Factors Which Affect The Process Of Second Language Acquisition (Essay Sample)

Factors Which Affect The Process Of Second Language Acquisition
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There are several factors which affect the process of second language acquisition. Second language here refers to any language which is learned in addition to the individual’s first language; though this concept is referred to as a second language, it incorporates the learning of the subsequent languages after one’s first language (Saville, 2012). These factors influencing the second language acquisition are broadly grouped as internal and external. The sophisticated interplay of English language governs the speed and capacity at which the linguistic is learned.
Internal elements affecting the acquisition process of a second language are those factors that the language learner brings with them to the actual learning situation (Gonzalez, 2004). These factors include age, personality, motivation, cognition, and the native language.
English learning is prejudiced by the age of the student. Young people, who have concrete literacy abilities in their own linguistic, they mostly seem to have a better position learn a new language like English efficiently. Older people are also successful in learning English as their second language, though they do it through struggling to achieve the pronunciation and intonation like English native speakers.
Personality is another internal factor affecting the acquisition of English as a second language. Those learners who are introverted or those who are anxious usually make slower progress in their second language acquisition. This is particularly in their development of verbal skills. These learners are less probably to take an advantage of opportunities either to speak or to find such occasions. Most of the outgoing students do not worry about their certainty of making mistakes (Moyer, 2004). They do take great risks, and as a result, they give themselves more practice of the new language.
Motivation is also another internal factor affecting the acquisition of English as a second language. Motivation refers to the orientation of the learner with regard to the objective of learning the second language. It is divided into integrative and instrumental motivations. The integrative motivation is characterized by the positive attitudes of the learner towards the aimed language collection and the aspiration to incorporate into that language’s community (Edwards, 2008). Instrumental motivation inspires the objective to attain some social or commercial reward via second language accomplishment, therefore talking about a more practical reason for learning a language. In contrast to the integrative motivation is the other form of motivation usually known as instrumental motivation. This kind of motivation is characterized by the aspiration to obtain something which is practical or concrete from studying English as a second language (Moyer, 2004). The purpose of acquiring a second language is more of utilitarian with the instrumental motivation. This may be due to requirements which have to be met before graduating from school or university, job application, making a request for a higher pay due to enhancement in language ability, reading of a technical material, translational job or even aiming to achieve higher social status. Motivation in the instrumental form has been frequently a characteristic of acquiring second language, where slight or no social incorporation of the student into a certain community using the aimed philological takes place, or in some occasions it is even anticipated. A motivation which is intrinsic has been identified to correlate very strongly with the achievement of education. It is clear that learners who enjoy learning language and take vanity in their learning process perform better than those who do not. Another significant factor is extrinsic motivation. English as a Second Language students, who wish to study English in order to maybe take a place at universities or colleges in foreign countries, or those who want to communicate with their English friends are likely to make much more effort and as a result make greater progress (Edwards, 2008).
Both the influential and integrative motivation are very important elements of success. Motivation in the integral form has been established to withstand long term achievement when learning English as a second language. Integrative motivation is viewed as being of great importance in a formal studying environment than instrumental motivation (Gonzalez, 2004). Integrative motivation has continued to be emphasized, though currently the importance of instrumental motivation is also stressed. Conversely, it is imperative to note that influential motivation has only been recognized as an important factor in certain research, however integrative enthusiasm is continually interconnected to the fruitful acquisition of a second language. It has been established that usually learners select influential reasons more often than integrative motives for the study of linguistics. Those who do back up an integrative methodology to language learning are usually more greatly motivated and generally more successful in linguistic learning (Moyer, 2004).
One part where instrumental inspiration can ascertain to be efficacious is in the state where the student is provided with no occasion to use the objective language and thus, no chance to intermingle with members of the beleaguered group. The societal situation aids, to define both what kind of coordination students have and what form is most significant for language learning. English learners hardly select one arrangement of motivation when studying a second language, but moderately a combination of both locations.
Motivation is a very crucial factor in the second language learning accomplishment. For this motive, it is very crucial to identify both the form of combination of motivation that helps successfully in the second language acquisition. At the same period, it is essential to view enthusiasm as one of a quantity of variables in an elaborate model of interconnected individual and situational elements which are exclusive to each linguistic learner. Some of the numerous motives for the renewed curiosity of adults in learning include obtaining new skills essential for the workplace and planning for a foreign work transmission.
Experience is another internal factor affecting learning of English. English learners who have attained general knowledge and familiarity have a robust position to advance English as a new linguistic than those without general knowledge and experience. For instance, student who have lived in at least three nations and been exposed to several languages and different cultures have stronger foundations for learning a different language than those who have no such experiences (Edwards, 2008).
Another internal factor is cognition. This refers to the mental faculty or process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning. English learners with greater cognitive capabilities will make faster progress in learning English as their second language. There is a definite, inherent language studying capability which is stronger in some English learners than in others according to some linguists.
The other group of factors affecting the acquisition of English as a second language is the external factors. This refers to factors characterizing an English language learning situation. The curriculum is one of the factors. This refers to the topics within a certain learning subject. For students learning English as their second language, it is very crucial that the totality f their learning experience is suitable for their necessities. The learning of language is less likely to dwell if students are fully submerged into the ordinary program without any extra aid or, on the other hand, not permitted to be a portion of the convention until they have attained a certain level of linguistic proficiency.
Instructions issued to the learner by the instructor or course tutor play a major role in the English learning process. It is very clear that some language tutors are better when compared to others in the way they provide suitable and actual learning experiences for their students in their lessons (Edwards, 2008). This applies to mainstream teachers who teach second languages. Other subject’s teachers also have a role to play in helping students learn English as their second language. They should make positive accommodations, which will contribute to the students’ linguistic progress.
Culture and prominence is another factor affecting the acquisition process of English as a second language. It is evident that some students in places where their culture has a low eminence compared to that of the language they are studying, the linguistic makes deliberate progress.
Another external factor is motivation. Students who are continually given motivation either by their tutors and parents, they generally perform better in studies than those who are not given the motivation (Gonzalez, 2004). For instance, students emanating from those families which place little importance on learning English language are probably to make sluggish progress in understanding the language.
The other external factor is the access to the language native speakers. It is very important to give students an opportunity to interact with the native speakers of the language they are learning both within and outside their classrooms. Native speakers of a certain language are known to be linguistic models in that language and they provide appropriate feedback. Second language learners without access to the native speakers of the language usually progress slowly, particularly ...