122231 AR Linguistics Course (interactive) (2016S)

Nowadays, teachers are frequently confronted with a multilingual and multicultural learning and teaching environment with students from various language backgrounds. The knowledge of the respective languages is not to be regarded as isolated from each other, but the two or more systems involved mutually influence each other. In this class, we will explore the challenges of the multilingual learning environment by investigating the role the typological proximity/distance (i.e. the structural or functional similarities of or differences between the languages a student knows) plays when learning English and various phenomena connected to it, such as language transfer, code-switching and mixing. We will, consequently, focus on the following questions: Do shared properties of the L1 and English play a role regarding the ease/difficulty with which students learn English? Why is transfer of certain aspects from an L1 in some cases successful, whereas it leads to mistakes in others? When and why do students switch between the languages or mix elements? Which sounds are most difficult to pronounce when learning a foreign language and why? How can students from different language backgrounds be supported in an adequate way when learning English as a foreign language? Based on analyses of authentic data, the aims of this course are to provide a profound understanding of the phenomena at play and to, consequently, discuss implications for the foreign language classroom.