Second Language Acquisition and Second ... - Stephen Krashen
Second Language Acquisition and Second ... - Stephen Krashen
Second Language Acquisition and Second ... - Stephen Krashen
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ut<br />
*der Katze Ohr (The cat's ear).<br />
While control data would make Wode et al.'s argument even more convincing (e.g. ESL with other<br />
first languages or English as a first language), their explanation is quite plausible.<br />
Wode et al. also point out that use of cross-sectional techniques, as opposed to longitudinal, fail to<br />
make the distinction between true mastery <strong>and</strong> what Wode et al. call "premature forms". For<br />
example, in their data, subjects would first produce forms like "feed", "sheep", <strong>and</strong> "fish" correctly<br />
in the plural, without the /s/ ending. Somewhat later, however, the children would incorrectly add<br />
the /s/ marker to these forms, with the correct form re-emerging later. The phenomenon of<br />
premature forms is well attested in first language acquisition (Ervin, 1964; Cazden 1972). While<br />
Wode et al.'s point is reasonable, the empirical evidence suggests that the existence of agreement<br />
between cross-sectional <strong>and</strong> longitudinal orders is quite high, when sufficient samples are used.<br />
Finally, Wode et al. note that ordering studies might be overly concerned with determining relative<br />
order of acquisition of items that are formally quite different. For example, one would not be<br />
interested in the relative order of /r/ <strong>and</strong> negation.<br />
Similarly, Wode et al. suggest that bound <strong>and</strong> free forms might be "acquisitionally quite different"<br />
(p. 184). This is precisely what we have found (<strong>Krashen</strong> et al., 1978); with bound forms showing<br />
very clear consistency across children <strong>and</strong> adults, L1 <strong>and</strong> L2, while free forms, which are ordered<br />
among themselves with some consistency, appear relatively "later" in L1 acquisition.<br />
Wode et al. conclude that both acquisition order <strong>and</strong> "developmental sequence" (or "transitional<br />
competence") studies "focus on different aspects of the total process of L2 acquisition... therefore,<br />
the conclusion cannot be to claim general superiority of one over the other" (p. 184).<br />
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