Social Factors on English Learning

【Abstract】In L2 acquisition， many factors may influence the language learning and learning outcome. Utilizing these factors rightly will help learners reach a high level proficiency. This thesis tries to explain and analyze specific social factors （age， sex， social class and ethnic identity） affecting L2 proficiency. English learners in China learn English in educational settings and they have their own characteristics， teachers should make full use of social factors to improve English proficiency.

【Key words】L2 acquisition; social factors; English competence

【作者簡介】郭真（1982.04-），女，汉族，山东东营人，中国石油大学胜利学院，讲师，硕士研究生，研究方向：英语教学、英语语言学。

Introduction

This is a time of global communication when communication between people has expanded way beyond their local speech communities. There is an urgency to find out whether the proficiency of second language learning can be improved. There is a close relationship between social factors and L2 acquisition， this thesis examines how social factors affect English learning and how to make use of social factors to improve English competence.

1. Social Factors and English Learning

We will now consider a number of specific social factors which influence the learning outcomes. These factors have received the most attention in SLA research.

1.1 Age

Age has received considerable attention from sociolinguists. Younger generation used non-standard variants， while middle-aged speakers preferred the standard variant. Older speakers demonstrated use of non-standard variant， although not to the same extent as the younger generation.

Learners who start learning an L2 after the puberty are unlikely to acquire a native-speaker accent Children may be more prepared to share external norms， while adolescent learners progress more rapidly than younger learner.

1.2 Sex

Research shows that women always outdo men in the standardness of their speech. Women are more concerned with new forms and use them into speech. Otherwise， men are less sensitive to new forms and less likely to notice them. Women are reported to be better at L2 learning than men： they are likely to be more open to new linguistic forms in the language input and they tend to separate themselves from interlanguage forms and target-language norms.

1.3 Social Class

Few studies are dedicated to investigating social class and L2 learning. The results indicate that in terms of the emphasizing formal language learning， middle-class kids achieve higher levels of L2 proficiency and more positive attitudes than working-class children which may be caused by the fact that they are better able to handle decontextualized language. However， when the program stresses communicative skills， there are no obvious differences in social class.

1.4 Ethnic Identity

There is a general consensus that ethnic identity can have a profound influence on L2 learning. A socio-psychological view of the relationship between ethnic identity and L2 proficiency emphasized the role of attitudes. The attitudes that learners take towards the learning foreign language reflect the intersection of their views about their own ethnic identity and those about the target-language culture. This view will influence both L2 and L1 learning， as shown in Figure：

Attitude towards

Native culture         target culture

Additive bilingualism       +                      +

Subtractive bilingualism     _                      +

Semilingualism            _                      _

Monolingualism           +                      _

Key： + = positive attitudes

-= negative attitudes

Figure： Attitude and L2 learning

Lambert （1974） tells additive apart subtractive bilingualism. In the former learners maintain their L1 as well as L2 and may become balanced bilinguals. Learners have a positive view towards ethnic identity as well as target-language culture. In the case of subtractive bilingualism learners replace their L1 with the L2， failing to develop full competence in their mother tongue or losing competence that has already been acquired. Semilingualism may result from negative attitudes towards culture from their own and target language. Monolingualiam reflects a strong ethnic identity and negative attitudes towards the target-language culture.

2. Analysis and Utilization of Social Factors in China

2.1 Age

There is a consensus that younger learners generally outdo older learners， which was supported by the critical period hypothesis. It is clear that the hypothesis is related to learning in natural settings， but learners in our country learn English in formal classroom settings， so we should discuss when to start English learning and consider fully the advantages of children and adults. In primary school， teachers should emphasize student’s standard pronunciation， intonation and communicative ability. On the contrary， teaching for adults should be focused on grammar and vocabulary because of the strong ability of analyzing and summarizing. Therefore， the English teaching should be in accordance with the actual situation of learners.

2.2 Sex

Generally speaking， Chinese females are more introverted and conservation and tend to finish the assignment given by their teachers on time， so they are good at learning strategies and getting a satisfactory grade with the low level of communicative and expressive ability. On the other hand， males are more extroverted and adaptable， willing to accept and adjust to new things. They are likely to take opportunities to communicate and discuss. In terms of their characteristics， teachers should adopt various teaching strategies and methods to help learners to improve their English proficiency.

2.3 Social Class

The problem of social class plays a significant part in English learning， although it is not such obvious in China. Universally speaking， people in countryside or poor families are not likely to learn English very well due to the living， financial condition and value conception. On the contrary， people from developed cities or rich families are inclined to learn English successfully because of low economic pressure and the strong desire for a promising future. Therefore， different people may show different attitudes towards English learning， teacher should make students realize that knowledge can change our fate and they should show more positive attitude to English learning.

2.4 Ethnic Identity

Due the distinctive differences between Chinese and western culture， it is relatively hard for Chinese learners to get a high English proficiency than other learners with western culture background. However， researchers hold that positive attitudes towards target language and the concerned culture can be beneficial to English learning. When learners hold the positive view of their own ethnic identity and target-language culture， they will maintain first language as well as second language and may become balanced bilinguals. Therefore， English learners should try to accept the western culture and grasp opportunities to communicate with native speakers to better master the English.

3. Ways to Improve English Competence in China

3.1 Avoid Using Dialect

Dialect is the product of the individual’s geographical and class origin. Although this is true that there are many multinational corporations or joint ventures in China， almost every region has its own regional language which isn’t helpful for English learning. As we know that the strong accent of dialect is by all means the biggest hinder for speaking the decent English， so we’d better promote the popularization of mandarin for the facilitation of English learning.

3.2 Practice in Register

Our daily lives take us through a succession of activities requiring the use of language. The activities are totally diverse and have specific features of language. Many activities are connected with our future job. We may be an engineer giving instructions to a draughtsman， a lawyer advising a client， etc. Therefore， we can make full use of different register in society to speak and practice English. When in an airport， we can practice English using the sentences and expressions including specialized vocabulary， terms and usage.

3.3 Utilize the Medium of Communication

Medium of communication is playing the critical role in foreign language learning， thus we should make full use of different communicative medium to improve foreign language learning.

Choice of channel may sometimes be dependent on the previous choice role， but this is not necessarily the case. For most of us， the auditory channel--speaking and hearing – is used much more frequent than the visual- reading and writing. Meanwhile， we may use the visual medium （e.g. Internet） to read newspapers， books， letters， advertisements.

4. Conclusion

We are clear that social factors play an important role in English learning， which we should pay more attention to and think more about how to make use of social factors to improve English competence.

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