AGE AND VOCABULARY ACQUISITION.TEACHER: LEONOR PAEZ.SUBJECT: METHODOLOGY.STUDENT: ADELA PEREZ DEL

VISODATE: 8 MAY 2012.

THE INFLUENCE OF AGE ON VOCABULARY ACQUISITION.

ANALYSIS OF THE FOLLOWING SOURCES:

Immaculada Miralpex Pujol

Thesis. 2008.Univers.

Barcelona.

Patsy LIGHTBOWN and

Nina SPADA. HOW LANGUAGES ARE

LEARNT.

Jeremy HARMER: THE PRACTICE OF

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING.

THE TOPIC REFERS TO AGE AND SECOND L. ACQUISITION.It is different from: INFLUENCE

OF AGE OF THE LEARNER DURING THE LEARNING PROCESS.

Our topic takes into account: Immigration and length of

residence.Critical period theory.Mastery of the spoken language. Age of Start.

MRS. MIRALPEIX PUJOL´S THESIS.The thesis focus on VOCABULARY ACQUISITION.

The author summarises other studies (In fact, they are referred to in Lightbown).

Mrs. M.Pujol states that other studies refer only to phonology and syntax and very few have dealt with vocabulary.

SYNTAX AND VOCABULARY ACQUISITION.

Neurological

differences between

syntax and vocabulary

Different brain

locations.

SO WHAT IS THE

INFLUENCE OF AGE?

Why focusing on LEXIS??• Vocabulary is

essential • When we go abroad:

WE TAKE A DICTIONARY.

• Other methods did not highlight vocabulary acquisition

• (Audiolingual/ Communicative)

• LEXICAL APPROACH. Michael Lewis.

• Large lexical collocations.

HOW TO MEASURE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION.NOT A WIDE RANGE OF

VOCABULARY ACQ. MEASURES.RECEPTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE

VOCABULARY.ARE THEY A CONTINUUM or ARE THEY TWO DIFFERENT

STAGES IN THE ACQUISITION OF A PIECE OF VOCABULARY?

RECEPTIVE VOCABULARYTHE PIECE OF VOCABULARY IS

RECOGNISED WHEN IT IS SEEN OR HEARD.

CERTAIN EXTERNAL SUPPORT IS REQUIRED.

PRODUCTIVE VOCABULARYIT IS A VOCABULARY WHICH IS

RETRIEVED FROM THE SPEAKER´S OR WRITER´S MEMORY

WHITHOUT EXTERNAL SUPPORT.

VOCABULARY MEASURESCertain vocabulary measures

focus on the difference between productive and receptive vocabulary.

But Mrs. PUJOL states that other kind of measures are required:

LEXICAL DIVERSITY.VOCABULARY SIZEHOW QUICK VOCABULARY IS

ACQUIRED BY THE LEARNERS.

VOCABULARY MEASURESNumber of RECOGNISED WORDS

required as the lexical threshold for TEXT COMPREHENSION: 3.000.-

HOW DO WE MEASURE THAT?In Pujol´s Thesis, the whole work

study different researchs delt on:Age and vocabulary acquisition.Vocabulary in formal and informal

contexts.Methods to obtain information.

LEARNING ENGLISH AS L2 IN EUROPEIN SPAIN, since 1990, English is

taught in primary school, since 8th Grade.

Students have the opportunity to go through a ten-years learning period.

In the whole Europe, a growing number of countries have brought down the age at which students start studying English.

WHAT AGE OF ACQUISITION MEANSFor Lightbown, AGE OF

ACQUISITION is one of the LEARNER´S CHARACTERISTICS, the easiest to define and measure.

Age of acquisition has been studied through immigration research.

Typically, children from immigrants speak the L2 with native-like fluency.

THE IDEA OF THE CRITICAL PERIOD. One explanation: A critical period fo L2

acquisition. A time when the brain is predisposed for success in L2 learning.

But for other positions: Difficulty to compare children and adults as L2 learners. Conditions for L. learning are different/ Other studies state that adults and adolescents are more successful.

More than just accent??Most studies have focused on

learner´s phonological achievement.

JOSEPH CONRAD: Poland/ American. Great writer.

MASTERY OF THE SPOKEN LANGUAGE: It is not only “lack of accent”, but also vocabulary range, and correct syntaxis.

What has AGE to do with this goals?

MARK PATKOWSKI´S studiesEven setting aside phonology, and

concentrating on syntaxis and lexis:ONLY THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAD BEGUN

LEARNING THE L2 BEFORE THE AGE OF 15 COULD ACHIEVE FULL, NATIVE-LIKE MASTERY OF THAT LANGUAGE.

The number of years in the target country is important, but mostly if they start when the subject is under 15.

IS YOUNGER REALLY BETTER?1978.Catherine Snow and Marian

Hoefnagel (from Holland): a Dutch-learning study.

They measured children, adolescents and adults;

Pronunciation, sentence repetition, storytelling, understanding (auditory discrimination).

THEY TESTED THE INFLUENCE OF AGE ON SPEED IN LEARNING.

SNOW´S FINDINGSOlder learners can attain high

levels of proficiency in their L2. We should not jump to hurried conclusions about the necessity of the earliest possible start.

Age factor cannot be separated from factors like motivation, social identity and learning conditions.

Older learners may want to be identified with their L1 cultural group.

IT DEPENDS ON THE GOALSWhen the goal is to achieve a native-like

mastery of the language: it is desirable to be immersed in the language quite soon.

When the goal is basic communicative ability,and the language will remain the L2, it is more efficient to begin LATER.

When there are only a few hours per week, learners who start later, at 10 or 12, catch up with those who began earlier.

If they had started earlier, they would probably fell frustrated by the lack of progress.

THANK YOU !!