A post about second language acquisition!

The Factors affect second language acquisition!

 

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Basic Consideration

Language is a tool that used by humans to communicate with each other. Language is an important matter that must be mastered by a child since they were a toddler. The child will continue to imitate what their mother or father say. Even a child can be slow in the process of mastering the language if the environment in which they live do not provide a good stimulus to the children in terms of language.

According to Pateda (2004: 80) there are several factors that can influence the language learning process those are a social context that is usually associated with economic factors, cultural, and language to be learned also affect the process of learning the language. The next factor are the things that relate with the characteristics that include things like the age of the learner, cognitive characteristic, affective characteristics, and personality characteristics. The third variable that affects the process of language learning are learning models student’s learning conditions. The fourth variable that can affect the process of learning a language is learning undertaken by learner itself. According to Pateda learning outcomes can also influence the process of learning the language itself. The results of study are regarding to the matters related to variables such as competency and performance of learners.

Therefore, children should be given the opportunity to conduct experiments, observations, attend something, distinguish, imitating, remembering, practice various skills, infer, guess, compare, forming hypotheses, checking, make judgments, and make their own plans. Of course, teachers should provide constructive guidance. Mistakes made by the participant or students should get feedback from teachers to make them become better. Moreover, every participants including children who wants desires can be appreciated. Thus the error should be corrected by wise.

The matters above associated with the first language learning process of children. In general, students will mastering more than one language. This is evidence by the participants who want to master their mother tongue and they also mastered Indonesian that they use to communicate in the official sphere. The local language or mother tongue is used to communicate with their parent or family at home or with native speakers of that language in the same area. And Indonesian is used to communicate at school, or it is used to communicate with users of different languages ​​with local language speakers, in other words Indonesian is used in environments that speakers can use Indonesian. However there are some students who master more than two languages.

In second language acquisition usually there are some children who have difficulties because of lack of stimulus from outside and less self-motivation of the learner itself. But not only factors from outside of the learners that resulting slow process of acquiring a second language, but these factors can come from outside of the learners themselves. So in this paper entitled "the factors of second language acquisition" will be discussed about the factors that may affect second language acquisition in children or learners.

CHAPTER II

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

2.1 Definition of Second Language Acquisition

In a multilingual society there will be teaching a second language and possibly a third language. In fact, these two could be the national language, official state language, the localism official language, that also known as foreign language. Generally, in Indonesia, Indonesian is as second language (which is politically also serves as the national language and the official language of the state). In India in addition to the national language and the official language of the state there is also the official language of regionalism, which is a regional language that given status as a regional language can be used in formal situations in certain areas. The regional official languages ​​are also in Negeria and kogno. Whereas a foreign language is not a native language of a resident of a country, but its presence is required with certain status (Chaer, 2010: 215).

For this problem, some experts who mention the term learning languages and some are calling it the second language acquisition. The use of the term language acquisition because it is believed that a second language can be mastered with just a learning process, deliberate and conscious manner. This is in contrast with the mastery of the first language or mother tongue scientifically derived, unconsciously in family caregivers of children. For those who use the term second language acquisition (the third and so on) assume that both it is also something that can be obtained, either formally in formal education, and informal environment.

The second language is the language that a person obtained after he received the first language (or mother tongue). While learning a second language according to Depdikbud (Pateda, 2004: 89) which is a process that requires a person to acquire a different language after they mastered to cetein limit of their first language. The conclusion that can be drawn from the opinion above is learning a second language is a process that should be done by learners to mastering their second language with the condition that they have to master the first language well.

If it is associated with language teaching, in the UK for example there TESL (Teaching of English as a second language) as distinguished from teaching English as a foreign language (teaching of English as a foreign language) or TEFL. The purpose of teaching foreign languages ​​are sometimes different from the teaching of a second language. The second language is usually the official language of a particular country. Therefore, a second language is indispensable for the sake of politics, economics, and education.

The process of acquiring the language that alluded above, include the development of the ability of learners to: understand the environment, and convey his thoughts. Learning a second language is certainly very different from learning a second language. Suppose motivation when learning a first language are very strong but student motivation for learning a second language to learn the language is not as strong as the first. Even the time spent during the process of learning the language will be different, the duration first language tend to be longer when compared with the process of learning a second language.

