Does SocioEconomic status affect Language ACQUISITION?
One thing within the interview I found very interesting was Professor Ristaino’s take on the effects of socioeconomic status when learning a foreign language. After reading through a variety of different articles I found that not one single one mentioned this when describing the acquisition of a foreign language. For example, in the article titled, “Acquiring A Second Language For School,” Virginia P. Collier at George Mason University, discusses different methods used in order to accommodate the large increase in “language minority demographics.” Collier feels that the instructional approaches utilized in schools currently have not been successful; therefore, she provides a “conceptual model” where she explains what factors can affect early language education and how to successfully provide education to these students. She stresses how in order to have academic success in a secondary language; a student’s primary language has to be developed to a “high cognitive level” (3). Furthermore Collier continues to list a variety of different factors that affect learning and different methods that can overcome these factors. Although a great deal of what Collier writes about is in fact true she fails to acknowledge that socioeconomic status can in fact play a role in one’s learning of a foreign language. When I asked Professor Ristaino whether or not socioeconomic status could affect the learning of a foreign language she immediately responded saying yes. She grew up in a lower-middle class family and therefore believed that studying abroad was never a possibility. While her friends and peers went to other countries to study, she did not even consider. Now, after many years, she realized how important and how much of a difference studying abroad can make when learning a foreign language. Not only are you able to adopt the language quicker but also the culture, which can play a major role in foreign language acquisition. Overall, socioeconomic status can in fact affect the learning of a second language.
Sources:
Collier, Virginia P. "Acquiring A Second Language For School." Directions In Language And Education. N.p., 1995. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
Photos:
http://paswall.com/money-wallpaper-11546-hd.ht
Collier, Virginia P. "Acquiring A Second Language For School." Directions In Language And Education. N.p., 1995. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
Photos:
http://paswall.com/money-wallpaper-11546-hd.ht