Language Differences

Article posted May 20, 2008 at 05:57 PM GMT • Reads 143

Having taught reading and language arts to special needs students, my frame of reference had to accommodate the fact that the spoken language of second language learners is acquired similarly to that of first language learners: it is ACQUIRED. Knowing this critical correlation for language acquisition gave me a better understanding of my students’ performance levels, points of view, and most importantly, their levels of confidence. To address the four areas of phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, I will be using a shy and tender-hearted student whom I will call Pablo and his transition from his heritage language (L1) to English (L2). kss

Recently, I realized a long-term goal which was to teach non-English speaking students, orcEnglish Language Learners (ELL’s). Both personally and professionally, these past three years have been the most amazingly enlightening and wonderfully rewarding teaching years of my career. Not only have I been enriched in experiencing an academic revelation, but I have been blessed by the diversity of the cultural and linguistic learners of whom I have had the honor of teaching. Just when I thought I was becoming an accomplished teacher, the humbling, albeit joyful, experience of a multi-cultural classroom has breathed a new yearning for knowledge of the tools and strategies needed to help my students achieve both academic and social success in a globally competitive student population.



When I moved to my middle school ELL classroom, I went into it with a teaching vision that had very little, if any, reality attached to it. Truthfully, I had no earthly concept of how complex it would be to plan and deliver instruction, assess student progress, and then finally use the data to drive instruction. As it should be, I am still evolving in the never-ending continuum of refinement! Within the confines of my English Language Learning classroom, I have been observing, experiencing, and analyzing the multifaceted nature of language acquisition. In working with large groups, small groups, and one-on-one, I have spent a lot of time observing, studying, and working on the remediation of common dialectical errors in the areas of phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.



One of the most common dialectical influences on phonology that I have noted is Pablo’s inability to discriminate between the subtleties of letter sounds, which therefore makes it physically impossible to correctly pronounce specific phonemes. In particular, Pablo cannot distinguish the difference between the sounds “t” and “th.” He says “tink” instead of “think.” Another common error is the sound of the English language short-i. In Spanish, the “i ” is pronounced as “ee,” and therefore, Pablo says leetle for little and beeg for big. Also, he cannot hear the difference between “b” and “v.” He’s able to say, “Victor,” but he cannot generalize the “v” sound in “van,” for which he says, “ban.” In all fairness, in Pablo’s language, speakers do sound the “v” as a “b” as in “boy” for “voy.” Like other students with learning challenges, Pablo has a difficult time matching graphemes to the phonemes, but additionally he cannot match the phonemes to their individual voiced and un-voiced sounds. The influence of Pablo’s first language appears to interfere in the acquisition of a second language.

Practice with mouth positioning and tongue placement. Connections to similar sounds in the native language.



In the area of syntax, Pablo still has difficulty with the correct placement of adjectives in an English sentence. The translation in many sentences is not word for word; the adjective comes after the noun in Spanish, but it comes before the noun in English. For instance, we say, “the big dog,” but Pablo says, “el perro grande,” or literally, “the dog big.”. Another example of a language difference is with the subject and the predicate: “I have it,” versus, “lo tengo,” ( it I have) and for, “I don’t have it,” Pablo says, “No lo tengo,” (Not it I have.). Although I lived in Madrid for four years, from 1976 to 1980, I’m just now mastering the correct order of words such as adjective and predicate placement in the Spanish sentence. Practice with computer; journal writing; audio sets for listening center; peer mentor;



Because of Pablo’s lack of knowledge of the smallest units of meaning, that is, morphemes, the semantics of English have been one of his greatest challenges. Like most of my ELL’s, Pablo leaves off the “s” on plurals and he does not have subject-verb, or adjective-noun, agreement.

He talk. He talking. Also, “I am hungry” in English is said “tengo hambre” – I have hunger.

“I am 10 years old,” is said, “Tengo diez anos,” – I have 10 years. “Sit on the floor” = “Sit in the floor”

What time is it? What hour is? Student(?) came from PE and they…. American people start to talking…. I am try to be good….

Instruction in morphographic spelling. Practice with word endings. Repeated patterns; computer assisted instruction.)





Regrettably, Pablo is not mastering the pragmatics of language because of his deficits in phonology, syntax, and semantics. Due to a lack of knowledge of the rules of language, Pablo avoids participating in both academic discussions and social conversations. Because he doesn’t communicate with others, they don’t communicate with him and Pablo can not get out of this repetitive cycle. So, for most of the day, Pablo is using only his receptive language; his expressive language remains untested and under developed. Pablo doesn’t understand the pleasant nuances of communicative competence such as irony, sarcasm, analogy, metaphors, and idioms. (Now I’m really sad.) Small group and one-on-one instruction. Reading strategies; fix-it-up strategies; survival vocabulary; explicit instruction in irony, sarcasm, idioms, similes, metaphors, and analogies.



Pablo, who has now been in the United States for over 4 years, was in the “Silent Period” when I first met him in September of 2005. He remained in this stage for 3 years even though newcomers, who had also arrived with only their heritage language, were speaking conversational English within a year. It was only at the end of last year’s “sheltered” instruction that he finally began to say a few words in English. At the end of the 2006-2007 school year, Pablo was retained; he is now repeating 8th grade. When he returned at the beginning of this school year, I noticed that he had increased his expressive skills after having attended summer school. Even though his communication skills have improved dramatically I’m still very worried about him. Compared to other ELL students, his present level of performance is FAR BELOW grade level, and I don’t know what will happen if he is not successful. Below are some excerpts from his journal writings.

Sept. 2007 – I feel nerves when a go to the new classrom because I don’t know one in the classroom and the teacher I need to meet a new friends in the new classroom and then I new a two friends in the classroom.

Oct. 2007 – I expect to get 100 1. so because each day I writing more clean and better letter in the journal and I expect to you see that and also an I don’t write small more.

Nov. 2007 – I like to go a school at night like this school because I can lear more than this year I can talk with my friend en English and I can onderstand my friend also I remember last year I can’t not read and talk to my friend and now I talk more.

Dec. 2007 – I feel better if I appropriate if all teacher because a well feel welcome to the students we can take mor English in the school and also we have to take more P.E. because we don’t have a lot fo time to play in P.E. class.