According to Ellis (1986) Acquisition of this second language, occurs in two different settings, that is naturalistic (naturalistic SLA) and the classroom environment (classroom SLA). Naturalistic acquisition is the acquisition that occurs naturally and unconsciously as happened in the first language acquisition, while the acquisition in a formal classroom environment takes place in the classroom and it formally marked by teachers, learners, curriculum, syllabus, materials and objectives and evaluation.

Examples of naturalistic acquisition can be illustrated as follows. A child born and raised in a Sundanese family environment, so the child will obtain Sundanese as their first language, but because he lived in the neighborhood who do not use the Sundanese, the neigbhorhood use Javanese for example, then gradually the child will also acquire Javanese as their second language. Here the second language acquisition occurred almost simultaneously with the first language. Another example, an adult who comes from the environment of Java language and the Java language has mastered well and move domicile to environments that use Sundanese language as a language of daily communication. In his interaction with the locals, eventually this person will gain Sundanese as a language both. Here the second language acquisition occurs in a fairly long lag time after first language acquisition. Meanwhile, SLA classroom examples can be found on the immigrants who come to Australia then accommodated and learning English in the classroom.

Ellis (1986) uses the term acquisition and learning to distinguish whether a person has the ability to speak through acquisition or learning. Acquisition refers to language acquisition unconsciously, while learning refers to conscious language acquisition. Examples of the above are naturalistic SLA second language acquisition through acquisition as a second language was derived not from the classroom environment and acquired unconsciously. Meanwhile, learning refers to the acquisition of a second language consciously and does not occur naturally. Examples of the classroom SLA above is an example of second language acquisition through learning.

2.2 The Factors That Affect the Process of Learning a Second Language

Many factors affect second language acquisition (SLA). According to Brown (1987), there are several factors that belong to the realm of cognitive (cognitive domain) and some are classified as affective (affective domain). Factor in the cognitive domain is a factor related to the way people learn and other variations in language learning, whereas a factor in the affective domain is a factor related to personal factors of learners (personal factors) and sociocultural factors (sociocultural factors). In line with Brown, Ellis (1986) distinguish the factors that influence learning a second language into personal factors and general factors.

In general, second language teaching in Indonesia formally begins when the child enters primary education (approximately age is 6 years) for the national language, and when children enter secondary education (aged approximately 13 years) for a foreign language (in this case English). According Pei (Chaer, 2010: 216) children at age 5 years old has been able to master their first language patterns, even that language was very difficult for foreigners. Thus when children from Indonesia (whose the first language is the local language) began studying the Indonesian they are already familiar with the patterns of the first language.

According Pateda (2004: 93), the first language is very influential in the process of learning a second language. Krashen (Pateda, 2004: 93) mentions three kinds of influence are mentioned below:

1.        Effect of the difficulties of a word and because of the process of translating words. It can be felt when the first time we make a sentence in The English. We make English sentence same as the sequence of Indonesian, so that sentence become a sentence which to Indonesia. Evidence of this can be reported by the researchers, for example, Duskova (1969) who conducted research on the error graduate student writing on Czechoslovakia, and LoCoco (1975) who conducted research on the American students who study Spanish language and German Krashen (Pateda 2004 : 93).

2.        Effect on bound morpheme.

Duskova in Krashen (Pateda, 2004: 93) above, reports that there is an influence on the morpheme on the language being studied. This influence, for example, the omission of plural marker in the plural, the removal of the subject-verb suitability and compatibility between noun-adjective, eg 5 books, written 5 book, he writes written he write.

3.        The first language acquisition effect on the environment is weak.

The habit with this first language patterns will be an obstacle if they learn Indonesian (second language). Patterns and elements of first language, which has always been used outside the home, will be brought in when they speak Indonesian as their second language, as an event sociolinguistic called interference (Chaer, 2010: 216).

