Learning a foreign language is complex and unpredictable. Furthermore, speaking different languages is becoming increasingly important in today’s globalized world. However, it requires several strategies to gain the best possible result. Relevant challenges are problems related to memory, personality, culture shock, communicating with native speakers and boring and traditional teaching methods.
What is the most effective way of learning a foreign language? What is happening in our mind when we are learning a foreign language and how can adult learners overcome their personal challenges? Dr. Jacqueline Żammit explores the use of Maltese verbs by thirty-five non-native learners from all walks of life and different parts of the world to better understand and improve the language learning process.
To provide practical advice to foreign language learners, the author explores the acquisition of Maltese, which could easily be applied to any other foreign language acquisition. The book adopts chaos/complexity theory (C/CT) as a conceptual framework in a unique way and interprets the process of learning from both cognitive and sociocultural perspectives. It addresses any foreign language learner as well as teachers, lecturers, and school administrators. For methodical reasons, the book is also interesting for linguistic researchers. Furthermore, education policymakers will benefit from the findings, especially when it comes to understanding students’ and adult learners’ learning curves and language learning challenges.
This academic textbook is truly remarkable as each chapter starts with a funny comic-strip and a quotation. Join thirty-five adult non-native speakers as they overcome challenges and develop strategies to learn Maltese as a foreign language!
Happy Reading!
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- INTRODUCTION
- UNDERSTANDING INTERLANGUAGE THROUGH CHAOS/COMPLEXITY THEORY
- Introduction
- Interlanguage
- Interlanguage variability
- The risk of ‘fossilization’ in second language acquisition
- Fossilization
- Chaos/Complexity Theory (C/CT)
- Introducing C/CT
- What are the characteristics of C/CT in SLA?
- C/CT, SLA, Interlanguage and Teaching and Learning
- THE COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
- What is Cognitivism?
- From Behaviourism to Cognitivism
- Universal Grammar
- Principles and Parameters
- Is UG accessible in adult SLA?
- Criticism of Universal Grammar
- Criticism of the Cognitive Theories of Language Acquisition
- The Age debate
- Implicit and Explicit knowledge
- Memory issues and forgetfulness in adults acquiring a second language
- SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AS A SOCIOCULTURAL PHENOMENON
- Introduction
- The Constructivist Approach to Learning a Second Language
- The Social Constructivist Perspective on SLA
- The Sociocultural Theory as proposed by Vygotsky
- Cultural Mediation and Internalization
- Private Inner Speech
- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
- Lockenean Theory of Language
- Output and SLA
- Activity Theory
- Affectivity and Learner’s Motivation
- The Culture Shock Stages
- Criticism of SCT
- TENSE AND ASPECT IN MALTESE PERFETT AND IMPERFETT
- Introduction
- The Definition of Tense and Aspect
- An Overview of the Maltese Language
- Learning Maltese tense and aspect as an L2
- The Lack of an Infinitive Form
- The similarities between Semitic languages and Maltese
- The Perfett and Imperfett
- Person, Gender and Number
- Perfett forms
- The imperfett
- The ‘Qed’ Construction
- The Future and its Markers sa/se, ser, sejjer and ħa
- METHODOLOGY: THE PARTICIPANTS AND THE DATA COLLECTION
- An Overview
- Pragmatic Research Philosophy
- Mixed Methods Research Design
- Triangulation
- Longitudinal Research Design
- Validity and Reliability
- Validity Approaches
- Reliability
- Study Aims and Research Questions
- My Role in the Research
- The Sample Size and the Sampling Method
- The margin of error in terms of the statistical analysis
- The participants
- The Pilot Study
- The findings of the pilot study
- Data Collection
- Capturing implicit and explicit knowledge
- The data collection instruments
- Administration of the profile questionnaire
- Timed Grammaticality Judgment Test
- Retrospection of TGJT
- The design and procedure for the verb conjugation task
- Picture Interpretation Speaking Task
- Administration of the picture interpretation speaking tasks
- The Reflective Journal Task
- Administration of one-on-one interviews
- Validity Procedures
- The validity of Research Question A’s Quantitative Measures
- The ML2 participants’ performance on the tests’ weak candidates
- UNDERSTANDING THE LEARNING CHALLENGES
- Introduction
- The interviews
- The reflective journals
- The difficulties faced by ML2 participants
- EXPLORING THE STATISTICAL FINDINGS
- The Learning Pattern
- Judgments on which learning curves are based
- Different Learning Curves
- Fractal Pattern in TGJT and VC scores
- Summary
- DISCUSSING THE TYPE OF VERB CHOICE FINDINGS
- Introduction
- The Frequencies of the perfett and imperfett forms used by the participants
- Samples of three ML2 Cases and their Choice of Verb Forms
- The Influence of First Language on Second Language Acquisition
- Reasons why ML2 learners used the imperfett when describing the pictures
- Summary
- CLOSURE
- Introduction
- Contribution to knowledge
- Pedagogical Implications
- The Research Questions
- Limitations of the study
- Recommendations for Further Research
- SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL
- The participant profile questionnaire
- Measuring SLA from a cognitive perspective
- Statistical Measurements and visual representation of Interlanguage
- Measuring SLA from a sociocognitive perspective
- Measuring SLA from a sociocultural perspective
- The Individual Learning Curves
- REFERENCES
- APPENDICES
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
- This study investigates the interlanguage of learners of Maltese as a second language (ML2) with specific reference to verbal tense and aspect.
