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Date Posted: 19:40:27 05/30/07 Wed
Author: Rodrigo Isaac
Subject: Peer editing to Joyce

UFMG - FALE
Produção de texto
Profa: Adriana Tenuta
Student: Joyce Lício Macedo

Task Two[WW] – Process Analysis Essay


Stages of the Second Language Acquisition Process

Second language acquisition, or SLA, is the process by which people learn languages in addition to their native language. We have all seen children move through the stages of acquiring their first language—from babbling to one-word utterances, two-word phrases, full sentences, and eventually, complex grammar. Acquiring a second language is a process that also involves several stages, all new learners of a language progress through the same stages to acquire it. The five-step language acquisition process can be broken into: Pre-Production, Early Production, Speech Emergence, Intermediate Fluency and Advanced Fluency.

Pre-Production, the first stage. This is the silent period and happens, during the first sixt [WW] months of the language acquiring process. At this stage English language learners may have up to 500 words in their receptive vocabulary but they are not yet speaking. Some students will, however, repeat every thing the teacher says. They are not really producing language but are parroting, most students understand more than they can produce. They can understand when someone talks to them but they cannot express their ideas in the same way. They can answer "yes" or "no, they will listen attentively and they may even be able to copy words from the board. They will be able to respond to pictures and other visuals. They can understand and duplicate gestures and movements to show comprehension.

After the silent period comes the Early Production stage. This stage may last up to one year and students will develop a receptive and active vocabulary of about 1000 words. During this stage, that la students usually can answer some "yes" or "no" questions,[SPACE]they use repetitive language patterns to express ideas and they try to express concepts by using one or two words only. They cannot find the words to make complete sentences. It is important to bear in mind that comprehension precedes production. This is especially true in SLA. One can always understand more of a language then you can produce.

The next stage is the Speech Emergence. In this stage, that happens about the third year, students have developed a vocabulary of about 3,000 words and can communicate with simple phrases and sentences. They will ask simple questions, that may or may not be grammatically correct. It is common to see thay[WW] they will start some short conversations.

The fourth stage is the Intermediate Fluency. When they get here, the students have been learning English for about five years and have a vocabulary of 6000 active words. They are beginning to use more complex sentences when speaking and writing and are willing to express opinions and share their thoughts. They also have the ability to formulate questions in order to ask for clarification.[P]. At this stage, students will use strategies from their native language to learn content in English. Student writing at this stage will have many errors as they try to master the complexity of English grammar and sentence structure. Many students may be translating written assignments from native language. They should be expected to synthesize what they have learned and to make inferences from that learning. Students in this stage will also be able to understand more complex concepts.

Finally we get to the last stage, Advanced Fluency. After approximately seven years, a student at this stage will be near-native in their ability to perform in the second language, although there may be some gaps specially[WW] when it comes to idiomatic uses of the language.

All students acquiring English will pass through these stages. Although there is an approximate time frame for each stage, the length of time students spend at each level will be as varied as the students themselves. By being aware of these stages, students can feel confident about their learning process and understand that acquiring a second language is a process that requires time and patience.


References:

Krashen, Stephen D. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Prentice-Hall International, 1987.

Jerrell, I.A. "Natural Approach to Second Language Acquisition." Modern Language Journal, 6, p. 325, 337

Comments: Joyce, your text is very well written, structured, and organized. I couldn’t identify many errors. The introduction of your ideas was excellent. In my opinion, your text is pretty fascinating. Maybe you should also use more transition signals to make the text more cohesive. Very good conclusion!

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