Learner Language: Tools for Teachers
Learn how to analyze learner language from five different perspectives, and consider ways you can support its development in the classroom. The site showcases video recordings of learners using Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Persian, and Spanish in unrehearsed interaction. Multimedia activities guide language teachers to study and reflect on learner language and how to nurture its development.
Learner language is what learners say or write when they are trying to communicate spontaneously in a language they are learning. Interlanguage (IL) is the system that underlies learner language grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The language being learned is sometimes called the target language (TL). Learner language can be very different from the target language.
Published researchon second language acquisition shows that learners' language is produced by a built-in syllabus, which differs from the syllabus the teacher uses.
Unrehearsed Interactive communication tasks are very important for learner language use and development. See learning in interaction
Each unit shows you how to analyze learner language from a different perspective, and consider ways you can support its development:
This site showcases video recordings of learners using Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Persian, and Spanish in unrehearsed interaction. Ten videos for each language show two language learners perform five communication tasks, plus individual interviews. These interactive multimedia activities guide you to study and reflect on real learner language from different research perspectives.
CARLA staff developed this project to integrate second-language acquisition research more effectively into language teacher education.
general second language acquisition research and scholarly articles and books are listed in this bibliography. See each language section for specific annotated bibliographies.
The CARLA bibliography contains more information on publications and presentations by faculty and staff involved in this project.