第二语言习得心得

General Cognitive Factors in Language Acquisition

As far as language acquisition is concerned,the comprehension of the input and other processing activities of the input all rely on human’s cognitive capability.It is possible for people to understand each other during communication and acquire the language just because we share common experience of the world and common cognitive processing principles.So it is cognitive universal,rather than the linguistic universal,that leads to language acquisition.

Cognitive universal in this cognitive model of second language acquisition is proposed as the cognitive system possessed by every normal person.It consists of two levels ̶̶ concrete cognitive processes and meta ̶̶ cognition.A certain series of cognitive processes make SLA possible and the learner’s meta ̶̶ cognitive capability facilitates his success in second language acquisition.

According to the above,an influential model of memory functioning within cognitive psychology(Atkinson and Sehiffrin 1968) suggested(at last)two major stages in SLA.

The short ̶̶ term memory system is considered to be limited in capacity, and to require conscious effort and control. It is likely to be serial in operation. The long ̶̶ term memory system.In contrast,is very large in capacity, can operate in parallel fashion, and may not be always susceptible to conscious control. This original model portrayed short ̶̶ term memory as the gateway to long ̶̶ term memory,with the transfer of material from the former to the latter effected by

processes of rehearsal.The most quoted example of this is the rehearsal of a telephone number so that it can be slowly transferred to long ̶̶ term memory(as well as be the basis for making an actual call).More recent formulations have modified this interpretation.Short ̶̶ term memory has been replaced by the concept of working memory,which still contains rehearsal ‘loops’(both Phonological and visual)and also a central executive component which is concerned with the allocation of a limited amount of attention.In addition,working memory contains those ‘records’ from ̶̶ long term memory that are ‘currently in a state of high activation’(Anderson,1995)and which may therefore interact with new material which has just been encountered.The interactions of these two systems are represented by the bi ̶̶ directional arrows in The operation of memory systems.

Memory systems and language proposes that when input is received,the person involved has a limited ̶̶ capacity memory system available,and that such a limitation Places a fundamental constraint on how the(excess of input is handled.Working memory has to extract input(language input and other input,for example,visual,contextual)which is relevant for ongoing comprehension.There are different views as to how input and working memory interact,and the extent to which(some)input is processed on ̶̶ line,directly by long ̶̶ term memory with knowledge from long ̶̶ term memory mobilized(`activated')to enable this.

The interaction of working and long ̶̶ term memory is also important for the production of speech.Here,material from long ̶̶ term memory,concerned both with the propositions to be expressed as well as the linguistic

means(knowledge of syntax,lexical elements,lexical chunks),has to be accessed and assembled.Gathercole and Baddeley(1994)propose that working memory can function as a sort of storage area while different elements of a message are being orchestrated.So,as with the analysis of input,the central components of the information processing system have an impact upon the way language out ̶̶ Put is synthesized.