Introduction
It is essential to note that learning a language is one of the most critical aspects of acquiring skills for people. The reason is that it allows them to interact with each other and creates significant opportunities in their later life. Children who quickly learn their first language can explain their desires and needs to their parents. After learning a second language, they can interact freely and get acquainted with other cultures.
However, all people first learn the first language they hear from their families and friends from birth. Once they can communicate in their first language, people begin to learn other languages in agreement. Accordingly, the age and context for learning these two languages differ (Lightbown and Spada, 2013). Thus, this paper introduces the distinctions and similarities between a person’s first and second language learning.
The Main Differences Between Learning a First and a Second Language
A first language is a native language for people who start learning it. On the other hand, learning a second language is a conscious choice of a person to communicate with native speakers. Therefore, from birth, children learn their first language on the level of instincts, and they improve their skills with the experience of contact with native speakers. After children reach a certain age, they are taught the basic rules of their native language to write and express themselves correctly. Meanwhile, learning a second language starts at different stages of people’s lives: some people learn it from childhood, and some in adulthood (Lightbown and Spada, 2013).
Moreover, learning a second language is not instinctive, and people rarely live in an environment where the language is commonly communicated. Accordingly, people usually learn basic grammatical rules and a minimum of words when acquiring a second language. Therefore, unlike learning a first language, individuals are not likely to be capable of speaking a second language right away (Lightbown and Spada, 2013). This ability can be acquired after basic knowledge of grammatical rules, constructions, and essential words.
It is worth noting that even learning the first language is significantly faster than learning the second language. People who learn a second language have different abilities and dispositions, but they still need more time to learn a second language than to master the first (Lightbown and Spada, 2013). This can be explained by the fact that a person acquires the first language during growth and upbringing and is dynamic during human development. In contrast, a second language can only be learned by studying, listening to music, visiting native speakers, and learning the rules. Hence, successful language learning requires active actions, while learning a first language can be passive at first and bring results.
In addition, learning the first and second languages starts differently. Accordingly, learning the first language begins with telegraphic language, which is a few words children hear naturally and can repeat unconsciously. For example, at the age of one, children can pronounce working words and phrases, which marks the beginning of language learning (Lightbown and Spada, 2013). However, learning a second language begins with the pronunciation of complete sentences that must have the correct grammatical structure. Moreover, people cannot learn a second language without knowing the first one because the first language explains the basic rules and principles of the second language.
In addition, when learning a second language, there is a motivational factor that encourages people to continue to develop their proficiency (Lightbown and Spada, 2013). This is extremely valuable for learning a second language because it allows one to quickly comprehend a large amount of material. In contrast, this factor is unnecessary when learning a first language because it begins at an early age when children subconsciously acquire the language.
Stages for Learning Languages
There are also separate stages of learning the first and second language. Thus, when learning the first language, there is a babbling stage, which begins at 6-8 months, when children can make sounds in the first language (Pinter, 2017). After that, at 9-18 months, children can independently pronounce the first words, and by the age of two, they can make simple sentences. The next stage is called the multi-word stage, usually lasting from 2 to 3 years, during which children try to combine different words into one sentence independently (Pinter, 2017).
It is significant to state that even when children are learning their first language and can make sentences at this stage, they do not yet use grammatical rules (Pinter, 2017). Then begins the later multi-word stage, where children already make complex sentences that start to conform to grammatical rules. Accordingly, the main stages of learning the first language occur at the unconscious level, and as they age, students are almost fluent in the first language.
Moreover, the stages of second language acquisition differ significantly from those of the first language. The pre-production stage of learning a second language means that learners have a basic understanding of grammatical concepts but cannot pronounce words correctly. At this level, gestures are commonly used to explain things more accurately. The next stage in second language learning is early production, when people can use a small vocabulary to express themselves in short sentences (Parrot, 2010).
As opposed to learning a first language, people need to improve their listening and speaking comprehension skills, not the grammatical context. At the stage of speech emergence, when learning a second language, vocabulary is just beginning to increase. During the intermediate fluency stage, people can speak with the help of medium-sized sentences with minor errors and improved vocabulary (Parrot, 2010). Only at the last level, advanced fluency, can people formulate complete, grammatically correct, coherent sentences and use various words.
The Basic Similarities in Learning a First and Second Language
However, there is a common feature in learning a first and second language. Accordingly, when learning a second language, students start with a speech period, just like when learning a first language. That is, when people can pronounce individual words that are not bound by context, they can gradually expand them and form small sentences. This is similar to the stages when children speak individual phrases and small sentences (Phillips, 1993). This indicates that better and faster second language acquisition can be achieved in a language center that simulates the first language acquisition phases.
Nevertheless, learners are equally prone to making mistakes when learning the first and second languages. This implies that mistakes are part of learning regardless of age or language. They occur when people begin to build hypotheses about a language by using language fragments without considering them independent entities. Then, irrespective of whether they are learning a first or second language, they make mistakes again when they start reassembling language blocks according to rules. For example, people, regardless of age or first or second language learning, may begin using the correct form of an irregular verb as part of a speech unit and then add another familiar affix to that verb (Phillips, 1993).
Therefore, regardless of whether they are learning a first or second language, all beginners make these kinds of blunders during the learning process. Additionally, when learning a first or second language, people use and try to find contextual clues, prior knowledge, and interactions to understand the language. Therefore, they make logical connections to understand the meaning of a word or the rule of usage of a specific part of speech.
Conclusion
In summary, learning a first and second language has similarities and differences. People start learning their first language from birth and get the first results without effort. On the other hand, learning a second language requires motivation and effort because people start learning a second language only after the first language at an advanced age. Furthermore, there are different stages of learning the first and second languages, which differ in the speed of information assimilation and the order of the various components. However, learning a first and second language has similarities, such as using individual words at first, constant mistakes in the learning process, and searching for contextual clues. Consequently, first and second language learning has both similarities and differences.
References
Lightbown, P. and Spada, N. (2013) How languages are learned. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Parrot, M. (2010) Grammar for English language teachers. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Phillips, S. (1993) Young learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pinter, A. (2017) Teaching young language learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.