The Process of Linguistic Development of the Second Language - Term Paper Example

The paper "The Process of Linguistic Development of the Second Language " is an excellent example of a term paper on education. Among the most established myths regarding the learning of the second language (L2) is that an effective means to learn a target language is to stay abroad. Instinctively, the concept has emerged as a shared myth over time, triggering contemporary conjecture that staying abroad and engaging with the native speakers of a target language is the pathway to second language proficiency (Serrano 150; Lafford 1-2). Indeed, the belief has been widely perpetuated as a result of encouraging instructors and learners of the second language (L2) to travel to countries with the target culture or language (L2land) in order to learn the second language firsthand from the native residents (L2landers).

The first section of this chapter explores the definition of study abroad and study at home learning contexts and the distension between Instructed learning in the classroom (AH) and naturalistic learning (SA). It further explores the two types of learning contexts, the significance of SA context, and what is needed from the research to test the common notion( a folk belief) that studying abroad is better than foreign language classroom learning. The second section explores the process of linguistic development based examples of studies from early research 1980s when the first approaches to study abroad were based on general language tests, how they found a positive effect of study abroad as well as how students made more progress more than AH students. Specific aspects of the learner’s language are also examined. In the third section, factors that impact study abroad are discussed.

• • Definition of learning context

According to Lafford (3-4), crucial to the understanding of ‘context’ is clarifying how it should be defined. In Lafford’s (3-4) view, to appreciate the nature of the context within which a second language can be acquired, it is significant to take on “micro-level ‘-emic’ instead of macro-level –etic’” perspective.