ROLES OF PRIMARY LANGUAGE IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

The native language or the primary language of any language learner has numerous roles in the learning or acquiring of a second language. For the purpose of this paper, I would like to use learning and acquiring a language as two interchangeable terms like some experts believe. This is contrary to Stephen Krashen who differentiated language learning from language acquisition.

Peresuh and Masuku examined the role of primary language in learning. “It shows that the first language acts as a sort of a “gatekeeper” i.e. filtering and interpreting mechanism within which subsequent concepts are best developed. My experience when I was starting to learn English as my second language showed that concepts needed to be formed in my mind using my Filipino native language. When concepts formed visual representations in my mind, I started to interpret them in my native language and translate them to English before speaking and writing them in English. There was a delay in my responses due to process involving a native language and the target language.

In recognizing how knowledge in the native language transfers to the second language, Professor Henji Hakuta mentioned in his video lecture that “the strength of development of the native language is going to transfer to the second language.” Hakuta believed that children who have strong native language development will also have strong first-language development; if they are weak in the first language, they will be weak in the second language.

A number of my experiences teaching English learners of different countries at the British School in Manila revealed that when children were learning English language specifically when speaking and writing, they deliberately fall back upon their native language. I found this amusing. My experience is also supported by the research done by Peresuh and Masuku which stated, “the primary language is used so that the child gets the opportunity to learn the basic concepts in his own language and to give him freedom to express himself without the inhibitions imposed by an insufficient mastery of the medium of instruction. It is hoped that the child will use his primary linguistic skills in acquiring the second language.”

WHAT TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROLE OF PRIMARY LANGAUGE IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISTION AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

There are a number of things that teachers need to know regarding the role of the primary language in learning a second language. An effort by teachers to understand these roles is essential, especially in the United States where there have been an increasing number of English learners due to the influx of immigrants from various parts of the globe.

Professor Hakuta stated that the need to undo what was learned in the first language in order to learn the second language was overwhelming for the child. Teachers need to understand that there are many aspects of the second language acquisition which complement the native language. Most, if not all languages, have their verbs, subjects, prepositions, etc. Each language may be different in terms of grammatical structure but they are also share a universal grammar in many ways.

There are instances where English learners have difficulty learning the syntax and orthography of the English language because their primary language syntax and orthography is very different from English. An example of such language difference is Filipino and Spanish versus English. To my understanding, all words in Spanish and in Filipino are pronounced according to set of rules that do not vary. Words are enunciated phonetically with combinations of only short vowel sounds; whereas, English has numerous sets of sight or high frequency words. A Filipino or Hispanic child might read the English word “one” as o-neh or au-neh.

Koreans and Chinese usually have difficulty enunciating words with the letter “R” and this is often also reflected in their writing. Professor Hakuta believe that it is important for teachers to decide which are the important kinds of errors that need attention. There are numerous suggestions found in different research done by different experts on how to effectively teach English language learners. Some are practical and some are ambitious. However, professor Hakuta opined that research does not really have that much to say about how to go about deciding what needs to be addressed. They are dependent on the decisions that are made based on the level of the classroom teacher.

SOCIAL AND STRUCTURAL CONTRASTS BETWEEN ENGLISH AND ANOTHER LANGUAGE

There are social and structural differences between the English language and foreign languages. Every language has a social and a structural function. The social function of each language is attached to the culture in which it is spoken.

Allow me to first discuss the structural contrast between English and other languages. For British and Americans, greeting someone “How are you?”once, twice or thrice a day is normal but doing the same in the Philippines is too much and seems odd. The greeting how are you for Filipinos is usually used to signify deep excitement to see someone with whom one has lost touch for quite a while.

Another example of social function of language contrasting with English language is addressing someone with respect. In Spanish, when one addresses someone in Spanish, the speaker uses “usted” to signify formality and respect and “Tu” to indicate familiarity. This has no counterpart in the English language unless one addresses someone as sir or ma’am, which has another equivalent in Spanish.

Professor Hakuta specifically mentioned that English is predominantly linear in its patterns and Oriental languages are marked by indiscretion. This means that when communicating, English speakers are more direct than speakers of Oriental languages. An example is when statements turned into questions to emphasize demands. For instance, an American will say, “Stop, when you see a red light.” For some people speaking in different language they would rather say, “Can you stop when you see a red light?” For some cultures being straightforward is a sign of arrogance and hostility. This is true in Filipino provincial society.

Aside from the social functions of language, English has a different structural pattern from many languages. To show negation in English, the negative words such as never, no, not are placed after the auxiliary verbs. For example is “I cannot, can never, can no longer drive.” In Spanish, the negation word no is always placed before the verbs but in French negation words non and pas come before and after the verbs respectively.

For apostrophe S, English language marks apostrophe S after the object or person’s name to show possession. But as shown in the video Guided Speaking Skills by Ms. Linda Tong, apostrophe S does not exist in Chinese language in order to show possession. In Spanish, there is never an apostrophe S to signify possession. It is also with the use of de or del.

Another difference is the placement of subject and verbs in sentences both in writing and speaking. A sentence, “You want coffee?” will be translated to Filipino as “Gusto mo kape?” If I were to follow the English logical arrangement of the Filipino this words, it will become “Mo Gusto Kape?” which is a ridiculous yet understandable way of coming up with the same meaning.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS

Fillmore and Snow suggested that “an understanding of linguistics can help teachers see that the discourse patterns they value are aspects of their own cultures and background; they are neither universal nor inherently more valid than other possible patterns. Without such an understanding, teachers sometimes assume that there is something wrong with the students whose ways of using language are not what they expect”(2000: p. 5).

It is also important to be familiar with the culture where a particular language is spoken. “In some cultures, for example, children are encouraged to listen rather than to ask questions of adults. Only rude and poorly reared children would chatter away in the presence of an authority figure like the teacher”(p.9).

Fillmore and Snow also suggested courses which teachers need to take in order to understand English learners better. These courses include Language and Linguistics, Language and Cultural Diversity, Sociolinguistics for Educators in a Linguistically Diverse Society, Language Development, Second Language Learning and Teaching, The Language of Academic Discourse, Text Analysis and Language Understanding in Educational Settings.

Technology can also be used to alleviate the problems. With modern technology, there are a variety of ways to catch the interest of the English language learners while they are learning English. There are many interactive games that help teach English content and structure. The internet, a facet of modern technology, can provide almost unlimited reading materials that will help teachers understand and help English learners. However, Professor Hakuta mentioned that the level of the teachers determines which concerns of English learning are given primary focus.

CONCLUSION

Researchers and experts have made several suggestions on how to effectively educate English language learners. Some suggestions might be costly or laborious for the teachers. Experts themselves have different and sometimes conflicting views about second language acquisition. I am overwhelmed by the richness of information that there is for this student population.

On the other hand, I agree with Professor Hakuta when he states that the decision is for the teachers to make. Of primary importance is the sensitivity of the teacher towards culture and language. We teachers need to free our minds from stereotypes, prejudice, and preconceived notions regarding certain cultures. We need to embrace the reality that diversity exists in our society.

We must take steps to prepare ourselves to be better teachers. We need to understand the cultures of our students in order to connect with them. We also need to better understand the syntax, the semantics and the pragmatics of the English language in order to guide our students to a successful second language acquisition. If we do not understand English then we are like the blind leading the blind.

Remember…we cannot teach something we do not know.