The Relevance of Applied Linguistics to Classroom Teachers

1. The Relevance of Applied Linguistics to Classroom Teachers David Johnson Kennesaw State University Intensive English Program

2. Linguistics counters language myths • Good ol’ immigrants back then learned English quicker than immigrants today. • Learning a second language is relatively easy. • The English language today is in a serious state of disrepair. • People could just stop that funny or foreign accent if they really wanted to. • Some people may judge dialects of English, but not me.

3. “Good ol’ immigrants learned English faster.” • Sociolinguistics and SLA • Ben Franklin’s lament: “Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the   English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as   to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our  Language…” • Research shows: “In 1910, German continuedto be the primary language in numerous Wisconsin communities,and some second- and third-generation descendants of immigrantswere still monolingual as adults.” (Joe Salmons, American Speech, 2008) • Three-generation rule and language

4. “Learning a second language is relatively easy.” • Second Language Acquisition

5. “Learning a second language is relatively easy.” • Rosetta Stone “Act Like a Baby” • SLA depends on • motivation • social interaction • quality of input • general intelligence • new grammatical conceptualization (Zoltan Dorynei) • Linguistics helps us understand the psychology, cognitive, and emotional aspects of SLA.

6. “The English language today is in a serious state of disrepair.” • “between you and I” • “I disrespected my teacher and got in trouble.” • “I’m very anxious to meet him.” • What about pronunciation --- very germane to ESOL teacher.

7. “The English language is in a serious state of disrepair.” • Phonetics, Syntax, Sociolinguistics • “genuine” • “pen/pin”

8. “The English language today is in a serious state of disrepair.” • “between you and I” • proscription again “me” • “I disrespected my teacher and got in trouble.” • If he love the one he must disrespect the other. (1633, translation of the N.T.) Oxford English Dictionary • “I’m very anxious to meet him.” • NBC report on the wrong use.

9. “People could just stop that funny or foreign accent if they really wanted to.” • Phonetics

10. “People could just stop that funny or foreign accent if they really wanted to.” • How easy is it to control accent?

11. “Some people may judge dialects of English, but not me.” • Sociolinguistics, Syntax, and Phonology • Origins of dialects and how they are viewed by society. • Linguistics helps us understand and explain the formal English and non-formal English.

12. Appalachian English • features?

13. Appalachian English • features?

14. Real world applications of linguistics based on these five myths

15. Standards • Linguistics helps us understand standards as language educators. • WARNING: SERIOUS AND GERMANE TOPIC • Dialect Issues and Standards • Appalachian English • African-American English • Hawaiian English • Indian English

16. African American English • My research with Georgia’s college writing test: the Regent’s Writing Test Table 5 Odds Ratios to Fail for by Essay Type * indicates statistically significant odds ratios at the 0.05 level

17. Research Design - Instrument • SAE errors • Samples • The reasons are that different cultures has… • If the young had to continue paying for the needs of the elderly population. • Being successful starts with wanting to be successful the individual has to want it. subject verb agreement fragment run-on sentence

18. Research Design - Instrument • ESL errors • Samples • (This)…is a difficult question for answer. • Even though government saves social security benefits for each of us, is barely enough to survive. • You should this time use wisely. preposition error article deletion it deletion word order

19. Defining types of errors • AAE errors • Samples • There be many reasons to living… • …(this) will increase longevity for hisself. • My father company was able to help with this retirement planning. unconjugated “be” use of hisself lack of appostrophe -s

20. African American English • My research with Georgia’s college writing test: the Regent’s Writing Test Table 5 Odds Ratios to Fail for by Essay Type * indicates statistically significant odds ratios at the 0.05 level

21. Hawaiian English • James Kahakua, denied promotion at radio station because he spoke with “Hawaiian-pidgin English” • Sued under Title VII of the American Civil Rights Act • Lost: judged maintained that “accent could be controlled” Can it?

22. Indian English • School librarian fired for “not knowing English” • “I am knowing him for three years.” • “He is a chum of mine.”

23. Questions that ESL teachers can address linguistically • How long does it take to learn academic English? • Where is the best English spoken? • What is the best method for learning a second language? • Why can’t Koreans pronounce / l /? • Why do Spanish-speakers say “eschool” and “chevy” • How should ESL teachers give corrective language feedback? • What’s the best way to learn vocabulary in a new langauge?

24. How long does it take to learn academic English? • depends • robust academic fluency • error free

25. Where is the best English spoken? • Depends • Most people say, the “Midwest” (even people in the South) • Handout

26. What is the best method for learning a second language? • What does immersion mean? • What is the role of instruction vs. natural language learning.

27. Why can’t Koreans pronounce / l /?

28. Why do Spanish-speakers say “eschool” and “chevy” • phonotactic rules

29. How should ESL teachers give corrective language feedback? Error Treat Ignore If learner…

30. What’s the best way to learn vocabulary in a new language? • Keith FolseVocabulary Myths • memorizing • collocation • utter… • commit… • convey… • Compleat Lexical Tutor 002.  untries must be persuaded to take the necessary steps to allocate and COMMIT their own resources. They must be induced 003.  r, when his face clouded and he suddenly blurted, "Why did my brother COMMIT suicide"? I cannot remember Dr.  chisel a builder can COMMIT. Green lumber was all very well back in the days of wet plaster005.  ving them to despair. If such a paragon of perfection as Palmer could COMMIT such a scoring sacrilege, there was hope left 006.  D WE DO NOT PRACTICE SIN AS A HABIT._ Whoever is born of God does not COMMIT sin [That is, he does not practice 007.   "revived through mere power and abandonment and the unwillingness to COMMIT death in life some idea of a decent 008.   to leave the third one intact for tomorrow. Also our plans for me to COMMIT Charlie's murder and for him to commit 009.  . Barco was clearly a "nut". It required strength, bravado, daring to COMMIT murder. "That worm a murderer? Ridiculous"!  world view, the individual may find it possible, say, to COMMIT adultery not only without personal misgivings, but also without012.  nce of the medieval and the Renaissance there; we do not even need to COMMIT ourselves to assessing on the same 014.  than three hours ago we'd decided, in Maxine Wells's pad on Cosmo, to COMMIT a trial murder. It had gone like clockwork. 015.   was sharpening his razor. "Sister", said he "do you think people who COMMIT suicide go to heaven"? and she answered, "I 

31. What’s the best way to learn a new language???