3. 1. Success in first language learning
3
Differences in how well they use it
Better public speakers
Better writers
All normal children master their first
language
4. 1. Failure in second language learning
4
Most second language learners fail
More learners try to learn a language and fail than
learners who try and succeed
Learners fail in different degrees
Learners progress stops before complete success
5. 2. Strategies
5
All learners make generalizations
Simple past: played, walked, waited, comed
Only second language learners generalize from
their first language when they are learning a
second language
One sound, /r/, in Japanese
Separate sounds, /l/ & /r/, in English
6. 3. Goals
6
First language learners have no goals
Learning a first language is not under a child’s control
Second language learners have a variety of goals
Work & study
Enjoy music, movies, travel, etc.
7. 4. Intuitions
7
First language learners rely on their intuition (sense
of what sounds right) to decide if a sentence is
grammatical
Grammatical intuition for second language learners
never develops completely
8. 5. Instruction
8
Children never have formal lessons in their first
language
Children’s first language develops through communication
Most second language learners must have some
instruction
9. 6. Positive and negative evidence
9
Children only hear
Language that has no mistakes (positive evidence)
Second language learners hear
Language that has no mistakes
Explanations about mistakes and corrections of their mistakes
(negative evidence)
10. 7. Affective factors
10
First language learning is independent of affective
factors
Personality, motivation, attitude, etc.
Second language learning is dependent on affective
factors