SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN THE USE OF THE MONITOR

The monitor theory refers that adults have two independent systems for developing their ability in second languages; these systems are:

· Subconscious language acquisition

· Conscious language learning

Language acquisition is very similar to the process children use in acquiring first and second languages. They interact meaningfully and are more concerned with the messages they are transmitting and receiving than the form of their utterances. Error correction and explicit teaching of rules are not relevant to language acquisition.

On the other hand, error correction and the presentation of explicit rules are a good help to conscious language learning; students progress from simple to complex structures.

The monitor theory’s hypothesis says that there is an inter-relation between acquisition and learning in the adult. There are important limitations on the use of the Monitor:

· The first condition is that in order to successfully monitor, the performer must have time, and performers normally do not have time to focus on conscious grammatical rules, so this condition is not enough.

· The second condition is that the performer must be “focused on form”, or correctness.

· Finally, the performer needs to know the rule and apply it correctly.

Therefore, it is very difficult to apply conscious learning to perform successfully. Situations in which all three conditions are satisfied are unusual being the most obvious a grammar test.

There are some individual variations in second language performance; mainly there are three types of performer:

§ Monitor “overusers” are performers who feel they must “know the rule” for everything and do not totally trust their feel for grammar in the second language.

§ Monitor “underuser”, who seems to be totally dependent on what he can pick up of the second language, they normally do not perform well on grammar tests; however, they can use quite complex structures.

§ The optimal user is the performer who uses learning as a real supplement to acquisition, monitoring when it is appropriate, they achieve the illusion of native speaker competence in written performance.

ATTITUDE AND APTITUDE

Language aptitude and language attitude are not related to each other. Aptitude may be directly related to conscious learning; it refers to acquirers’ orientations toward speakers of the target language, as well as personality factors. The right attitudinal factors produce two effects: they encourage useful input for language acquisition and they allow the acquirer to be “open” to this input so it can be utilized for acquisition.

If the direct relationship between acquisition and attitudinal factors exists, and if our major goal in language teaching is the development of communicative abilities, then attitudinal factors and motivational factor are more important than aptitude because conscious learning makes only a small contribution to communicative ability.

FORMAL AND INFORMAL LINGUISTIC ENVIRONMENTS

Many studies show that formal learning environments are best for attaining second language proficiency and some others show that informal environments are better. Informal environments are conductive to acquisition, while the formal environment has the potential for encouraging both acquisition and learning.

The domain of the conscious Grammar: The Morpheme Studies

The value of these studies is considerable, these show:

· The order of acquisition

· When performers are using conscious grammar

When performers are focused on communication and not form, adult errors in English are quite similar to errors made by children acquiring English as a second language. This natural order is interrupted when second language speakers monitor focusing on form.

Current research in the “morpheme studies” supports the hypothesis that second language performers use the conscious grammar completely only when they have to do extreme “discrete-point” grammar tests that evaluate knowledge of rules and vocabulary in isolation.

Conclusion

In my point of view, in order to get competence in a second language it is necessary both conscious and unconscious learning, it is important to acquire language and to follow a specific program which can lead to successful learning; one can have a great deal of aptitude to learn a language but if this person does not have attitude it is going to be difficult to achieve this purpose; because attitude has much to do with motivation which is fundamental to succeed.

Children learn quickly in an informal environment their first language; I have experienced that with my daughter, however they learn quickly because they do not have another option, they need to communicate and express their necessities as fast as possible. On the other hand when someone wants to learn a second language needs a more formal environment in which he or she can acquire and learn.