There are many striking similarities between the new science of chaos/complex-ity and second language acquisition (SLA) Chaos/complexity scientists studycomplex nonlinear systems They are interested in how disorder gives way toorder, of how complexity arises in nature 'To some physicists chaos is a scienceof process rather than state, of becoming rather than being' (Gleick 1987 5) Itwill be argued that the study of dynamic, complex nonlinear systems ismeaningful in SLA as well Although the new science of chaos/complexityhas been hailed as a major breakthrough in the physical sciences, some believeits impact on the more human disciplines will be as immense ( Waldrop 1992)This belief will be affirmed by demonstrating how the study of complexnonlinear systems casts several enduring SLA conundrums in a new lightINTRODUCTIONScience exists to explain the fundamental order underlying nature The mostvalued explanations have taken the form of cause and effect linkages Forexample, Isaac Newton was able to find a cause for the movement of the starsin his simple laws of motion and theory of gravity Faith in science to accountfor such a deterministic universe inspired French mathematician Pierre Simonde Laplace to claim that if scientists knew the positions and velocities of all theparticles in the universe, they would be able to predict the future for all time(Hall 1993)Two major developments in the twentieth century have laid rest to suchclaims The first was Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, introduced intoquantum physics to describe the limits to which anything at the quantumlevel could be known for certain Laplace's claim rested on the condition thatscientists be able to measure the position and velocities of all particles in theuniverse Hei sen berg demonstrated that at the quantum or subatomic levelscientists can ascertain either the position or the momentum of a particle, butnot both simultaneously, making prediction impossibleThe second development discrediting Laplace's claim came more recentlywith the discovery of another kind of unpredictability in nature—the unpre-dictability which accompanies much larger, more complex, nonlinear systemsFor instance, it is well known that such global phenomena as the weather donot lend themselves to trustworthy forecasts, not at least at the proximate, locallevel It had always been assumed, however, that such forecasts wouldultimately be possible when meteorology or the instruments employed in its

/pdf/chaos-complexity-science-and-second-language-acquisition-2266fruzfv.pdf

Chaos/Complexity Science and Second Language Acquisition

Following a review of the literature on learning styles and cognitive styles for both native speakers (NSs) and nonnative speakers (NNSs) of English, this article presents the results of a questionnaire that asked 1,388 students to identify their perceptual learning style preferences. Statistical analyses of the questionnaires indicated that NNS learning style preferences often differ significantly from those of NSs; that ESL students from different language backgrounds sometimes differ from one another in their learning style preferences; that other variables such as sex, length of time in the United States, length of time studying English in the U.S., field of study, level of education, TOEFL score, and age are related to differences in learning styles; and that modifications and extensions of ESL student learning styles may occur with changes in academic environment and experience. During the past decade, educational research has identified a

The Learning Style Preferences of ESL Students.

This article reviews the second language research on age-related differences, as well as first language work needed to disambiguate some of the findings. Five conclusions are drawn, (a) Both the initial rate of acquisition and the ultimate level of attainment depend in part on the age at which learning begins. (b) There are sensitive periods governing language development, first or second, during which the acquisition of different linguistic abilities is successful and after which it is irregular and incomplete. (c) The age-related loss in ability is cumulative (not a catastrophic one-time event), affecting first one linguistic domain and then another, and is not limited to phonology, (d) The deterioration in some individuals begins as early as age 6—not at puberty as is often claimed. (e) Affective, input, and current cognitive explanations for the reduced ability are inadequate. The capacity for language development is maturationally constrained, and its decline probably reflects a progressive loss of neural plasticity, itself possibly associated with increasing myelination.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0272263100009165

Maturational Constraints on Language Development

Contents: Preface: The Pattern Which Connects. Part I: Language, Learning, and Teaching. Language: Concepts and Precepts. Learning: Factors and Processes. Teaching: Input and Interaction. Part II: Language Teaching Methods. Constituents and Categories of Methods. Language-Centered Methods. Learner-Centered Methods. Learning-Centered Methods. Part III: Postmethod Perspectives. Postmethod Condition. Postmethod Pedagogy. Postmethod Predicament. Postscript: The Pattern Which Comforts.

/pdf/understanding-language-teaching-from-method-to-postmethod-2yy90bzavu.pdf

Understanding Language Teaching: From Method to Postmethod

Many practices aimed at cultivating multicultural competence in educational and organizational settings (e.g., exchange programs, diversity education in college, diversity management at work) assume that multicultural experience fosters creativity. In line with this assumption, the research reported in this article is the first to empirically demonstrate that exposure to multiple cultures in and of itself can enhance creativity. Overall, the authors found that extensiveness of multicultural experiences was positively related to both creative performance (insight learning, remote association, and idea generation) and creativity-supporting cognitive processes (retrieval of unconventional knowledge, recruitment of ideas from unfamiliar cultures for creative idea expansion). Furthermore, their studies showed that the serendipitous creative benefits resulting from multicultural experiences may depend on the extent to which individuals open themselves to foreign cultures, and that creativity is facilitated in contexts that deemphasize the need for firm answers or existential concerns. The authors discuss the implications of their findings for promoting creativity in increasingly global learning and work environments.

