3.4.Language acquisition
3.4.1 The general idea of SLA
Over the past two decades,research in the first language acquisition has an enormous influence on the study of second language acquisition.The research findings of the FLA (First Language Acquisition) and the influence on the SLA (Second Language Acquisition) have been studied by language researchers as well as pedagogical practitioners.People began to realize that L1 performances are quite consistent with these findings and hypotheses from other non-related areas.[14] The Behaviorists’ theory of Habit Formation claimed in B.F,Skinner’s Verbal Behavior (1951) that language is not a mental phenomenon; it is behavior.It is learnt by a process of habit formation.This assertion was challenged by Norm Chomsky whose linguistic theory conforms that all children are born with innate capacity for acquiring a language.It is said that children can construct their own rule systems.The children are creatively constructing the language as he interacts with those people around him.The two schools of controversies have proceeded subsequently by lots of studies concerning the language acquisition.Theories,such as Monitor Model (Krashen 1981) hypothesizes that adults have two independent systems for developing abilities in second language,subconscious acquisition and conscious learning.Acculturation Model (and closely linked with it the Nativization Model) and a number of others are also devoted to the study of second language acquisition.[15]
SLA is best understood as a complex cognitive skill.Anderson has described cognitive skill acquisition as a “three-stage” process (the cognitive,associative and autonomous stages),using the “production system” notation to specify the dynamics of the system during the skill acquisition process.This framework is particularly useful in the current context because it helps to identify and test the existence and applicability of specific learning strategies that are appropriate at various stages in the skill acquisition process.[16] Language acquisition,according to Ausubel,can be divided into two forms—rote and meaningful learning,by anchoring and relating new items and experiences to knowledge is that exits in the cognitive framework.Children’s practice and imitation is a very meaningful activity that is conceptualized and purposeful while adults learn a foreign language in classroom by rote methods.Compared with children who acquire their mother tongue in a natural,meaningful context,adults’ rote learning,of course,cannot reach an ideal effect.[17]
3.4.2 The analyses of tense and voice errors
To most of Chinese students,English is their second language.The acquisition of English will be affected in different types and situations.Furthermore,the distance of mother tongue and target language is greatly related with the knowledge transfer.[18] From table1,we can see clearly that the errors of the single third person present tense take up 24% that are possibly affected by mother tongue’s negative transfer.The author’s students still couldn’t master it completely.They just learn it in classroom by rote methods and could not put it into practice or a real situation.Though the SLA helps them to learn it and to use it in a right way,they are still affected by mother tongue language easily.
English verbs generally have strict different tense and voice.It stresses the different tense and voice by changing the verbs’ form.[19] All verbs must agree in tense unless you clearly prepare a reader for a time shift.Generally speaking,if your essay starts in the past tense,it should remain in the past throughout.Stay in the present if you start there.[20] But Chinese verbs don’t have changes of form.The sentences’ “tense” and “voice” are showed by lexical or through a particular context.[21]
E.g.: