In this paper I would like to discuss the article, written by Shigenori Wakabayash (2009). The author focuses on the principles of second language acquisition (SLA), in particular, the use of definite article in the English language and those mistakes that ELL students make while trying to learn this grammatical unit. The key point, which the writer wants to emphasize, is that in many cases, it is very difficult to mark definiteness in English, and there is no concise rule that would explain the use of the definite article.
Very often, learners have to rely on their background knowledge as well as syntactic and semantic properties of lexical units in order to decide whether definite article is necessary in this particular situations or not (Wakabayash, 2009, p 337). Shigenori Wakabayash argues that there are many situations when an ELL student does not recognize the necessity for the use of the definite article; this is why he/she either substitutes it by something else or omits it.
The finding of this empirical study can be of great assistance to the teachers, for example, they may analyze typical errors of students who misuse the definite article. More importantly, they can work out exercises that would help a learner to determine whether the semantic and syntactic environment requires the use of the definite article.
This article is beneficial to that extent that it identifies those cases, when ELL students find it very difficult to decide whether the noun refers to specific persons or object or to unknown ones. It should be noted that this research is particularly relevant to Chinese and Korean Learners of the English language.
Overall, this article only contributes to the study of those factors that affect SLA. Under the circumstance, we can speak about such factor as language distance or the differences existing between the languages in terms of grammatical structures, punctuation, spelling, syntax and so forth (Walqui, 2000, p 1).
Therefore, a teacher must first determine whether a certain linguistic phenomenon, for example, the definite article, exists in the native language of a student. If such phenomenon is non-existent in the student’s native language, he/she either tends to avoid it or misuses it. Thus, it is of the crucial importance that teachers take into consideration the differences, existing between the two languages.
Another important factor is the native language proficiency (Walqui, 2000, p 1). This means that a teacher must know whether an ELL learner can speak his/her own language properly. The thing is that a person with a high level of native language proficiency can better analyze semantic and syntactical structures of the English language. This principle can be applied to the use of the definite article in English.
Despite the fact that the article, written by Shigenori Wakabayash is more theoretical in its nature, it may help to develop educational strategies, used for the needs of ELL students. It urges the teachers not to overlook the reasons why students make linguistic mistakes.
The key idea which the author intends to express is that the analysis of typical errors and difficulties, faced by ELL learners can, can immensely facilitate the process of second language acquisition. We need to stress an idea that a student, who is aware of difficulties, is less likely to misuse the definite article or any other grammatical structure of the English language. This is why the study that we have discussed is beneficial for both educators and learners.
Reference List
Wakabayash. S. (2009) Lexical learning in second language acquisition: optionality in the Numeration. Second Language Research 25(2); pp. 335–341.
Walqui. A. (2000). Contextual Factors in Second Language Acquisition. ERIC Digest. Web.