Re: L1 helping L2

From: Vera John-Steiner (vygotsky@unm.edu)
Date: Fri Mar 28 2003 - 09:04:17 PST


    I agree with Ana's emphasis on context in the L1-L2 discussion. one of
my students actually taped his speech while dreaming. It was an accident, he
fell asleep on top of his book with the tape-recorder on, and found that
his language "choice" corresponded to the dream's context.
Vera

----- Original Message -----
From: Ana Marjanovic-Shane <anamshane@speakeasy.net>
To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2003 5:33 PM
Subject: RE: L1 helping L2

> Dear Karin,
> This is a fascinating problem. I would agree to a certain extent with
Phil,
> but I would also elaborate it a bit further. The choice of a language, I
> think, will depend on:
> 1. on one hand, a particular activity in which one is engaged and
> 2. on the other, the extent to which one has developed linguistic tools
for
> that particular activity.
>
> Most of the time L1 will be more developed than L2 for most of the
> activities. The difference in the development of linguistic tools
necessary
> for an activity, between L1 and L2, will likely be greater for more
complex
> intellectual activities. For instance:
>
> Mike mentioned that "when asked to do numerical
> calculations, even highly adept l2 users revert to L1". This is true for
> many bilingual people. (like in my case)
>
> However, I would add that this is true only if the numerical calculations
> are learned in L1 and have a better developed set of linguistic tools to
> make them fast and reliable.
> There is a reverse situation, too. It often happens when the schools use a
> different language than the one spoken at home. In those situations,
people
> learn to perform certain intellectual operations better in L2 than in L1.
> Many people in former colonial countries, as well as minorities in host
> countries, learn one language at home and another in school. They may do
> math and or other academic and intellectual tasks better in the language
of
> their formal education, but some other activities must be performed in
their
> "native" language to be "real".
>
> I would say that whichever language is the one that better serves certain
> cognitive activity, that language will tend to be preferred for that
> particular task.
>
> Ana
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mkdtostes [mailto:mktostes@uol.com.br]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 3:29 PM
> To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> Subject: L1 helping L2
>
>
> 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
>
>
>
>
>



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Apr 01 2003 - 01:00:07 PST