Role Of L1 In Second Language Acquisition

First language, referred to as L1, has a very important role in second language, referred to as L2, or foreign languages acquisition. Here, a very significant statement belongs to Brown should be mentioned. He emphasizes “first language can be a facilitating factor and not just an interfering factor”. This foreshadows that L1 is a basis for L2 acquisition. The first action that our minds take when starting in learning a second language is to recall our former knowledge and experience , then to compare and comprehend the new knowledge related to the old one. L1 is used as a tool to SLA (second language acquisition). learners know the meaning of words in L2 by knowing their meaning in L1. This way is most used in early stage learning.

The first approach is the "Monolingual Approach". It suggests that teachers should never use L1 in classrooms during SLA process. Its supporters believe that they should focus on L2. The second approach is the "Bilingual approach". It is an approach that doesn't mind the use of L1 in classes, but tends to use it wisely. The third apprroach is the "Balanced approach". It advocates that teachers should show respect for L1. It means not to avoid L1 as if it is an inferior to L2. It appreciates the role of L1, but emphasizes the use of L2 on a higher level in the process of SLA.

There are some ways of increasing and focusing on the use of the L2 in SLA. Classroom management is the first and most affective way for this aim. It means to use orders of classroom in L2, such as "open your books on page 5, repeat after me, stand up and using greetings in L2 such as, "Good morning". This way provides learners not only with vocabulary, but also with grammar and structure. Learners begin to recognize the meanings of these examples in L1. This also emphasizes and highlights the role of

Acquisition can be defined as the logical problem of how the mind acquires language independent of intervening stages. While development is the history of the intervening stages. What you can do is more important than which thing you learnt first. Sequence, though important in many activities of life, is not with the same importance here. SLA researchers focused on the idea of sequence. Experiments showed that L2 learners acquired things in a sequence much like L1 acquisition. The most famous example in this aim is how L2 learners get confused about " John is easy to please and John is eager to please". These sentences can be comprehended only comparatively for learners, whether they are L1 learners or L2