Cognició, comunicació i competència lingüística

PROGRAMA DE MÀSTER. Curs 2013-2014

Profs. Aurora Bel, Nuria Sagarra

Description

The course is devoted to the discussion of internal and external factors in language acquisition in different situations and contexts (L1, L2, 2L1, child language acquisition, adult language acquisition, etc.). Apart from the conditions imposed by the language system internally (interfaces), there are individual factors which affect linguistic development (variables such as age, attitude, motivation, cognitive style, etc.); moreover there are external factors that additionally influence language competence (input conditions, learning contexts, etc.). The main goal of the course is to gain an understanding of the nature of language acquisition processes and factors and to relate them to general learning theories identifying cognitive and linguistic variations.

We will analyze learners' linguistic productions and relate them to their stage of language development, proficiency level and cognitive factors.

Contents

1. Introduction. Language acquisition: L1, 2L1, L2, child L2, etc. Paradigms in (S)LA research

2. Cognitive variation and working memory

 

Reading: Dussias & Piñar (2010)

3. Inhibitory control

Readings: Felser & Roberts (2007); Linck et al (2009)

4. Bilingual and L2 development

Readings: Cook (2010), Meisel (2008)

5. Cross-linguistic influence and the role of L1

Readings: Paradis & Navarro (2003); Liceras, Fernández & Pérez (2008)

6. The end state and fossilization

Readings: Slavakoba (2009), Lardiere (2005)

7. Cognitive and linguistic modules. The syntax- pragmatics interface and the Interface Hypothesis

Readings: Sorace & Filiaci (2006); Rothman (2008)

8. The effect of age and the critical period hypothesis

Readings: Liceras et al (2008); Montrul et al (2008)

 

Assessment

 

Students are expected to write a 4-6 page detailed design of an empirical research study. There is no need to carry it out; what is expected is the capacity to; (a) choose and justify a timely area of inquiry and identify a phenomenon to analyze; (b) present the theoretical background to the study; (c) establish research questions and hypotheses; (d) develop an adequate methodological design, that is identify the sample, propose the instruments for data collection and describe a model of analysis; and (e) conclude with your own ideas.

 

Classroom participation and presentation: 30 % (10 + 20)

Project proposal: 70 %

 

 

Textbooks

 

Gass, S. & L. Selinker (2001) Second Language Acquisition. An Introductory Course, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 2^nd edition.

Meisel, J. (2011) First and Second Language Acquisition. Parallels and Differences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Montrul, S. (2004) The Acquisition of Spanish Morphosyntax. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.