Analyzing Ellis Second Language Acquisition

Introduction

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is understood as “the acquisition of any language after the acquisition of the mother tongue” (Ellis, 2008). This process implies a meaningful interaction in the target language, where speakers are concerned with the messages their utterances convey and understand. It is really important for teachers to comprehend such implications and its focus on the learner and on the learning process in order to determine students’ knowledge of their Second Language (SL) and to describe and explain their level of competence (Ellis, 2008, p. 6), The purpose of this study is to describe how successfully the English negative of a Portuguese beginner learner were acquired. Taking into consideration that frequency

This is defined as “a separate linguistic system based on the observable output which results from a learner’s attempted production of a TL [= Target Language] norm” (Selinker,1972) which determined how revealing are errors or ungrammatical forms in the ongoing process of language acquisition. While Selinker perceived this as a continual adjustment learners do to their L1 systems to approximate the L2 more closely, in a "restructuring" continuum, Corder hypothesizes, based on the characteristics of learners’ production, that this interlanguage cannot always be linked to the L1 for it displays features apparently derived from simplification processes, and so interlanguage development should be characterized as a "developmental" continuum (Koike,1989) . This enlightens our understanding how this process goes from the L1 to L2 proficiency, and it is important for as Cook stated “ “in part paved the way for communicative teaching methods” (Cook,

According to Ellis (1998), “a case study is a detailed study of learner’s acquisition of an L2. It is typically longitudinal, involving the collection of samples of the learner’s speech or writing over a period of time, sometimes years”. Cases studies provide a detailed description and interpretation of a phenomenon through the application of methodologies that allow researchers to raise understanding and insights into educational practices and their meaning. In this sense, “the case study approach can be particularly appropriate for individual researchers because it provides an opportunity for one aspect to be studied in some depth. They can also precede a survey and be used as a means of identifying key issues” (Bell,