Exercises and Answer Key
Chapter 4
Questions for self-study
1. Match the following areas of SLA theory and research to their descriptions:
1. learning processes a. considers aptitude in learning, how learning is linked
to age and sex, and addresses why some second
language learners are more successful than others
2. neurolinguistics b. studies the stages and sequences of language
acquisition, addressing how acquisition happens
3. learner differences c. studies how the location and organization of language
might differ in the heads of monolingual versus
multilingual speakers, addressing what is added and
changed in people’s brains when they learn another
language
2. Broca’s area is responsible for the ability to , whereas
Wernicke’s area is responsible for processing .
3. Match the following terms to the situation that illustrates each:
1. coordinate a. Maria speaks French and English fluently, and often
bilingualism speaks “Frenglish,” a mixture of French and English, with
her other bilingual friends. She produces and understands
this mixture of languages easily.
2. subordinate b. Ursula speaks French and German fluently, but cannot
bilingualism switch readily between the two. She must speak all
German with you, or all French, even if you both know
both languages.
3. compound c. Shane speaks English natively and German as an L2.
bilingualism Each time he learns something new in German, he
translates it into English to memorize the literal translation
and compare it to the English meaning and structure.
4. Input is considered whatever sample of L2 that learners are exposed to. However,
according to the Information Processing framework, what must learners do to make this input
available for processing? What is the term for this kind of input?
5. Swain contends that is necessary for successful L2 learning
because it helps develop automaticity through practice and because it helps learners notice
gaps in their own knowledge.
6. The approach to learning focuses on the increasing strength of
associations between stimuli and response, considering learning a change in the strength of
these associations.
7. motivation involves emotional or affective reasons for
learning an L2, such as an intention to participate or integrate in the L2 speech community.
www.cambridge.org/cill
© Muriel Saville-Troike 2006
motivation involves a purely practical reason for learning, such as better job
opportunities or passing required courses in school.
Active Learning
1. If you have learned any second languages, at what age did you begin learning them?
Are you more successful now in languages that you were exposed to earlier? Based on your
personal experience, what do you think of the Critical Period Hypothesis? Do you know others
whose experiences would support or refute it?
2. Which models relating to L2 learning processes do you feel you can use to explain
your own learning process in your L2(s)? Does one seem more plausible than the others?
Explain why or why not.
3. Integrative and instrumental motivation can both play a role in the desire to learn an
L2. How have these two kinds of motivation influenced your L2 learning? If you have learned
more than one L2, is it different depending on the L2 in question? If you know other L2
learners, ask them about what kinds of factors motivated them to learn, and compare them to
your own.
4. Some studies define ‘success’ in L2 acquisition per the initial rate of learning, some
define it per the ultimate achievement, whereas others define it based upon how closely a
learner comes to native-like pronunciation, or grammaticality judgments similar to a native
speaker’s. How do you define ‘success’ in L2 acquisition in general as compared to how you
define it for yourself? Is your definition of success in L2 learning the same as the standards by
which you are judged, or do the members of your L2 speech community (teachers, classmates,
colleagues, friends, etc.) have different definitions of success in L2 learning than you do?
5. It is postulated that younger learners are probably more successful in informal and
naturalistic learning contexts, and older learners are more successful in formal instructional
settings. Do you agree or disagree? Use your own experience combined with theoretical
support from this chapter to make your argument.
Answer Key
1. 1-B, 2-C, 3-A
2. speak; audio input
3. 1-B, 2-C, 3-A
4. Learners must notice or pay attention to input to make it available for processing. This
kind of ‘noticed input’ is called intake.
5. output
6. Connectionist
7. integrative; instrumental
www.cambridge.org/cill
© Muriel Saville-Troike 2006