If the second language acquisition is fraught with difficulties because of the influence of the first language, how well with the third language acquisition process, such as mastery of English or other languages. English as a first foreign language, a new formal invitation senior high school. So after an Indonesian child has mastered at least two languages; his mother and Indonesian. Difficulties may be increased, because the child has been planting himself two patterns of language (mother tongue and Indonesian) and now they will have to learn the third language may have also differences in the pattern. But it could also not too big trouble if the child is in their daily life still more use of the mother tongue than Indonesian. Difficulties that occur remain rooted in differences in the pattern of mother tongue with a foreign language (English) is studied (Chaer, 2010: 219).

There are many factors that influence the process of learning a second language. As Rettob Theresia (in Nurhadi, 1990) summarize these factors as follows:

Internal factors:

1.      The view of someone on the language being studied. If the learner's positive outlook on the language that they learned it will have a positive motivation. In this connection, the authors saw more and more people are interested in learning Japanese, Korean and Chinese because of the view that a third language is increasingly being used in the business world. This is supported by the increasing number of expatriates coming from the third language background.

2.      The attitude of a person toward the language being studied. Attitude and motivation highly related and refers to the behavior.

External factors:

1.        Factors from parents were classified on the active and passive roles to their children who learn a second language. Parents who play an active role will be to encourage their children to study well.

2.        The social environment where learners are located.

3.        The environment of social psychological factors of language learners.

On the other hand there are some differences that can lead to difficulty in learning a second language were written by samsunuwiyati (2011: 94-95)

a.       Problems of time spent

The time that used by children to learn their mother tongue as a first language is much more than the allotted time to learn their second language.

b.      Question of the role of teachers

Parents will teach the language to children, rarely serves as a real teacher because they do not consciously stimulate or correct their sentence. Parents also do not usually describe or explain the language as the teacher in school. If parents hold a correction it is usually only the semantic aspects and not the syntax. While a teacher will teach a second language by consciously providing stimulation, corrections and explanations.

c.       Instructional and teaching methods problem

Teachers in class using methods and textbooks in teaching a second language to their students, while parents will almost certainly never do so.

d.      Motivation Problems

Motivation to learn the first language is greater than for learning a second language.

e.       Cognitive function problems

On a child's first language learning, there parallels between the developments of the conceptual system with sentence structure. While in adults who learn a second language is not the same case. In adults there is a gap between the levels of development of the conceptual system is still simple sentence structure (for new learning) in a second language (foreign language).

f.        problems of Well-organized of acquisition

At the time of first language learning, skills audiotaped goes along with the visual skills

g.       Confidence issues

Not feeling confident more often appear at the time to learn a second language, for fear of making mistakes. This feeling is not felt at the time to learn the language first.

h.       Interference of language issues

At the time of learning a second language (foreign language) more easily occurs interference, because often we use the structure of the first language to the second language. Children who learn the first language is not experiencing this problem.

i.          Age Problems

Age is very important role in learning a second language (foreign language).

In addition to some of the factors above, Chaer (2003: 251-262) mentions some differences determinants in the process of learning a second language. But there are some similarities between Chaer’s opinions with the factors above. The differences of the factor are as follows:

a.         formal presentation Factors

The intent of this formal presentation of second language learning is done in the classroom with a learning plan that is equipped with a set of learning materials that have to be delivered by trained faculty.

With the classroom environmental condition in learning a second language, then certainly there is an influence on the success of learning a second language can be specified in terms of the following:

·          Effects on competence

Formal environment in the classroom tend to focus on the mastery of rules and forms of language consciously, for example in the English language learning students are invited to master how to use a and an article, how to use prepositions at, in, on, or how to use some and any word, etc. However, mastery of this competency is strongly influenced by the role played by learners in formal environment of that learning. It means that learner in the learning process should play an active role in using the language they have learned well in learning process itself and after the learning process is completed so that it will provide results in mastery language studies.

·          Effects on quality performance

As already mentioned that performance is the realization of someone's language competence (ellis, 1986) quoted by Chaer (2003: 255). Formal language learning in the classroom can guarantee the quality of the received input learners ellis (1986) (Chear, 2003: 255). Then, when input is received it is high quality, then according to one hypothesis, the output (performance) also produced high quality, although admittedly individual variation.

·          The effect of the order of acquisition

It means that the order of acquisition is the acquisition of morpheme in grammatical. From certain research of expert’s states that formal learning will result in a different result with naturalistic learning process.

