Second Language Acquisition

1. If you can use two or more languages, why is this so? What has been your reason for learning
second language(s)? If you can use only one, why havent you learned other languages?
Compare your response to this question with those of other individuals and make a list of
reasons for multilingualism or monolingualism. Categorize these reasons as primarily based
on individual preference and need or on social and political circumstances.
I grow up in a Javanese family. My parents teach me Javanese and Indonesian in one
process or at the same time which focuses on simultaneous multilingualism. I also use one
more language, it is English language. I have been learning english since elementary school
but i did not put any interest on learning it. I start learning English due to my own desire. I
want to know how to talk international language and conversed with other people from
different country, even they are Asian such as China or Japan. Sharing everything about what
is going on over their countries. I have also been learning how to speak Arabic in middle,
high, and college. I like watching Korean dramas and variety show. I know how to introduce
myself in Korean and talk in basic conversation, because of my hobby. I can speak Javanese,
Indonesian, English, Arabic and Korean, eventhough i cannot speak those languages
smoothly. The reasons why i learn second languages are because i want to boost my
intelligence through learn different languages and have so many connections. Getting friends
from different countries makes me think every possibility to learn different knowledge, and
also i can work abroad.
I compare this with monolingual users condition, such as friends of my grandfather.
He lives in a village where its just full of people speak in Javanese. They rarely meet with
people who speak other than Javanese. My grandfather has told me that his friends could not
speak Indonesia because they never had a formal education. It was because the difference of
social circumstance at that time. In this case, i think people who are monolingual unable to
attain other knowledge and just strictly know about everything in their areas.
2. Think about the facilitating conditions to language learning discussed in this chapter. Have
you had any of these experiences facilitate your own learning? If so, which ones? Have there
been other factors as well that influenced your learning? In your answer to question 2 in
Chapter 1, did you consider any of these conditions?
I have had two of those conditions. The conditions are feedback and motivation. I am
always given some feedback by my teacher outside from formal education in school or
college. Sometimes she calls me to go to her house, teaches and corrects my errors. I started
in motivation condition when I met my conversation teacher, and I found him interesting. He
shared about the bigger world through his story by using English to conversed. At that time, i
realized how important to speak different language was. I thought that i need to learn english

and know about everything in world which is united by English language. The need and
desire emerged by itself when i started learning a little bit more serious.
The other factors is because of my study where I am taking English literary. I think
learning hard about how to speak English is not the problem, but how to attain all knowledges
about English. Watching dramas and movies is a hobby which also influenced to build my
desire in learning English freely as free as learning Korean. It emerges motivation and
facilitates my learning process.
3. Based on your personal and educational experience, do you expect to prefer or feel more
comfortable with one of the perspectives on SLA (linguistics, psychological, social)? Why or
why not? If so, what are some strategies you can use to keep an open mind to the perspectives
you might not privilege?
I feel more comfortable with psychological perspective, because i learn as i get
information. Learner difference in psychological perpective also the one which influenced me
to learn hardly and raise my motivation and anxiety level. The strategy i use to keep an open
mind is trying to gather my motivation and may use the other two perspectives to find
improvement of my skill.
4. It is a matter of debate what level of proficiency is needed before one claims to have
multilingual competence, or to know a second language. How did you decide what to count
as L2(s) in question 1 Chapter 1? Do you have exposure to other languages that you did not
list? If so, explain why you did not list those languages. Now that you have read Chapter 2,
have your ideas changed about how proficient one must be to be considered to have an L2?

I decide my second language as English language when i frequently use it. I

consider it as second language because i can speak and conversed with other people in
that language. I also can write and express my feelings in that language. Other
languages as Arabic and Korean are considered as my foreign language, because i can
understand those languages but i do not frequently use it. I also cannot conversed with
other people in long conversation, i can conversed with them only the basic thing. In
my opinion when having second language, we have to consider about where is our
second language, the process when acquaired it and also its knowledge.