Entry 2: Interview with a Second Language Learner
For this interview, I decided interview my husband Alberto Martinez, who I believed would be a great source and insight into what learning a second language as a pre-teen is like. Alberto speaks about how he came to the United States as a 12-year old with only basic knowledge of English, like memorizing shapes, colors, and letters through formal instruction (Ortega, 2013, p.6). Although he did receive some basic instruction in English while still living in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Alberto recounts how being placed in ESL (English as a Second Language) classes from 6th to 9th grade helped him acquire his new, L2, language in a more formal setting (Ortega, 2013, p.6).. He also made a very interesting comment regarding both his and my fluency in English. When asked how he feels his English is compared to mine, he states that, "You speak English well but I seem to be a better at grammar than you." This particular comment made me realize that Alberto had to put in more effort, as an older child who was learning English, than I and that is probably why is is better at grammar.
Interviewing my husband was interesting because I learned that even though we speak English well, we both went through different ways of acquiring it. He received most of his instruction formally while in a school setting, while also coming home to watching American television with sub-titles to help him form more concrete connections. It is also interesting to see and learn about how far he was able to get while in school given that his "critical and sensitive period" as mentioned by Ortega was coming close to reaching the end, "A child learning an L2 language only has a small window of opportunity in which they can learn a second language with ease before reaching puberty" (2013, p. 13).
**The video is a bit shaky and his audio is quite low.**
Click here to watch my interview with Alberto.
Hi Jessica! I found it interesting that your husband brought up the point that he seems to do better with English when it comes to grammar since he was instructed formally at school. However, you excel in speaking English because you learned to speak it in a more natural setting. Ortega states that SLA researchers discovered that “there are developmental solutions for a given area of the grammar that L1 and L2 learners must naturally and universally traverse on their path to final competence in that area” (2013, p. 34). Additionally, I like that you mentioned that your husband learned his L2 as a preteen rather than as a young child or adult since this likely influenced his proficiency.
ReplyDeleteHello Krystal! Thank you so much for your comment. As I continue to learn more about second language acquisitions, I find it interesting that Albert's age did not play a determining part in him acquiring a new language past his "critical period". According to Ortega, "If bilingualism and language activation/dominance effects operate across all ages, then the explanatory onus would subtly move away from biology and on to changes in the brain and in cognitive processing that are shaped by the experience that results from being exposed to more than language simultaneously or sequentially across varying ages" (2013, pg.27). I strongly believe that Albert's immersion in English dominated environment in which he found himself helped him in acquiring and retaining his L2.
DeleteHi Jessica! I enjoyed watching your interactions with your husband in the interview. Since your husband came over to America when he was twelve, he only had basic knowledge of concepts such as shapes, colors, and letters in English. He learned the bulk of his English in his ESL classes in middle school. According to Ortega, there may be a critical and sensitive period for children to learn their second language (2013, p. 12). “As a result, there may be a ceiling to L2 learning, in the sense that it may be impossible to develop levels of L2 competence that are isomorphic to the competence all humans possess in their mother tongue” (2013, p. 12). Despite being past the ideal age for learning another language, your husband was able to become fluent in English, which is impressive. Like Krystal and you had said, I also thought it was interesting how your husband is better at writing and grammar whereas you were better in speaking English.
ReplyDeleteHello Angela! I'm glad you enjoyed watching my husbands interview. I agree that even though he was past his critical period, like Ortega mentions, he is fluent in his L2. Much of his success can be attributed to the help he received in his ESL classes while in middle school and his persistence when at home to watch American television. According to a study done by Munoz (2006), "when early starters studying English from the age of eight to 16 were compared to late starters studying English from the age of 11 to 17, the late starters actually maintained an advantage that persisted well after five years of instruction" (Ortega, 2013, p. 17). This might very well be the reason why Alberto is better at grammar than I am.
DeleteHey Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching your video! Before I watched it, I commented on another video stating how in chapter three it mentions there are many positive L1 influences on the learning rate of L2. Having said this, your interview also relates to this since you mentioned that Albert is better at grammar (writing) while you have more fluency when speaking English. Ortega mentions "...benefits accrue from rather abstract similarities, as when a grammatical category in the L1 sheds light on a different grammatical category in the L2, thus facilitating the discovery and learning of the new category. "(Ortega, 2013, p. 43). It really shows how each individual has their own unique experience when learning English as a second language even though they may seem to have a lot in common with one another.
Hello Anicia! Thank you so much for your insightful comment. I agree with you and Ortega when it comes to the proficiency Albert has been able to attain his L2, given his background with his L1. It is high possible that his fluency in Spanish set the tone for him acquiring English, even as a pre-teen, because Ortega mentions that an individual's level of proficiency plays and important role in both L1 and L2.
DeleteHi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your interview with your husband. It is interesting to hear that he started learning English in middle school, specifically age 12. Ortega (2013, p. 25) mentions a process called myelination, or the development during the first 10 or 12 years of life of white-matter substance around the brain’s nerve fibres which protects the nerves and enables faster conduction of information across nerve cells. Your husband seems to have become very proficient in English even though he started learning English later than the critical period Ortega also mentions (2013). It is possible that he was undergoing myelination at the age when he began learning English which made it easier for him to adapt to. The research in this area is not always consistent which makes it hard to conclude any lone reason for his proficiency. A mixture of his environment, supportive teachers, and interactions seem to have been important in contributing to his learning.
Hello Angel, thank you for your comment! Yes, I agree that much of Alberto's success with his L2 language can be attributed to a grand mixture of things such as, the help he received from his teachers while in school, his peers, and the continuous exposure/immersion he was undergoing while learning English. While he might have been past his critical period ,Ortega (2013) also mentions that, "the critical period explanation does not sit well with the fact that one can always find exceptional learners who began learning the L2 after puberty and who perform within the range of native-speaker controls in their grammatical intuitions" (p. 24). I strongly believe that this is the case for Alberto.
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DeleteHi Jessica,
DeleteI agree, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that one cannot fluently learn a new language after a certain age. According to Ortega (2013, p. 23), the interpretation of the evidence on age- related effects on L2 learning is far from being settled. I believe that although research on the critical learning period may be consistent in some areas, each learner is unique. Ortega (2013) goes on to mention that evidence in favour of a critical period explanation will come only when neuroscientists can establish beyond doubt that the former, and not the latter, is actually the case. Alberto indeed seems to have been an exceptional learner since he has become proficient in English regardless of his late start in learning it.
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