Second Language Acquisition

The fourth and last aspect is the active learning strategies. Successful language learners employ a wide variety of strategies which demonstrate, above all, their active involvement in learning. For example, they may repeat silently to themselves the sounds they hear from the teacher or other students. When the teacher puts a question to another student, they often think out their own answer and compare it with the answer accepted by the teacher. Outside the classroom, they exploit every opportuity to use the language as a means of communication, for example by seeking personal contacts, listening to the radio, or reading newspapers.

Second Language Acquisition

Communicative Strategies

Second language speakers often have communicative intentions which they find difficulty in expressing, because of gaps in their linguistic repertoire. In such cases, they try to find alternative ways of getting the meaning across. These alternative ways are called communicative strategies. Some of these strategies are:

Second Language Acquisition

1. Avoid Communicating

When learners are aware of gaps in their repertoire, an obvious strategy is to avoid occasions which will present difficulty. For example, learners may avoid discussing topics for which they know they lack the necessary vocabulary.

Second Language Acquisition

2. Adjust the Message

When learners are already engaged in a conversation, it is too late to use avoidance. They may decide to alter (change) the meanings they intend to communicate – make the ideas simpler, or say something slightly different.

Example

(We had delicious avocado milk shake)

We had nice juice.

Second Language Acquisition

3. Use Paraphrase

A learner may use paraphrase – for example, circumlocution or description – in order to express the meaning which he wants to communicate.