/pdf/multicultural-experience-enhances-creativity-the-when-and-22ibo4xpe2.pdf

Multicultural experience enhances creativity: the when and how.

This study was designed to investigate the acquisition of a set of complex English structures by adult learners of English at two different levels of proficiency. The results indicated a developmental pattern similar to that reported by Chomsky for child native speakers. Interesting language learning strategies were revealed. In interpreting ambiguous sentences, beginners tended to rely on semantic rather than on syntactic information. All subjects appeared to deal directly with the linguistic data of the target language. No evidence was found that they attempted to translate or to map native language structures onto those of the target language. In no instance did we find evidence of language learning strategies different from those reported in the literature for child native speakers.

The acquisition of complex english structures by adult learners1

The presenl study investigated the use of five speech markers in the native and second language production of French-English bilinguals in a military setting. We propose that these speech markers, mechanisms for self-repair and turn-taking in conversations, are a major component of fluency. The ten participants, five high fluency speakers and five low fluency speakers, were tape-recorded with their peers in three different situations in their native and second languages, and the frequency of occurrence of speech markers was tabulated for a 5-minute segment for each situation. It was hypothesized that speakers who used differentially more prepositioned repairs (progressives) or markers placed before the repair that do not require a reorganization of the expectation of what is to follow based on what has been produced in the turn so far, would be judged more favourably than those who used more postpositioned repairs (regressives). There was no quantitative difference in the frequency of occurrence of speech markers between the high and low fluency speakers, but the high fluency speakers used more progressive than regressive types of marker. Progressive markers place fewer demands on the interlocutor than regressive markers, which require constant readjustments on the part of the listener. The profiles were similar for each individual in the native and second language but in every case there were fewer markers in the native than in the second language. Furthermore, there were fewer markers in the planned (teaching) than in the unplanned (interview) situation. The findings have important implications for the evaluation of second language fluency.

/pdf/a-quantitative-and-qualitative-analysis-of-speech-markers-in-1u94szo55s.pdf

A quantitative and qualitative analysis of speech markers in the native and second language speech of bilinguals

The study examined the relationship between learner characteristics and achievement in French as a second language in a sample of 391 adult immigrants completing a 900-hour course of classroom instruction in Montreal. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to assess the relative contribution of nine learner variables to individual differences in performance on an FSL achievement test. Teachers' evaluations of subjects as “good learners” or “poor learners” served as the dependent variable in a multivariate ANOVA comparing the two groups. Results of the various analyses indicated that subjects who have more schooling, a higher degree of nonverbal reasoning ability, make greater use of French outside the classroom, are more competent in English, and display a greater degree of field independence are more likely to benefit from formal language instruction. Higher levels of illiteracy and classroom anxiety, coupled with greater age, were related to learning difficulties. The paper underlines the importance of multivariate data analysis techniques and proposes the use of graphical data analysis techniques for researchers exploring multivariate data sets with small groups of subjects.

Learner Characteristics and Second Language Acquisition: A Multivariate Study of Adult Immigrants and Some Thoughts on Methodology.

Rational Cloze and Retrospection: Insights into First and Second Language Reading Comprehension.

In first language research, there appear to be two predominant positions relating metalinguistic awareness to language development. One suggests that since metalinguistic awareness is related to primary language acquisition (comprehension and production), general cognitive processes perform a limited role in metalinguistic awareness. The other suggests that since metalinguistic awareness is more closely related to secondary language acquisition (reading and writing), a greater role is assumed by general cognitive processes. There have been some indirect attempts to study the role of language and cognition with respect to second language grammaticality judgments. There is growing evidence that metalinguistic awareness is a reliable indicator of developing second language competence. Furthermore, it has been shown that language aptitude is significantly related to metalinguistic awareness. The present study was designed to investigate the statistical relationship between second language grammaticality judgments and selected cognitive and linguistic variables. The variables studied were second language proficiency, second language classroom achievement, first language reading competence, language aptitude, nonverbal intelligence, field dependence-independence, and a written grammaticality judgment test tapping the ability to recognize, and correct, deviance. Subjects were college students in advanced English-as-a-second-language classes. Multivariate statistical techniques were used to determine the relative contribution of linguistic and cognitive variables to the individual variation demonstrated by the learners in their ability to detect deviance in English. The results showed that second language proficiency, second language achievement in the classroom, and language aptitude were significant predictors of the subjects' ability to make grammaticality judgments. First language reading competence was significantly related to subjects' ability to correct deviance. These observations are discussed in the light of: (1) the relationship among cognition, language, and metalinguistic awareness, and (2) the role of metalinguistic awareness in second language acquisition and second language learning.

Language, cognition, and second language grammaticality judgments

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