TSL 426 B.
Ed TESL Cohort 4
Question 1:
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TSL 426 [Link] TESL Cohort 4
Second Language Learning Barriers
Nowadays, everybody does not only need to be expert in their mother tongue but
they also need to master a second language. For us, Malaysian, we need to
learn English Language. However, learning second language is not really easy.
There are few difficulties that we face when we learn a second language.
Cultural meaning
When we learn second language, we sometimes have problem in identifying the
meanings of the words and it is difficult for us to recognize and utilize the grammar of
the language. Basically, language varies in every culture and this variety poses
background knowledge in everybody. Each language of a culture is unique and the
users of a language mostly utilize the knowledge they gain from their first language to
interpret the messages conveyed by language of other culture. Steven H. McDonough
(1995, p. 37) attributes the problems of second language acquisition to pre-existing
knowledge as he asserts ‘ meanings extracted using knowledge of the language and
knowledge of the world and the topic to constrain the possibilities, and a
representation of the authors’ or speaker’s meaning constructed’. Consequently, the
difficulty of learning the language emerges as languages do not share exactly the
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same meanings in terms of structure, content and context as they function differently
in each respectively culture. For instance, Some Malaysian inclines to use our first
language, Bahasa Malaysia, as tools in learning English language as our second
language especially in adopting direct translation of words available in the language.
Language aptitude
There are times when we speak the second language; we sometimes make
errors unconsciously in spite of our correct knowledge about the language.
Everybody has the natural cognitive ability to acquire second language which is
known as Language aptitude. It is an intrinsic of our general intelligence.
However, everybody has different extent to which their language aptitude
functions. John Carroll (1981) identified four components of language aptitude.
First, it is phonemic coding ability which is the ability to identify the sounds of the
second language and manipulate sound-symbol relationship. Second, it is
grammatical sensitivity which is the ability to recognize the grammatical functions
of words in sentences. Third, it is inductive language learning ability which is the
ability to identify pattern of correspondence and relations between form and
meaning. Lastly, it is rote learning ability which is the ability to form and
remember associations between stimuli. The last one is important for vocabulary
learning. The presence of language aptitude is manifested when it comes to the
classroom learning of second language. None of the student has existing
knowledge about the language but some students grasp the language faster than
the others. Although language aptitude influences somebody’s ability to learn
second language but it does not differ a lot in people and efforts still play a
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crucial role in the learning process. In fact, language aptitude is impotent without
effort.
Lack of motivation
One of the reasons we cannot really master a second language because we do
not have any drive to put much efforts in learning it. In learning second language,
motivation has a vital role in determining our inclination towards the mastery of
the language. It involves the attitude and affective states that influence the
degree of effort that we make to learn second language. However, if we lack the
motivation, we will not embark on any effort to learn the language. There are four
types of motivation that we might not have in learning the language. First,
instrumental motivation; we do not make efforts to learn a second language
because we have no functional reason for doing it such as examination, job
application or university entrance. Second, integrative motivation; we do not want
to learn a second language because we are not interested to the target of the
language which is the people and culture. As Malaysian, we do not want to learn
English language because we are not interested in the native speakers of the
language as well as the culture it prevails on. The third type of motivation is
resultative motivation which is the motivation that is a result of a successful
learning of the language. This motivation is unique as it can incline somebody to
be more or less motivated to learn a second language. As for Malaysia, English
language has become a common language which everybody masters really well.
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We might reduce our efforts to learn the language due to our good command of it
because we feel our national language, Bahasa Malaysia, is threatened. The last
motivation, intrinsic motivation, is slightly general as it deals with our natural
interests and curiosity of learning the second language.
Individual Preference
In learning a second language, we are sometimes affected by a strong element
of reluctance or embarrassment in attempting to learn or use the language. Our
personality can actually influence the degree of anxiety and our preparedness to
take risks in learning and using a second language. The fact that the language is
not really practiced in the context we are in always prompts us not to learn or use
the language. When we are in our workplace, we do not want to speak the
second language because everybody speaks the first language. Apart from that,
our preferred style may influence our overall orientation to the learning of the
language and the kind of input we find easiest to work with. For instance, our
reluctance to learn a second language might also due to dull textbooks,
unpleasant classroom surroundings or an exhausting schedule of study or work.
Basically, if we are stressed, uncomfortable, self-unconscious or unmotivated, we
are unlikely to learn anything.
Conclusion
There are always reasons why we face difficulty in learning a second language.
The four main affective factors which lead to the barriers are: cultural meaning,
language aptitude, lack of motivation and individual preference. However, no
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matter what difficulty we face, it still depends on our efforts to learn a second
language. When there is a will, there is a way.
Reference
Ellis. R (2002) “Second language acquisition” Hong Kong: Oxford Press.