Maturational Constraints in SLA

Linguistic Skills of Adult Native Speakers, as a Function of Age and Level of Education

“…In empirical studies of this issue (see reviews by Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson 2003;Birdsong 2006), L2 learners are typically tested on some measures of L2 proficiency, comparing their performance with that of NSs. But who are the NSs in such studies in terms of age and level of education?…”

Practice for Second Language Learning: Don’t Throw out the Baby with the Bathwater

“…Proceduralizing and (at least partially) automatizing such distinctions takes a very large amount of practice. Of course no degree of teaching and practice in the classroom will lead to 'perfect' knowledge of the language; it would be utterly naïve to expect that, given that even many years of residence in the target environment do not (Abrahamsson & Hyltenstam, 2009;DeKeyser, Alfi-Shabtay, & Ravid, 2010;DeKeyser & Larson-Hall, 2005;Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson, 2003). We agree, therefore, that 'practice does not make perfect,' but only in the sense that it is a necessary, not a sufficient feature of language instruction: "communicative practice (…) is not sufficient to lead learners to a high degree of fluency and accuracy in all aspects of second language acquisition," but "[w]hen practice is defined as opportunities for meaningful language use (both receptive and productive) and for thoughtful, effortful practice of difficult linguistic features, then the role of practice is clearly beneficial and even essential" (Lightbown, 2000, p. 443).…”

THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL ISSUES IN THE STUDY OF IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT SECOND-LANGUAGE LEARNING: Introduction

“…and in one's second language~L2!+ Although acquisition of an L1 results in full mastery of the language~provided that children are exposed to sufficient quantities of input and do not suffer from mental disabilities!, learners of an L2-even after many years of L2 exposure-differ widely in level of attainment+ How can we explain universal success in the case of L1 acquisition and differential success in the case of L2 acquisition? Among the many explanations that have been proposed, including brain maturation and brain adaptation processes~critical period!, access to Universal Grammar, L1 interference, and sociopsychological factors~see Hyltenstam & Abrahamsson, 2003, for a review!, one finds explanations that involve the notions of implicit and explicit learning+ Scholars working in different disciplines, in different theoretical schools, and sometimes using different terminology have argued that L1 acquisition~or at least the acquisition of L1 grammar! relies principally on processes of what we might now call implicit learning, whereas the acquisition of an L2 often relies on both implicit and explicit learning~Bley-Vroman, 1991;DeKeyser, 2003; N+ Ellis, this issue; R+ Ellis, 2004;Krashen, 1981;Reber & Allen, 2000!+ As concerns educational motivations, the extent to which implicit and explicit learning can be shown to explain the differential success of SLA is likely to determine their relevance for L2 instruction+ Curriculum planners, material designers, teachers, and learners all have a vested interest in knowing in which linguistic domains L2 learning might best benefit from implicit or explicit learning modes+…”