The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Variation in the Classroom Using a Cognitive Linguistic Approach
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Second Language Acquisition
Location
MBSC Dodge Room 302
Start Date
19-10-2024 9:30 AM
End Date
19-10-2024 10:00 AM
Abstract
Spanish is a language spread over twenty-one countries, three continents and some half a billion of native speakers. Due to this vast geographic distribution of Spanish in the world, there is immense dialectal variation in the language. This immense diffusion makes one reflect how important it is for students to contend with the reality of sociolinguistic variation throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Nevertheless, textbooks often opt to oversimplify or avoid explanations of regional varieties, and most research on learner experience with regional variation is on naturalistic exposure through study abroad or extracurricular experiences. There have been growing concerns about the presence of linguistic variation in the process of Second Language Acquisition in recent decades. However, few are the studies on its acquisition in the classroom and through explicit pedagogical methods.
The purpose of this study is double. On one hand, it’s to test and prove the effectiveness of the pedagogical inclusion of Spanish dialectal variation during the process of second language acquisition and how this will help students understand the sociocultural aspect of language. On the other hand, it’s to test and prove the efficacy of an explicit teaching methodology that follows the operative value of Cognitive Linguistics. This pedagogical material used follows the Input Processing Theory which allows learners to understand and process not only the semantic meaning of the studied form, but also the pragmatic meaning, the contextualized meaning, and the reason why these dialectal variations arise.
The design of this study examines four different methodological approaches applied to four different groups of participants at UAlbany, SUNY, to measure the level of acquisition of each group. Group A received a cognitive based approach with the inclusion of dialectal variation. Group B received a cognitive based approach without the inclusion of dialectal variation. Group C received a descriptive based approach with the inclusion of dialectal variation. Group D is the controlled group that receives a descriptive based approach with no dialectal variation. The results of this study demonstrate the long-term efficacy of the cognitive linguistic approach versus the descriptive grammar instruction followed by most textbooks. It also proves the value of incorporating dialectal variation into grammar instruction, suggesting new methodological avenues for second language teaching.
The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Variation in the Classroom Using a Cognitive Linguistic Approach
MBSC Dodge Room 302
Spanish is a language spread over twenty-one countries, three continents and some half a billion of native speakers. Due to this vast geographic distribution of Spanish in the world, there is immense dialectal variation in the language. This immense diffusion makes one reflect how important it is for students to contend with the reality of sociolinguistic variation throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Nevertheless, textbooks often opt to oversimplify or avoid explanations of regional varieties, and most research on learner experience with regional variation is on naturalistic exposure through study abroad or extracurricular experiences. There have been growing concerns about the presence of linguistic variation in the process of Second Language Acquisition in recent decades. However, few are the studies on its acquisition in the classroom and through explicit pedagogical methods.
The purpose of this study is double. On one hand, it’s to test and prove the effectiveness of the pedagogical inclusion of Spanish dialectal variation during the process of second language acquisition and how this will help students understand the sociocultural aspect of language. On the other hand, it’s to test and prove the efficacy of an explicit teaching methodology that follows the operative value of Cognitive Linguistics. This pedagogical material used follows the Input Processing Theory which allows learners to understand and process not only the semantic meaning of the studied form, but also the pragmatic meaning, the contextualized meaning, and the reason why these dialectal variations arise.
The design of this study examines four different methodological approaches applied to four different groups of participants at UAlbany, SUNY, to measure the level of acquisition of each group. Group A received a cognitive based approach with the inclusion of dialectal variation. Group B received a cognitive based approach without the inclusion of dialectal variation. Group C received a descriptive based approach with the inclusion of dialectal variation. Group D is the controlled group that receives a descriptive based approach with no dialectal variation. The results of this study demonstrate the long-term efficacy of the cognitive linguistic approach versus the descriptive grammar instruction followed by most textbooks. It also proves the value of incorporating dialectal variation into grammar instruction, suggesting new methodological avenues for second language teaching.