Arabic-L:PEDA:Colloquial First Suggestions

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Wed 13 Jun 2007
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject:Colloquial First Suggestions

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1)
Date: 13 Jun 2007
From:"Bernhardt, James E" <BernhardtJE at state.gov>
Subject:Colloquial First Suggestions

This has been an interesting discussion so far.  I think it is worth
noting that second language acquisition research and experience seems to
indicate that at early levels of acquisition students are working with
memorized units and have no flexibility in their ability to produce.  At
the 0+ students are "able to satisfy immediate needs using rehearsed
utterances. [They] show little real autonomy of expression, flexibility
or spontaneity. [They] can ask questions or make statements with
reasonable accuracy only with memorized utterances or formulae. Attempts
at creating speech are usually unsuccessful." (ILR skill level
descriptions http://www.govtilr.org/ILRscale2.htm#0+)  In other words,
when we give students choices, they can't handle them because they can't
create speech yet.  Thus, it would seem to me that introducing MSA in
the second semester is too early (unless you have your students, like we
do, for 25 contact hours per week and require homework on top of that).

James E. Bernhardt
Chair, Near East, Central and South Asian Languages
FSI
703-302-7291

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End of Arabic-L:  13 Jun 2007