Week 3: Interlanguage, sequence of development, and cross-linguistic influence
The first thing I found interesting about this week’s reading was the concept of interlanguage and how we can create something like our own language based on our knowledge of our L1 and L2. I also liked how Selinder pointed out that language learning is not always progressing and sometimes we reach a plateau before we gain further progress. When learning a second language, have you experienced a time when you feel as if you haven’t improved for a long time? And if you got over this, what triggered your new burst of learning?
I also thought it was interesting that even in second language learners there is a sequence of development. I thought this would only be true for first language learners because they lack cognitive development and experiences. This is related to a previous post, but when thinking about learning language, almost like babies, we sometimes develop a new way of thinking to allow our L2 to make sense. I think some things cannot be translated through the eyes of another language. naokon12 brings up a good question about language influencing ones thoughts and I think that it definitely does. When learning a new language I believe we are also learning the culture imbedded in that language. In my sociolinguistics class, the teacher mentioned a quote “Another language, another soul”. When learning a new language it is almost as if gaining a new identity, in that the way you express yourself may change depending on the culture and way of speaking in your target language.
Finally, I thought the concept of cross-linguistic influence was interesting because from my understanding of this, L1 does not only affect L2, but it also works the other way around. For example when I was learning Japanese there was a huge stress on aizuchi or fillers when talking or listening to others. So I feel that since it was taught to be so important I sometimes use it even in English. So my question is if you have experienced cross-linguistic influence that affected your L1, and if Japanese is your native language, are you taught not to use aizuchi when speaking in English?