This lecture will present some key points of second language acquisition from the perspective of psychology. We will focus on three aspects: languages and brain, learning process, and differences in learners. This presentation will answer the following three questions:
1.What's the difference between monolingual and multilingual speakers in terms of the languages' location and organization in their brain?
2.How does the acquisition take place?
3.Why some second learners are more successful than others?
The conclusion is that:
1. Both L1 and L2 are typically housed in the left hemisphere, but multilingual learners show more right-hemisphere involvement.
2. Based on information processing, multidimensional Model, Processability, and the Competition Model are three approaches to show the certain elements are acquired in a fixed sequence.
3. The question of why some learners are more successful than others lead to examination of differences in the learners themselves. |