Summarize the article - Essay Example

Understanding Second Languages The article “The Role of Aptitude in Learner Awareness of Gender Distinctions in French” by Philippa Bell is a research that seeks to determine the reasons behind the differences in the different levels of awareness of grammatical features especially on gender noun endings of the French language. In his literature review, Bell argues that learners of a second language have different abilities to notice grammatical features. In most cases, some learners will identify these features, but fail to understand how they are used.

Other learners will identify the features, know how they are formed, and comprehend how they mean and how they are used (Philippa, 616). Other learners will fail to identify them at all. The varying grammatical sensitivity, especially on grammatical features results in different processing strategies such as rule formation and hypothesis testing. Understanding the differences in levels of awareness, provide important information especially for linguistic teachers in order to make grammatical features more salient in a given input.

In this regard, learners who do not pay enough attention to the form as well as the meaning of a feature will understand them as in the case of communicative language teaching classroom (Philippa, 619). Additionally, understanding the difference in grammar features awareness among learners will assist in evaluating the significance of consciousness in understanding second languages. An aptitude test therefore assists in evaluating whether inputs provide incidental learning as well as the potential for learning other linguistic forms (Philippa, 619).

Additionally, many educational institutions that adopt the communicative language teaching methodology must evaluate whether the language learning aptitude test enables learners to notice language features during incidental exposure in order to understand the significance of incidental exposure in learning as a pedagogical tool.The research indicated a high correlation between individual learning ability and the level of awareness. In this case, the level of awareness and maintenance of a given level of awareness is predicted by indicative language learning.

The hypothesis was supported by 72 percent accuracy of the crossword puzzle exposure task. However, the research does not explain further the implication of this observation. In my view, the observation that language learning has no significant impact on determining the level of a learner’s awareness level in a meaning-based exposure to linguistic input is misguiding (Philippa, 624). In this regard, the outcome indicated that a learner with low language learning aptitude test results might not notice grammar features within a given input.

The approach is wrong because it is limited to meaning-based exposure. Additionally, the research has used a very small sampling size that may not represent the targeted population of students learning French as their second language. As a result, more research should be done to evaluate other aspects of attention control, phonology and working memory as well as integrate more aptitude tests on other features of the French and other languages (Philippa, 625). In conclusion, the research can be associated with other closely related researches on understanding second languages.

In this regard, researchers such as Daniel O. Jackson have looked on other aspects of understanding second languages such as the need for a favorable relationship between meta-linguistic awareness, the cognitive abilities of a learner and the degree of a learner’s experience. In his research, the writer explains the dynamics, interactions and integration of the three factors in increasing understanding of the second language (Daniel, 213).Works CitedDaniel. Jackson. Learner Differences in Metalinguistic Awareness: Exploring the Influence of Cognitive Abilities and Language Experience. (2014). Print.

Philippa Bell,. "Le Cadeau or La Cadeau? The Role of Aptitude in Learner Awareness of Gender Distinctions in French." Canadian Modern Language Review/ La Revue Canadienne Des Langues Vivantes 65.4 (2009): 616-643. Print.