I read an article about bilingualism and second language learning.
This article introduced some points I didn’t know before:
(1)
The difference between language
acquisition and language learning is that language acquisition is a
subconscious process, but language learning is a more conscious process.
(2)
Even very proficient bilinguals’
speech is marked by traces of the first language accent.
(3)
A normal children can become a
fluent bilingual by the age of five, for instance, without any formal training.
(4)
There are two kinds of
bilinguals, coordinate bilingual and compound bilingual.
(5)
According to the motivation and
the learner’s attitude, there are two types of learners: instrumental and
integrative learners. Instrumental learners learn a language for the purpose of
gaining external rewards. Integrative learners have a positive attitude toward
the culture of the target language. Integrative learners tend to be more
successful learners than instrumental learners.
My understanding about bilinguals is closer to Bloomfield (1993),
who claimed that a bilingual is one who has a native-like control of two
languages. The compound bilingual is a new concept for me. Point (2) is also a
new concept for me. I do know some bilinguals who don’t have accent on their
two mother languages. Also, I’m curious about if bilinguals own two mother
languages or not. What is the meaning of “mother language” in bilingual
context? Point (5) is imaginable. But I’m also curious about the evidence, how
to prove this.
Bhatia, T.K.(2006). Bilingualism and second
language learning. In Brown, K. (ed.) Vol.2, 16-22.
In The Psychology of Language, Harley (2008) writes that there is a Simultaneous Bilingualism (L1 and L2 are acquired simultaneously) and a Sequential Bilingualism (L2 acquired after L1). That would also speak against point 2. Furthermore, he says, that sometimes the language that is learned first, turns out to be the secondary language of use later in life. This corresponds to the subjects that I asked about their language background; some stated, that Taiwanese was their L1, but that they are more fluent in Mandarin, although only learned at the age of six.
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