicative competence theory

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Goal 1 Communicate in French

• Theory 1
• Monitor Model
• Krashen developed five hypotheses about second
  language learning. These hypotheses offer
  insight into how to help students learn to
  communicate in a second language.

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Goal 1 Communicate in French
Principles and Practice in Second Language
Acquisition (1981)

• Monitor Model 5 hypotheses
• acquisition / learning are two different
  processes (spontaneous vs. conscious)
• natural order (grammar is acquired in a
  predictable order in a natural setting)
• monitor (learning functions only as an editor, or
  monitor)
• input (comprehensible input is essential for
  acquisition)
• affective filter (acquisition occurs when
  affective conditions are optimal, i.e., low
  anxiety, motivation, confidence, etc.

Stephen Krashen
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Goal 1 Communicate in French

• Theory 2
• Communicative Competence
• Canale Swain (1983) developed a theory that
  describes communicative competence as MORE than
  simply being able to interact in another
  language.

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Goal 1 Communicate in French
Communicative Competence
1. Grammatical competence mastery of
linguistic code 2. Sociolinguistic competence
knowledge of social and cultural rules 3.
Discourse competence ability to connect
sentences coherently 4. Strategic competence
ability to use verbal and non-verbal
communication strategies
Bonjour!
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Goal 1 Communicate in French

• Summary of the two theories
• To communicate in a second language, a learner
  needs
• sufficient INPUT and
• OPTIMAL AFFECTIVE CONDITIONS (high motivation,
  positive attitude, self confidence)
• Understanding of SOCIAL and CULTURAL rules,
  NON-VERBAL communication strategies as well as
  GRAMMAR.

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Goal 1 Communicate in French

• A learner also needs INTERACTION
• Interaction can be between teacher and students
• OR
• between and among students.

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Goal 1 Communicate in French

• A learner also needs to develop the ability to
  INTERPRET what s/he hears and reads.
• Interpretation involves
• recognizing thoughts and feelings about a message
  (oral or written)
• constructing the meaning of the message (through
  thought and/or interaction)
• explaining the meaning to others

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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual

• What does bilingual mean?
• There are at least
• 37 definitions
• of bilingual.

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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual

• Balanced bilingual mastery of two languages is
  roughly equivalent
• Covert bilingual someone who hides knowledge of
  another language because of an attitudinal
  disposition
• Dominant bilingual greater proficiency in one
  of the two languages
• Early bilingual someone who acquired both
  languages in childhood
• Late bilingual someone who became bilingual
  later than childhood
• Receptive bilingual someone who understands but
  does not read or write
• Secondary bilingual someone whose second
  language had been added to a first via
  instruction
• Incipient bilingual someone at the early stages
  of bilingualism

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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual
DEMYSTIFYING BILINGUALISM No one has the same
level or the same type of proficiency in two (or
more) languages!
je parle
ich spreche
yo hablo
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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual

• There are many places a person can become
  bilingual.
• at home
• at school
• traveling
• when youre in love
• in the work place

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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual

• Attitudes about bilingualism
• In the 19th century people believed that being
  bilingual was detrimental to intellectual and
  spiritual growth.
• In the early 20th century some studies indicated
  that bilingual children had lower IQs than
  monolingual children.
• Today, some bilingual speakers may be encouraged
  to suppress their minority language in favor of
  the culturally dominant language.

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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual

• Current research on cognition reveals the
  advantages of bilingualism
• Creative thinking
• Flexible thinking
• Faster learning
• Larger vocabulary
• Greater sensitivity in communication

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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual

• CODE SWITCHING is
• the alternating use of two or more languages in
  a single conversation event.
• is a natural, observable occurrence among
  people of all ages who speak more than one
  language.
• one indicator of whether a person is bilingual.
• is the norm for many bilinguals.

Le prof, elle est really nice.
Yeah So, do you want to go prendre un verre now?
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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual

• Bilingualism is not a state, but a process not a
  goal but a continuum.
• Where are you on the
• BILINGUAL CONTINUUM ?
• ?----x---------------------------------------x--?
• incipient balanced

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Goal 2 Becoming bilingual

• Can you understand French?
• Can you speak French?
• Can you read? Write?
• Do you engage in word play with French?
• Do you code-switch?
• ARE YOU BILINGUAL?

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Final discussion questions

• Write your ideas about these questions and turn
  them in to your teacher
• What ways does your French classroom experience
  help you to communicate in French? (Remember the
  many dimensions of the notion communicate.)
• Do you consider yourself bilingual? Explain.
• This Power Point presentation is available at
• http//www.vanderbilt.edu/french_ital/faculty/sco
  tt