·               The effect of the acquisition speed

Acquisition speed is the speed of the input capture input and make it as a linguistic repertory. The acquisition of the actual speed is relative, and much depends on other factors such as intelligence, attitude, aptitude, motivation, and other internal factors, ellis (1986) (Chear, 2003: 225).

b.        First Language Factor

In the learning second language, the first language is regarded as a nuisance in the process of acquiring a second language, because in this case a second language learners consciously and not to transfer the elements of the first language when using both languages. As a result, there was the so-called interference, code switching, code-mixing, or also a mistake. This may be explained by a few hypotheses to reduce mistakes of second language acquisition (Chear, 2003: 256-257).

The first explanation can be seen from the stimulus-response theory put forward by the behaviorism, the language is the result of stimulus-response behavior. So if a learner wants to expand the use of speech, they must multiply the reception stimulus. Besides the behaviorism also argued that the process of language acquisition is a process of habituation. That is why, increasingly a learner accustomed to responding to stimuli that come to them, the more increases the likelihood of language acquisition activity, Abdul Hamid (1987) (Chear, 2003: 256).

Thus, the influence of the first language in the form of a transfer when a second language will be immense if the learner does not give second language stimulus continually. Theoretically this effect cannot be eliminated because it is already a first language intake inside of the heart of the learners. However, with habituation-conditioning and continuous stimulus in a second language, the effect can be reduced (Chear, 2003: 257).

Furthermore, it can be explained through the theory of contrastive. This theory states that the success of learning a second language is determined by the linguistic situation that had previously controlled by the learner, klein (1986) (in Chear, 2003: 257).
Through this analysis will note the similarities and differences between first language and second language. Then we can determine the most appropriate learning strategies to be used, Dulay, 1982 (Chear, 2003: 257). From the contrastive analysis can be seen that the first language has an influence on the process of second language acquisition. Knowing the state of linguists first language is very important for determining the business strategy of second language learning, because learning a second language is none other than to transfer the new language over the existing language, Banathy (1969) (Chear, 2003: 257).

c.         Environmental factors

Dulay (in Chear, 2003: 257-258) explains that the quality of the language environment is very important for a learner to be successful in learning a second language. What is meant by the language environment is everything that is heard and seen by the learners in connection with the second language he was studying, Tjohjono (1990) (Chear, 2003: 258). Speaking environment divided into two environments formal and informal environments.

Formal environment usually takes place in the teaching and learning environment in the classroom, and the formal language environment has characteristics such as artificial, the overall environment of language teaching is done within the school and in the classroom are directing the learner to master the rules of the language he have learned.
Actual language formal environment is not limited only in the classroom, because that is important in this formal environment where learners can consciously know the rules of a second language is learned both from the teacher in the classroom, from books, and from others outside the classroom. The important thing is that environment emphasizes the mastery of the rules of language learning consciously.

While informal environment usually are natural, not artificial, which are included in this informal environment among others language used peers, caregiver or parent language, the language used members of ethnic groups of learners, which use mass media, language teachers, both in class and outside of class. In general it can be said that this environmental impact in the process of learning a second language. This can be proven by several studies conducted by experts, such as research carried out by Milon and Plann (1977) showed that the influence of language peers greater influence on language teacher. And many more studies that prove that informal environment also gives effect to learning a second language.

In discussing of learning second language above that have not mentioned the differences between which lasts performance formal environment and which take place in an informal environment. In a formal environment expected ability is the mastery of formal language variety or standard language, to be used in formal situations and purposes. While the informal expected is the ability or mastery of informal language diversity. If in fact a more informal language skills mastered from a formal language skills, it is because of the opportunity to speak informally variety is much broader than formal opportunity to speak.

Some of the factors above, will stronger influence the second language if the learners do not make improvements in the second language they are learning, in the process of learning a second language is influenced by several factors that come from outside and from the inside of the learners. Results in the second language acquisition depends on the learner's itself.

