Job Discussion Forums

[biffinbridge]

Based on your own experiences do you think that,by and large,you consciously learned your second language or subconsciously acquired it through being in the L2 country and having had to function?Furthermore do you think that conscious learning can be distinguished from acquired learning?And, do you think that it is useful to 'teach' grammar as a system rather than a set of lexical chunks?Your opinion please not Krashen's.

[moonraven]

In my case, because it was necessary to write and produce theater in L2, I learned both ways--consciously and because I needed to function in the country.

I do not teach grammar through the ways you mentioned. I teach grammar primarily through situations. For example, today I was focusing on the Third Conditional. The students talked about bad decisions that they had recently made, the unfortunate results and then I wrote 3 on the board in the form of "If I had studied harder, I would have finished undergraduate school with my friends." They used that model to talk about other bad decisions (not necessarily their own) that had resulted in negative consequences--and which could have been avoided.

[matttheboy]

It all depends on the person. When i started to learn Spanish i rote learned the verb endings and the most common irregular verbs and then simply tried to pick up vocab from conversations. After my initial, basic self-teaching i didn't study any more and i guess have subconsciously (and unconsciously-practicing whilst under the influence is always helpful, a bit of dutch courage you know...) absorbed the language from newspapers, the TV and chatting to other people.

I know some people who came to south america not knowing anything and have never formally studied any spanish and are now fluent. I also know people who, despite having been here for over a year and taken formal classes can still barely say 'Hello'. Everyone learns, or doesn't learn, in a different way.

[Henry_Cowell]

For those of use who learned the language in the L2 country as adults, I don't think there's any way that we could have learned it "subconsciously" in the manner of an infant acquiring an L1 or a child learning an L2. Even reading newspapers and "absorbing" tenses and new vocabulary from context imply a conscious effort. I think we always monitor our progress and choices, especially if we are language teachers who have been taught to verbalise about grammar and phonology.

[Sweetsee]

Both. As a child I spent summer vacations in France and then studied in high school.

Japanese, picked it up. I would love to become a better speaker but lack the motivation as we speak English at home.

Definite distinction between studying and acquiring a language.

Interesting thread, bravo!


Enjoy your week,
s

[Kinyonga]

Hello All,

I am a newbie to TEFL and will be taking a certificate course from a local university this August. I have been reading over this board for several months, and this topic covers a question I have wanted to ask about for some time now.
I don't want to detract too much from the original thread here, but I have been wondering how extensively and intentionally EFL teachers pick up the language of the country or region in which they are teaching. I am sure there is a wide spectrum of answers, but I am curious specifically about those teachers who have no prior experience with the language before arrival. I ask, because one of my motivations for pursuing TEFL is to have the opportunity to live in a non-English speaking country and develop beyond mere survival skills in another language.

[Sweetsee]

Japanese proficiency requires a minimum 60 hours of instruction.

[Glenski]

[marblez]

[Sweetsee]

Glenski wrote:

"HUH?????"

Unintelligible remark. Seems pretty straightforward.


Marblez: Never said that.

[marblez]

[Sweetsee]

What about Canadian?

P.S. Evidence is a poor substitute for intuition.

[Henry_Cowell]

[Sweetsee]

Greetings Mr. Cowell,

The OP was asking about L2 language learning, I gave my opinion.
People want evidence, go figure.

Perhaps, I should have said Japanese is difficult to acquire without instruction, unlike most western languages where a person can pick them up by going to a country where it is spoken. For instance, I could move to Italy, get a job and within say 6 months, I could get by and the longer I kept at it the better I would get. Where as with Japanese, I could live here for 10 years or more, and if I never paid for and received instruction I may never become proficient, depending of course on my level of motivation. Working with Japanese or being in a relationship with someone who only speaks Japanese are two prime motivators.

More drivel I have posted, undoubtedly.

How's your week going so far, Mr. Cowell? May I also ask you where you are, if you don't mind my asking?


Enjoy yourself,
s

[web fishing]

Sweetsee wrote: