Free Essay about Second Language Acquisition by Chinese Learners

The interview I: Subject Name: Stella Shi

Country of birth and residence prior to US immigration; if Gen. 1.5, describe the circumstances and please have only one Gen. 1.5 subject

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China, Shanghai

Present age (may use ranges of 18-30,;31-45; 46-60; 60+): 22

Age upon arrival into the USA: 17

"Do you think ordinary Americans can tell now that you are not a native speaker of English? Yes

"When you arrived, could you speak any English at all?" Yes, I started learning English course since primary school, I can read English but has almost never really spoken to a native English speaker.

"Consider 5 of your closest friends; how many of them speak the same native language as you?

5. all of them speaks mandarin

"On a scale of 1-10 (1=very little and 10=very much), rate yourself on your degree of Americanism; in other words, how 'American' do you feel you are?"

I would rate myself at 4.

8. Do you still get back to your country of birth? How often?

Yes, once a year

9. Where do you usually use your second language? At school/home/workplace?

Mostly at school, sometimes workplace, never use it at home

10. Are you planning to stay here in the US? If not, how long are you planning to stay here before you go back?

I would like to, but that would depend on my H1B visa application process after I achieve my Bachelor's degree at CPP.

Interview II: Subject Name: Tracy Moronatty

Country of birth and residence before US immigration; if Gen. 1.5, describe the circumstances and please have only one Gen. 1.5 subject

She was born in LA but was raised in a community that only speaks Spanish. Her parents and most of the family members were born in Mexico.

Present age (may use ranges of 18-30,;31-45; 46-60; 60+): 27

Age upon arrival into the USA: 0

"Do you think ordinary Americans can tell now that you are not a native speaker of English? Yes

"When you arrived, could you speak any English at all?"She didn't get to acquire English until she went to kindergarten.

"Consider 5 of your closest friends; how many of them speak the same native language as you?All of them speak Spanish.

"On a scale of 1-10 (1=very little and 10=very much), rate yourself on your degree of Americanism; in other words, how 'American' do you feel you are?"

I would rate myself at 8 when I get back to my native community, they see me as an American.

8. Do you still get back to your country of residence? How often? Yes, at least once a year.

9. Where do you usually use your second language? At school/home/workplace?Mostly at school&workplace. At home, I only speak to my cousins using English, to other elders and relatives, I would use Spanish only.

10. Are you planning to stay here in the US? If not, how long are you planning to stay here before you go back?

Yes.

Interview III: Subject Name: Bowen Cheng

1. Country of birth and residence before US immigration; if Gen. 1.5, describe the circumstances and please have only one Gen. 1.5 subject

He was born in the north part of China but was raised in the south part of China.

2. Present age (may use ranges of 18-30,;31-45; 46-60; 60+): 25

3. Age upon arrival into the USA: 20

4. "Do you think ordinary Americans can tell now that you are not a native speaker of English? Yes

5. "When you arrived, could you speak any English at all?"He had a poor grade at his English course since he started learning it from high school. He knows some grammar rules and English vocabularies but not a lot. Never spoke to a native speaker before he came.

6. "Consider 5 of your closest friends; how many of them speak the same native language as you?All of them speak Mandarin.

7. "On a scale of 1-10 (1=very little and 10=very much), rate yourself on your degree of Americanism; in other words, how 'American' do you feel you are?"

He rates himself at 2. He stays in the Chinese community still but knows some "American rules."

8. Do you still get back to your country of residence? How often? Yes, He gets back to there once he has the chance. Maybe once every two years.9.Where do you usually use your second language? At school/home/workplace?

Mostly at school & foreign restaurants where he has to. He doesn't work.He never speaks English at home.

10. Are you planning to stay here in the US? If not, how long are you planning to stay here before you go back?

No. He's planning to get back to China right after his OPT program ends, maybe one more year.

Analysis

In the first interview, the subject was born in China and came to the country at a mature age. This means that their physical looks can easily distinguish them from a native speaker of English. Locals can easily tell that they are immigrants. Even though they had started learning English from a young age, they had not communicated to a native speaker before they came to the USA. The subject communicates in the local Chinese language, Mandarin, with her friends and at home and only uses English in school or the workplace. The subject rates their Americanism as 4 and only goes to their home country once per year. Their probability of living in the country is low since it depends on the processing of the relevant papers.

In the second interview, the subject was born in the USA, but since most of her family members use Spanish as they communicate, she had to learn the language after she joined kindergarten. Due to her Spanish roots, most people can easily identify her as a non-native speaker. Her family and friends use the Spanish language to converse which exposes her to a little time practicing mastering the English second language. She can only use it in school or workplace. She is in touch with her country of residence and ensures that she goes there once every year. However, the subject considers herself as an American and intends to stay in the country for the longest period of her life.

In the third interview, the subject was born and raised in China and came to the USA when about twenty years old. His performance in English was poor and has not mastered all rules in the language. Before coming to the country, he had never interacted with a native speaker. He is in the country to gain education and plans to go back to his country of residence. In addition, he visits his home every chance he gets and only uses English when in school or other formal places. Otherwise, he uses the local Chinese language, Mandarin, to communicate to his friends and family.

Discussion

Schumann's' model of second language acquisition, acculturation supports the interaction of social, cultural, and psychological process in the ability of an individual to acquire a second language (Cook, 2013). Therefore, the learner must be willing to adapt to the culture in the USA if they want to learn English within a short-time (Lightbown et al., 1999). Borrowing ideas from other cultures will allow the immigrants have an easy process when assimilating into the new language. It involves the process of learning the values, customs, language, and way of life of other individuals with the aim of fitting in the new environment (Kamhi & Catts, 2013). When immigrants understand the concept of acculturation, it becomes easy for them to learn a new language.

Interview I

The subject had a high interest in learning English as the second language and began when they were younger. Despite the interest they had, they had never interacted with a native speaker which means that they might not have realized any shortcoming in the language acquisition. Further, their perception towards English had affected their level of mastery which made it hard to sharpen the knowledge they already possessed. In addition, the fact that they rarely used English in their communication when at home and interacting with friends, it was hard to practice. I think in as much as the subject had trained in English, they needed constant application of the language in their daily activities which would help improve their prowess. The subject is also unsure of the probability of spending their lives in the USA after schooling which means they may not have the motivation to pursue learning and mastering English in both the short-term and the long-term.

Interview II

The subject shows a high level of interest in mastering the English language since she hopes she can reside in the USA for a long time. Her family is in the country, and despite the fact that she visits her country of residence, Mexico, her relatives perceives her as an American. The subject's commitment towards improving English, as her second language has seen her communicating with her cousins and friends using English and only use her native lingua to pass a message to the elders. The subject had mastered English better despite it being their second language since they started learning it when they joined the school.

Interview III

The subject's long-term goals in exiting the country immediately after his studies lower his interest in acquiring the skills in English. They understand all English rules but limited by their goals in life and where they currently live while in the USA. This means that their environment strongly influences them to engage in conversations in their local language, the limited interaction with native speakers means that they have no chance of improving or sharpening their mastery of the language.

Reflection Paper Based on the Interviews

Perception towards the English language as well as the willingness and commitment to understanding it has greatly influenced the mastery among the various subjects interviewed for the study. For instance, if an individual will live in the country for long, they will put more effort in learning and practice (Gass, 2013). In addition, the interaction with their peers and family using the English language is evidence that they are dedicated to learning more. One of the limitations they face is when the native speakers perceive them as immigrants due to their physical features which may connect them with their origin. For instance, one of the subjects, who is a Chinese, has most native speakers consider her a Chinese due to her physical appearance despite the fact that she can communicate using English.

A justification for designing the questions for the interview is that they would make me understand the background of all subjects using a limited number of requests. The answers given would also guide me in understanding their prowess and mastery of the language, as well as the environment they lived and the influence it had on their communication. Further, having a glimpse of their long-term goals would help relate the commitment they had towards learning English and how it would affect their career,

Summary of content learned in class

Students' interaction in the classroom determines their ability to master the second language. It means that learners who are willing to initiate relationships with their peers have a high level of success when acquiring the knowledge (Horwitz, 2012). Despite the errors they encounter like pronunciation and grammatical mistakes, the learners are willing and able to learn from them. The more the interaction learners have with their peers, the higher the chance of reducing the mistakes in the future. Peers point out mistakes, and if one is willing, they can get corrections and master the English language within short time.

References

Cook, V. (2013). Second language learning and language teaching. Routledge.

Gass, S. M. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. Routledge.

Horwitz, E. K. (2012). Becoming a language teacher: A practical guide to second language learning and teaching. Pearson Higher Ed.

Kamhi, A. G., & Catts, H. W. (201...