2. 2
What we know
Degrees of knowledge
Learning process
Types of knowledge
Grammatical knowledge
Sociolinguistic knowledge
Strategic knowledge
Discourse knowledge
3. 3
Degrees of knowledge 1
Learners can never know all of a
language
Learners’ knowledge of a language falls
somewhere between knowing nothing
and knowing everything
4. 4
Degrees of knowledge 2
Learning a language is a matter of
degrees
There are some Japanese who speak
Japanese better than others
There are some Japanese who speak
English better than others
There is no one who knows everything
about a language
6. 6
Comprehension
Comprehension is understanding what
is said to us
Comprehension comes before
performance
Comprehension is internal; it happens
inside the mind
7. 7
Performance
Performance is communicating our
thoughts to another person
Performance comes after
comprehension
We must understand what is said before
we can respond
Performance is external; we can hear
what is said
8. 8
Comprehension & Performance
We can hear performances, but we
cannot observe comprehension
As a result, we know more about
performance than comprehension
10. 10
Grammatical knowledge
Grammar knowledge includes
The rules of grammar
Word order
The rules for words
Singular and plural nouns
The rules for sounds
Pronunciation of ed
11. 11
Learning grammar
First language learners do not really
learn grammar rules
Grammar is learned by communicating
with others
Second language learners learn
grammar rules
12. 12
Sociolinguistic knowledge
Language has two functions
Communicate information
Form or maintain relations with other
people
Second function requires sociolinguistic
knowledge
How to use language appropriately
13. 13
Social function of language
Greetings
Requests
Offers
Apologies
Expressions of gratitude
14. 14
What learners need to know
When to use the expressions
Which expressions to use
15. 15
Learning social functions
For native speakers, appropriate
speech behavior is unconscious
Language learners do not have
unconscious knowledge of what is
appropriate speech behavior
16. 16
Strategic knowledge
What to do when communication
breaks down
When you don’t know how to express
something
When your listener doesn’t understand
what you have said
17. 17
Communication strategies
Speakers
Use other words
Give examples
Describe or define
Listeners
Ask for repetition
Ask for clarification
Check understanding
18. 18
Learning communication strategies
Native speakers have more resources
and as a result more strategies
Learners have to study to develop more
communication strategies
19. 19
Discourse knowledge
Understanding large chunks of language
In writing
How sentences fit into a paragraph
How paragraphs fit into an essay, article, or book
In speaking
How sentences fit together to make an
introduction, body, and conclusion of a
presentation
20. 20
Examples of discourse
knowledge
Lectures and formal presentations
Long discussions or conversations
Jokes
Newspaper and magazine articles
Textbooks
Novels
21. 21
Learning discourse knowledge
Native speakers learn how to combine
sentences by interacting with other
speakers
Some discourse knowledge, especially
academic discourse, must be learned at
school
22. 22
What we know about our language
Degrees of knowledge
Learning process
Types of knowledge
Grammatical knowledge
Sociolinguistic knowledge
Strategic knowledge
Discourse knowledge
Editor's Notes
If I say that Ms. X can speak a language well, what can she do? To learn a language what do we have to learn?
When I lived in Massachusetts, I knew nothing of Japanese. I knew where Japan was, but I didn’t know anything about the language. In California, my roommate was Japanese-American, and I picked up some words. I knew some of the language, but certainly not very much of it. After a few months in Japan, I had learned more, but you wouldn’t say that I knew Japanese. Today – 27 years later – I know a lot more. You could say that I know Japanese, but there is still an awful lot that I don’t know.
For learners learning their first language. Who is a fluent speaker of Japanese? For learners learning a second or third language. Who is a good speaker of English?
Performance can be speaking, signing, writing
When we talk about learning a language, we often think of learning grammar. Grammar rules: word order Morphology is concerned with rules related to the internal organization of words. Parts of words that change a words function or meaning, e.g., s changes nouns to plural, un- changes a word to one with the opposite meaning (happy – unhappy), and –ly changes an adjective to an adverb (quick – quickly) Phonology is concerned with the rules governing sound, ie., pronunciation of words. For example, /ng/ in ring never appears at the beginning of English words, the pronunciation of /ed/ at the end of verbs. /ed/ is pronounced /t/, /d/ or /id/ If the simple form ends with the voiceless sounds /f/, /k/, /p/, /s/, /sh/, /ch/, /ks/, then pronounce -ed as / t /: laugh laughed, wish wished, look looked If the simple form ends with the voiced sounds /b/, /g/, / j/, / m/, /n/, /ng/, /l/, /r/, I th l, / v/, /z/, or with a vowel, then pronounce -ed as /d/: rob robbed, call called, brag bragged If the simple form of the verb ends with the sounds / t / or I d /, then pronounce -ed as an extra syllable /id/: start started, need needed, wait waited
Later in the semester we’ll discuss if learning grammar rules is effective or not.
Brief example – titles and names You will hear many Americans refer to each other by their first names. With friends and peers this is almost always acceptable. I never would call Arthur-sensei anything but Rebecca; I don’t think I would ever call Ueno-sensei Yuji. Bosses and employees also often call each other by their first names too. However, only after one, usually the higher ranked, says to use his or her first name. You can call professors by their first names, but only after they invite you to do so.
Strategy = plan Give examples
Even narratives. Use discourse knowledge story
For discourse knowledge more similarities between native speakers and second language learners
