Second Thoughts About Second-Language Teaching

Abstract

It was thought then that a child’s acquisition of its first language or mother tongue was a very different process from the acquisition of a second language. Mother-tongue acquisition was seen to happen naturally, without any deliberate teaching or effort at learning, unfailingly in all cases. No one fails to learn and, if we ignore the literate skills, all seem to learn equally well. Learning to speak happens as naturally as being able to walk. In sharp contrast, a second or subsequent language needs to be taught and typically leads to varied levels of success between different learners. It therefore looks as if first-language learning is a gift of nature while second-language learning depends on the quality and quantity of teaching. That led to teaching methods such as systematic selection and grading in the teaching of words, structures, functions, etc. in schools.