Entry 4: Reflection
Second language acquisition (SLA) is the field of study in which researchers investigate how people can learn another language after acquiring knowledge of their first language. From taking this course, I learned that there is a difference between bilingualism and second language acquisition. With bilingualism or multilingualism, the focus is on all of the languages that the person speaks (Ortega, 2013, p. 4). Contrastingly, with second language acquisition, the main focus is on the person’s second language rather than their first language. I also learned that there are two different kinds of learners, naturalistic learners and instructed learners. Naturalistic learners are those who learn the second language (L2) through informal opportunities in their multicultural neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces without receiving any organized instruction (Ortega, 2013, p. 6). Instructed learners are those who learned in a formal setting such as through school, university, or private lesso...