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4.1Adults’ SLA Guided by the Acquisition/Learning Hypothesis..15
4.2Adults’ SLA Guided by the Input Hypothesis.16
4.3Adults’ SLA Guided by the Monitor Hypothesis....17
4.4 Adults’ SLA Guided by the Natural Order Hypothesis ...17
4.5 Adults’ SLA Guided by the Affective Filter Hypothesis..17
5 The Teaching Model forAdults in SLA...19
5.1 Conscious Cognitive Process in a Natural Environment in SLA.19
5.2 Reflectin on the Teaching Model..23
6 Conclusion..25
Bibliography..26
1 IntroductionAs the world is becoming a more connected network, a second or foreign language is nearlypenetrating into every aspects of our life, from a small foreign sign in the street to a big businessnegotiation with foreigners. As a result, second language acquisition is always deemed as a priorityof study in linguistics, especially in applied linguistics. It is not a long way to trace the history ofSLA, It was during the 1970s that Second language acquisition was accepted as a separatediscipline; Then, it experienced a rapid shift in its emphasis of study. Before 1970, SLA wascentered on a discussion of teaching methodology. After 1970, the focal point was increasinglyrelated to the SLA leaner himself. Learner was considered to play a tremendously significant role inthe acquisition of a second language. From then, spotlight was put on the learner in SLA study.Accordingly, this paper will attach the importance of the learners themselves to the development ofthe new teaching model, paying great attention to the characteristics of adults as second languagelearners.
The study of SLA is inclusive, which consists of the study of psychology, linguistics, sociology,anthropology, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and neurolinguistics, among others. (ChengXinhua, 2008: 108) There are three interrelated goals for linguistics, one of which is to discoverhow children acquire their native language. Besides, it is widely accepted that children live in aperiod during which they can acquire a second language more easily than any other time. So, for along time, no matter in the study of L1 acquisition or L2 acquisition, children’s SLA is alwaysbelittling other aspects of study, ignoring the distinctive features of adults’ SLA. Without taking thecharacteristics of adults into consideration, the educators tend to confuse the teaching of adults withthe teaching of children in SLA, which also, to some extent, impedes the progress of adults in SLA.From the interview we make towards the English major college students in SLA, we can find outsome characteristics of adults’ SLA, as well as some problems existing in nowadays SLA teachingmodel. In comparison with the children learners, the adult learners, in fact, have some advantages inSLA as learners. They have a clearer logical thinking ability and a deeper comprehension towardsthe context. But today’s second language teaching do not make the appropriate teaching model for the adults, in reverse, the teachers teach the adult students the same way they do to children.Besides, it can not be denied the function of teachers to give instructions to students, but whetherthe adult students really acquire the language through the instructions is another thing. How toconvert the conscious learning from the teachers into the actual subconscious acquisition oflanguage is paid great attention for all the educators and language researchers.Nowadays, adult’s SLA now is attracting more and more attention from teachers, as well aslinguists than before. The popularity on adults’ SLA is mainly based on the two developments.Firstly, an increasing number of adults have the initiative to learn a second language, mostly due tothe demanding job requirement. They continue or start their language study during the adulthood atthe university or other language educational organizations. Thus the teachers embark on a new ideawhether the children’s SLA is similar to adults’ SLA and its method is adaptable to adults. Secondly,the linguists began to recognize the distinctive characteristics of adults in SLA from the latetwentieth century. Admittedly, the speed and success of second language learning varies betweeninpiduals and largely affected by the environmental characteristics and learner characteristics.