2.3    How Process Improvement in order to be able to Successfully Learning a Second Language

In doing language learning can be done several approaches. As written by hakuta and Cancino (1977), quoted by Hamied (1987: 28) (in Pateda, 2004: 96) that distinguishes four approaches to second language learning process successfully. The approaches are as follows:

a.        Analysis contrastive

Contrastive analysis carried out systematically by comparing the characteristics of the specific linguistic in two languages ​​or more. Contractive analysis compares the similarities and differences that exists between two or more languages ​​are contrasted. Based on the comparison it was found difficult element studied by the educator. The elements are difficult in learned in the learning process are made later. This analysis arises because of the fact that students are not learning the language is not their mother tongue. The adherents of contrastive analysis assumes that mother tongue affect learners when they learning second language Wilkins (1972) (Pateda, 2004: 96-97).

b.        Analysis of errors (error analysis)

Error analysis focused on the process of learning a second language. When students learn a second language, there are many irregularities. These deviations are analyzed whether related to the cause, which distorted the linguistic area, and the nature of error. In other words, the error analysis is a technique to identify, classify and systematically interpret mistakes made by learners who are learning a second language by using the theories and processes based on linguistic, and Ruru Ruru (1985) ( Pateda, 2004: 97).

c.         Analysis performance

Analysis performance is focusing on the behavior of learning a second language as a whole. His approach to show procedural questions, such as what should and should not be done by learners who learn a second language. At this performance analysis, not a deviation or error learners cared for, but the behavior of their language. Of course performance deviations because of performance also depends on the competence and environmental factors. Sometimes learners do not feel deviate in their performance because of what he used, used also by people closest to what we might call a fad society. A clear example of the use of the word instead. Learners who said "the income of farmers increased", did not feel that the use of the word rather than in the context of this one. Why? He did not feel guilty because general are accustomed to using such construction.

d.        Discourse analysis

Discourse analysis centered on the attention devoted to the use of language in conversation. In a conversation, not a sentence which is regarded as the highest unit, but discourse, namely units in the form of a sentence that contains a core message coherence and some peripherals message. Basic postulate of discourse analysis is the study of language in context will provide more insight into how meaning is associated with speech.

Of the four approaches above, we can conclude that contrastive analysis make students know the differences and similarities of the language being studied in a language that has been mastered. The same elements studied in advance, while the different elements in later. The same elements studied first because these elements more easily. Analysis of mistakes made learners know his mistakes. Based on the recognition that learners are expected not to repeat his mistake. Performance analysis requires learners to choose which form of the grammatical and which not grammatical form are. The behavior of learners will change when he knows that the form used does not grammatical. Finally discourse analysis suggests that the students pay attention to the discourse that he used. In this regard helped determine the situation. Learners learn from discourse, what should and what should not be in the conversation.

Aside from the four approaches above, there is an important role of teachers in order to improve the process of learning a second language as in written by Pateda (1995: 252) there are some efforts of teachers to be done during the process of learning a second language is as follow:

1.      Teachers must make preparations to teach the right things.

2.      Teachers require sacrifices in the purchase of second language learning media are required.

3.      Do not insult when students make mistakes.

4.      Starting with the class of train mastery of some new vocabulary.

5.      Observe learners at the break.

6.      Conducting such supplemental remedial lessons.

But of all the efforts of teachers who have been mentioned above, it is important to evaluate the results performance of students in second language learning process. Since most of the second language learners learn takes place in an educational institution such as a school. This evaluation aims for students to know the limits of their abilities. So that through feedback that teachers give to learners, learners will be more motivated to improve their skills in mastering their second language or even third language.

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSIONS

3.1    Conclusion

From the discussion above it can be concluded that learning a second language is a process that is performed by a learner to master a new language (second language or third language) on the condition that they have mastering their first languages.

In learning a second language, there are several factors that influence the successfulness, among other factors: environmental factors, age, first language factor, a factor of motivation. All of these factors can be divided into two proficiency level that is a factor that comes from within the learner and factors that come from outside of the second language learners.

To increase the success of the process of learning a second language can do some analysis in the language learning process. The first is the contrastive analysis, error analysis, analysis of the latter is performance and discourse analysis. All analysis was conducted to see, identify the problems faced, the mistakes made by the second language learners.

But the success of learning a second language is very dependent on the learner itself. How the learner effort in learning the language, whether he was just waiting for the stimulus provided by the people around them, or seek additional information about the language they had learned from other sources such as books relating to language they learned.