Ellis Chap 6 Social factors and second languag.DOCVIP

Ellis Chap 6 Social factors and second language acquisition Introduction: How quickly learners learn a foreign language and the ultimate level that learners reach is decided not only by psychological factors but also social factors. Three topics are examined in this chapter. The relationship between social contexts and L2 proficiency. It should be remembered, however, that social context influences the L2 proficiency indirectly, mediated by a number of variables. Learners’ attitudes towards the L2 and the learning opportunities learner can obtain determined by their social-economic classes are two of the important variables. The relationship between social factors and the learners’ choice of target language. The characterization of the different social contexts in which acquisition takes place and the effect the type of context has on learning. Learner Attitudes: Learners manifest different attitudes towards 1) the target language, 2)the target language speakers, 3)the target language culture, 4)the social value of learning the L2, 5)particular use of the target language, and 6)themselves as members of their own culture. In general, positive attitudes towards the L2, its speakers, and its culture can enhance learning, which can in turn be influenced by this success; negative attitudes can impede learning. However, if learners have a strong reason for learning, negative attitude can have a positive effect. Lanoue, 1991 Sekani, an Indian tribe in Canada, used English because English had become a symbol of pan-Indianism. Direct and indirect measures of attitudes Semantic Differential Techniques (Indirect) Learners are asked to evaluate a given phenomenon on the dimensions of a series of antonyms. This has been used in Matched Guise studies Splosky’s Identity Scale (Indirect) Subjects need to say how well the given list of adjectives describe themselves, their ideal selves, people with the same native language and native speakers of the target language Self