What are the benefits of the
formal and natural language environments? Can your students become bilingual
in these evironments?
When dealing with the
pros and cons of formal and natural language environments, and if students can
become bilinguals, one needs to think of the
learners who are sitting in class, their age group(s), and their learning preferences.
A formal language
environment can be quite beneficial and profitable for adult learners, but not
for young and very young learners. Adult learners, whose mother tongue have
been consolidated, start creating what Selinker called “interlanguage” in 1972
(Cook 1993). The interlanguage is the student’s external attempts to speak the
second language. This interlanguage is constantly shaped up and changed by
instruction (teacher’s guidance) in order to avoid transfers from the first
language as stated in 1957 by Lado (Cook 1993) and interference as pointed out in
1953 by Weinreich (Cook 1993). But some kind of formal instruction with (very)
young learners can prove fruitless since their cognitive development is just on
its way and not fully developed.
In the case of a
natural environment, it looks like it fits the young learners better rather
than the adults. Tracy Terrell, along with Stephen Krashen (1983) came up with
the methodology they called “The Natural Approach” aimed at helping learners
acquire the language in more natural contexts. But, the method has not been
that successful with adult learners who need to quench their desire to know
more about the rules governing language and social interactions.
Learners can become
bilinguals in any of the two learning environments but with very distinctive
differences. Adult learners, based on Weinreich’s studies dating 1953 (Cook
1993), will probably become coordinate
bilinguals or compound bilinguals.
On the other hand, children who are simultaneously learning two languages are
bound to become subordintate bilinguals,
the closest it can be to having a linguistic mastery in both languages.
Cook,
V. (1993). Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. Hampshire: Palgrave-Macmillan
Krashen, S. & Terrell, T.
(1983). The Natural Approach. Oxford: Pergamon Press
? To
fully comprehend the scope of this teaching reflections, it is highly advisable
that the following topics must be expanded further:
·
Formal language environments in SLA
·
Lado’s transfers in ELL
·
Selinker’s interlanguage in ELL
·
The Natural Approach
Professor Jonathan Acuña-Solano
ELT Trainer, Instructor &
Curriculum Developer based in Costa Rica
Contact Information:
Email: jonacuso@gmail.com
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Article
published on Sunday, May 4, 2014
How to quote this
blog entry:
Acuña, J. (2014, April 27).
What are the benefits of the formal and natural language environments? Can your
students become bilinguals in these environments? Retrieved from Reflective
Online Teaching Website: http://reflective-online-teaching.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-are-benefits-of-formal-and-natural.html
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