These are great questions, and I'm forwarding them to some bilingual
education lists. They go to deeper psychological issues than those covered
in the research that I'm familiar with, and I'd love for some experts to
share their insights. My own "knee-jerk" reaction is that this probably
highlights the difference in real fluency between the L1 and L2, the
fluency not measured by L2 proficiency tests. But that's at a pretty
superficial level. More comments, please!
Pete Farruggio
At 12:29 PM 3/26/03, you wrote:
>Dear more knowleageable peers,
>
>I was just taking a "last" look at my master's dissertation and realized
>there was something else I could still include but which I cannot seem to be
>able to explain. It's related to the use of first language as a mediating
>tool in second language learning.
>I have explored several aspects, but one of them just became salient today.
>It seems that when my student is engaged in trying to understand how the
>language works or something related to an activity, even though she could
>say some of the things in English (her FL) she uses her mother tongue
>(Portuguese).
>My guess is that in the process of trying to understand how the language
>works she uses the mother tongue as a reflection tool. But why?
>Could it be that in the initial 'stages' of language learning this cognitive
>process has to be carried out in the mother tongue??
>Or could it be that while analysing how something in the FL works using the
>own FL would be a double process of abstraction not possible for that
>student at that moment?
>Or... could it be that when we focus our attention on something, especially
>if it is difficult to grasp, we resort to the mother tongue because it is
>less stressful for us, or less demanding cognitively?
>Or could it be that in seeking for assistance we resort to the mother tongue
>"as a means of obtaing needed mediation", as Lantolf (2000) suggests, but
>referring to artifacts?
> or because private speech is most likely to be in the mother tongue???
>These will seem quite silly questions in a few days (probably) after I give
>it a little more thought but at the moment... Anyway, I'm running out of
>time and I'm afraid I won't be able to figure that out by myself.
>Or would it suffice to say that the L1 is being used as a tool for
>reflection?
>
>Swain (2000) has cited Brooks and Donato (1994); Brooks, Donato and McGlone
>(1997); Anton and DiCamilla (1998); Swain and Lapkin (1998) in relation to
>L1 as a mediational tool in L2 learning, but unfortunately I have no access
>to the material.
>
>Could any of you help me with your insights?
>
>Thank you very much,
>Karin
>mktostes@uol.com.br
>
>
>
>
>
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