What is the relationship of culture learning to second language learning?
LANGUAGE, THOUGHT, & CULTURE
Can you think of an example that best illustrates how language, thought, and culture are inextricably related. How may your example hinder second language acquisition?
ATTITUDES & SLA
Using specific examples, discuss how clusters of attitudinal variables positively or negatively correlate with attained proficiency in SLA. For example, consider how attitudes towards 1) self, 2) native language group, 3) target language group, and 4) reasons for learning correlate with SLA.
CULTURE SHOCK AND SLA
What is the relationship between culture shock and SLA? What are your feelings about Lambert's (1967) research finding that the strongest dose of anomie (associated with the third stage of culture shock) is experienced when linguistically a person begins to "master" the foreign language.
SOCIAL DISTANCE AND SLA
How is the notion of social distance (the cognitive and affective proximity of two cultures that come into contact within an individual) partly used to explain why some learners are more successful than others?
ENGLISH ONLY MOVEMENT
What are the arguments for and against making English the official language of the United States?
ESL/EFL CONTEXTS
What is the controversy surrounding the ESL and EFL nomenclature?
FOSSILIZATION AND SLA
How is fossilization explained in the social approaches to SLA?