Second Language Acquisition

(SLA)
Week 1
Course Syllabus
Week # Main Topic Sub-topics Readings to be discussed
1 Introducing SLA What is SLA A
2 Key issues in SLA The nature of Language learning B
3 Foundation of SLA L1 versus L2 A
Framework for SLA
4 Interlanguage and the natural route What is interlanguage? B
of development
5 Variability in interlanguage School of thoughts of interlanguage B
6 The linguistics of SLA The nature of language, Universal Grammar, Functional approaches A
7 The psychology of SLA Languages and the brain, Differences in learning, The effect of multilingualism A
8 Social contexts of SLA Communicative competence, Microsocial factors, Macrosocial factors A

9 Acquiring knowledge for L2 Use Competence and Use, Components of language knowledge A
10 Input Interaction and SLA Receptive activities, Productive activities B
11 L2 learning and teaching Integrating perspectives, Approaching near-native competence A
12 Learners strategies Implications for L2 learning and teaching B
13 Projects in SLA Interdisciplinary perspectives of SLA A, B
Related Journals
14 Review and Wrap up Class-disccussion
Reflection
Reading Materials
Saville, Muriel- Troike, 2006. Introducing Second Language Acquisition.
Cambridge.

Ellis, Rod. 2010. Understanding Second Language Acquisition. Oxford University

Press.
Discuss these two questions!
1. What is “second” language?
2. Why learning “second” language?
Compare your answers
• Second language, or the additional language, refers to any language
learned after the mother tongue. Second language may be the third
or the fourth language learned (Ellis, 2010).
• Reasons for learning second language:
a. obtaining education
b. securing employment
Second language acquisition
SLA is defined as the way in which people learned language, other than the mother
tongue, in and outside the classroom.

As an area of language study, SLA covers research and investigations of informal

second language learning (natural context) and the formal one (classroom context).
The research areas of SLA includes such studies as:
a. pronunciation of L2 (how pronunciation changes over time)
b. grammar of L2 (an analysis of written text produced by l2 learners)
c. internal and external factors encouraging L2 learning to occur
d. the cognitive mechanism of L2 learning.
e. etc.
Research in SLA
Three basic questions:
1. What exactly does the L2 learner come to know?
2. How does the learner acquire this knowledge?
3. Why are some learners more successful than the others?

There are huge varieties of results of the above questions.

Lecturer
Salimah (first half of the semester) (o81355622882) wa only
Lilla Musyahda (second half of the semester)
Reading Task
• Read the related section and draw a “simple map” of your
comprehension.