- This study applies a sociocognitive approach to SLA by examining the learners’ interlanguage through the lens of chaos/complexity theory (C/CT), which is the study’s conceptual framework.
- The study combines both cognitive and sociocultural perspectives to illuminate the learners’ acquisition of Maltese verbs.
- The study aims to confirm the applicability of chaos/complexity theory (C/CT) to SLA and the concept of Interlanguage.
- The study seeks to shed light on the role that L1 plays in the learners’ acquisition of Maltese and its impact on their performance.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Chapter 1 presents an overview of the Maltese language and its significance for learning. It discusses the demand for ML2 lessons in Malta and the need for research in this area. The chapter introduces the main research question and its sub-questions.
- Chapter 2 provides a detailed explanation of the interlanguage concept and its relevance to SLA. It explores the characteristics of Chaos/Complexity Theory (C/CT) and how it can be applied to understand the dynamic and complex process of language acquisition. The chapter discusses the implications of C/CT for the teaching and learning of ML2.
- Chapter 3 delves into the cognitive perspectives of second language acquisition. It examines the key concepts and theories that have informed this approach, including Noam Chomsky’s Universal Grammar, and discusses its limitations and strengths. The chapter also examines the critical period hypothesis and the role of age in language acquisition.
- Chapter 4 focuses on the sociocultural aspects of second language acquisition. The chapter examines the social constructivist approach to learning and how it can be applied to SLA. It discusses Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, including concepts such as cultural mediation, internalization, private inner speech, the Zone of Proximal Development, and activity theory. The chapter also considers the learner’s motivation and its significance in SLA. Finally, it discusses the concept of culture shock and its implications for learning.
- Chapter 5 provides a detailed overview of the Maltese verbal tense and aspect system, emphasizing its unique features and complexities. It defines the concepts of tense and aspect and examines their significance in relation to the Maltese language. The chapter discusses the perfett and imperfett tenses, including their various interpretations, and introduces other grammatical features that are important for understanding the Maltese verb system. It also discusses the ‘qed’ construction and the future markers sa/se, ser, sejjer and ħa.
- Chapter 6 discusses the research methods employed in this study and provides details about the participants and the data collection process. The chapter explains the epistemological underpinning of the research and the mixed methods research design adopted. It elaborates on the specific tools and techniques used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The chapter also discusses the study’s aims and research questions and how they are addressed through the selected research methods.
- Chapter 7 examines the learning challenges faced by ML2 learners in acquiring Maltese verbs. The chapter examines the interview and reflective journal data and discusses the difficulties that learners reported, relating them to the theories discussed in the literature review. The chapter explores the role of cultural differences, memory issues, the influence of the learner’s L1, and the teacher’s pedagogy in the learner’s acquisition of Maltese verbs.
- Chapter 8 presents the statistical findings of the study, focusing on the analysis of the learners’ performance on TGJT and VC tasks. The chapter uses one-way ANOVA and LSD statistical tests to determine whether there is any significant difference in the learners’ mean scores on these quantitative tasks. It discusses the different learning curves observed and how these findings support the study’s conceptual framework of chaos/complexity theory.
- Chapter 9 discusses the findings related to the learners’ choice of verb forms in picture interpretation tasks, focusing on the learners’ reasoning behind their decisions. The chapter examines the frequencies of perfett and imperfett usage, and explores the possible factors that contributed to the learners’ choices, such as their L1, the teaching methods they have encountered, and their perceived language distance. It also investigates the correlation between the learners’ mean scores on TGJT and VC, and their use of perfett or imperfett verbal forms.
- Chapter 10 presents the study’s conclusions and discusses the key findings in the light of the literature reviewed. It highlights the contribution of the study to knowledge about the acquisition of ML2, and discusses the pedagogical implications of the results. It explores the limitations of the study and presents recommendations for further research.
- Chapter 11 provides supplementary material related to the study’s methodology and data analysis. It includes a detailed explanation of the participant profile questionnaire and the different methods used to measure both implicit and explicit knowledge in SLA. The chapter discusses the statistical measurements employed and the visual representation of interlanguage, and also provides a detailed analysis of each participant’s individual learning curves. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the study’s limitations and the future research implications of the findings.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This study explores Maltese as a second language acquisition, interlanguage, chaos/complexity theory, and learner challenges, through the use of timed grammaticality judgment tests, verb conjugation tasks, and picture interpretation speaking tasks. The study also considers the impact of the learners’ first language on their acquisition of Maltese verbs.
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- Jacqueline Żammit (Author), 2021, A Verbal Odyssey. Learning Maltese as a foreign adult, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1020349
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