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Learning Languages

When we say that someone knows a language, what do

we mean?

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What we know Degrees of knowledge Learning process Types of knowledge

Grammatical knowledge Sociolinguistic knowledge Strategic knowledge Discourse knowledge

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Degrees of knowledge 1 Learners can never know all of a

language Learners’ knowledge of a language

falls somewhere between knowing nothing and knowing everything

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Degrees of knowledge 2 Learning a language is a matter of

degrees There are some Japanese who

speak Japanese better than others There are some Japanese who

speak English better than others There is no one who knows

everything about a language

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Learning process Language learning consists of two

processes Comprehension Performance

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Comprehension Comprehension is understanding

what is said to us Comprehension comes before

performance Comprehension is internal; it

happens inside the mind

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Performance Performance is communicating our

thoughts to another person Performance comes after

comprehension We must understand what is said

before we can respond Performance is external; we can

hear what is said

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Comprehension & Performance

We can hear performances, but we cannot observe comprehension

As a result, we know more about performance than comprehension

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Types of knowledge Grammatical knowledge Sociolinguistic knowledge Strategic knowledge Discourse knowledge

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Grammatical knowledge Grammar knowledge includes The rules of grammar

Word order The rules for words

Singular and plural nouns The rules for sounds

Pronunciation of ed

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Learning grammar First language learners do not

really learn grammar rules Grammar is learned by

communicating with others Second language learners learn

grammar rules

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Sociolinguistic knowledge Language has two functions

Communicate information Form or maintain relations with other

people Second function requires

sociolinguistic knowledge How to use language appropriately

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Social function of language Greetings Requests Offers Apologies Expressions of gratitude

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What learners need to know When to use the expressions Which expressions to use

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Learning social functions For native speakers, appropriate

speech behavior is unconscious Language learners do not have

unconscious knowledge of what is appropriate speech behavior

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Strategic knowledge What to do when communication

breaks down When you don’t know how to express

something When your listener doesn’t

understand what you have said

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Communication strategies Speakers

Use other words Give examples Describe or define

Listeners Ask for repetition Ask for clarification Check understanding

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Learning communication strategies

Native speakers have more resources and as a result more strategies

Learners have to study to develop more communication strategies

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Discourse knowledge Understanding large chunks of language In writing

How sentences fit into a paragraph How paragraphs fit into an essay, article, or

book In speaking

How sentences fit together to make an introduction, body, and conclusion of a presentation

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Examples of discourse knowledge

Lectures and formal presentations Long discussions or conversations Jokes Newspaper and magazine articles Textbooks Novels

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Learning discourse knowledge Native speakers learn how to

combine sentences by interacting with other speakers Some discourse knowledge,

especially academic discourse, must be learned at school

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What we know about our language

Degrees of knowledge Learning process Types of knowledge

Grammatical knowledge Sociolinguistic knowledge Strategic knowledge Discourse knowledge