Adult bilinguals Overview n n n n

Adult bilinguals

Overview n n n n L 2 acquisition vs. learning The Benefits of Being Bilingual The evaluation of the act of communication Context of Bilingual Language Acquisition Age of Acquisition Domains of L 2 Use Social orientation Degree of Bilingualism

L 2 acquisition vs. learning acquisition learning nimplicit/subconscious nexplicit/conscious ninformal situations nuses language “feel” nuses language rules ndepends on attitude n. Depends on aptitude nstable order of acquisition nsimple to complex order of leaning

The Benefits of Being Bilingual Cognitive n n n Emotional understanding math concepts and n solving word problems more easily (Zelasko and Antunez, 2000); n developing strong thinking skills (Kessler and Quinn, 1980); using logic (Castro, Ayankoya, & Kasprzak, 2011); focusing, remembering, and making decisions (Bialystok, 2001); thinking about language (Castro et n al. , 2011); learning other languages ( Jessner, 2008). supports strong ties with culture, and community. bilinguals are also able to make new friends and create strong relationships in their second language (an important personal skill in our increasingly diverse society). show better self-control (Kovács and Mehler, 2009), which is a key indicator of success.

The evaluation of the act of communication n self evaluation by the speaker ¨ as a rule, we have our own inner evaluation such as “satisfactory” or “failed” every time we speak in L 2; we evaluate ourselves how fully and adequately we express our thoughts, ideas, feelings and wishes Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) can take 1 -3 years. n evaluation of the bilingual speaker by the native speaker ¨ the native speaker’s evaluation does not always coincide with ours n practice ¨ the real misunderstanding in fact will affect communication

Context of Bilingual Language Acquisition natural (primary) bilingualism achieved (secondary) bilingualism nacquiring two languages nthe person who becomes from the speakers around in an unstructured way; the process involves no teaching and no learning bilingual through systematic or structured teaching belongs to the second group

Context of Bilingual Language Acquisition Primary context / natural bilingualism: situations in which a child acquires both languages in a naturalistic setting without any structured instruction n Secondary context / school bilingualism: situations in which a child acquires one of the languages in a structured setting, usually school. n

Context of Bilingual Language Acquisition n Elective bilinguals: individuals who have some element of choice about learning a second language. n Circumstantial bilinguals: individuals who have no choice about learning a second language; indigenous colonized or minority groups.

Age of Acquisition n Possible factors: ¨neurological ¨aptitudes ¨attitude ¨identity and motivation ¨nature of exposure

Age of Acquisition n The different spheres of influence in a speaker’s life ¨family ¨friendship ¨religion ¨education ¨employment ¨etc.

Domains of L 2 Use n Interlocutors: a language relationship tends to evolve naturally. And once established, it is usually not easy to alter n Place or Location: work vs. home; physical location like neighborhoods n Topic: language of technical discourse or cooking, gardening, etc.

Social Orientation n Attitudes of bilinguals toward their bilingual status; n Attitudes toward the larger community; n Attitudes of the larger community toward them and their bilingual status.

Degree of Bilingualism active/productive nunderstanding + speaking; n(almost) naturally acquired L 2 passive/recessive nindividuals who are gradually losing competence in one language; ncommon among immigrants; noften loose productive skills while retaining receptive skills.

Degree of Bilingualism n Balanced Bilinguals ¨ Individuals fully competent in both languages (Lambert et al. 1959) ¨ Sociolinguistic forces demand that bilinguals organize their languages in functionally complementary spheres. No society needs two languages to perform the same set of functions. (Fishman 1972)

Degree of Bilingualism n Dominant Bilinguals n Individuals who are dominant in one language. ¨ Less dominant language = ‘subordinate. ’ ¨ Dominance does not apply to all domains.

Degree of Bilingualism n Semilinguals / Limited Bilinguals n Individuals who appear to have limited proficiency in both languages. Deficit in six language competencies: ¨ size of vocabulary ¨ correctness of language ¨ unconscious processing of language (automation) ¨ language creation ¨ mastery of the functions of language (e. g. , emotive, cognitive) ¨ meanings and imagery

Degree of Bilingualism n Subtractive bilingualism / differential bilingualism: Without first language support, the learning of a new language may entail the loss of that first language. n Additive bilingualism: an environment conducive to the development of the first language as well as the development of the second language results in the maintenance of both.

Question period

What do you mean by