On Acculturation and Second Language Acquisition

【Abstract】Language is not just a carrier of culture， but also a part of culture.Culture has a great impact on language and language acquisition.Acculturation theory， which was established by Schumann in 1978， analyzes the important factors in learning a second language from two aspects of social distance and psychological distance， thus providing a methodological and epistemological guidance for the English language teaching in China as well as a theoretical guidance for L2 learners to further understand the SLA law and create favorable external and internal environment for second language acquisition.

【Key words】culture； language； Second Language Acquisition； acculturation

1.Culture and Language

Culture manifests itself in patterns of language.Language， as a part of culture， probably the most important aspect of culture， mirrors almost all the contents of culture， so in broad sense， it serves culture as the symbolic representation， for all the knowledge and beliefs that make up a peoples culture is usually embodied and transmitted in the language of the people.Without language， culture would be impossible.On the other hand， language is influenced and even reshaped by culture.

Second language acquisition（SLA） or second language learning is the process by which people learn a second language.That is， it is the process of learning an additional language by someone who has already learned a native language or multiple native languages.Level of learners acquisition to a certain extent depends on learners for the purpose of cultural adaptation.In the modern society， cross-cultural communication is increasingly important， and has become a striking characteristic of modern communication.Cultural differences can be seen everywhere in communication.To some extent， acquisition of a second language implies acquisition of a second culture.Culture acquisition is a process of creating shared meaning between cultural representatives.It is experiential， a process that continues over years of language acquisition， and penetrates deeply into ones patterns of thinking， feeling and acting.

2.The Acculturation Model

2.1 Social Distance.Social distance means the distance between the learner and the target language community for various social factors.The model proposed by Schumann includes the following eight social variables which affect the quality of contact that second language learners have with the target language community.They are： social dominance； assimilation， preservation and adaptation； enclosure； cohesiveness； size； congruence or similarity between the two cultures； attitude； intended length of residence in the TL areas.

2.2 Psychological Distance.Psychological distance means the distance between the learner and the target language community for various psychological factors.Compared with the social distance， psychological distance is personal.The psychological variables influencing acculturation and thus SLA are affective in nature.Similarly， the model proposed by Schumann concludes four psychological factors which affect the quality of contact that second language learners have with the target language community： language shock， culture shock， motivation and ego permeability.

3.Enlightenment of Acculturation Theory to SLA

3.1 Extensive Reading.It is known that the lack of culture awareness will lead to learners failure in cross-culture communication.Extensive reading may help to solve this problem.What extensive reading concerns is not linguistic forms， but information， which enables to come into contact with target culture and raise cultural awareness.

3.2 Authentic Materials.Using authentic sources from the native speech community helps to engage learners in authentic cultural experiences.Sources include films， news broadcast， restaurant menus， travel brochures and other printed materials.Learners can adapt their use of authentic materials to suit the age and language proficiency level.

4.Conclusion

Acculturation model， as a major SLA theory， has been approached by a number of linguists and researchers.The study of acculturation model has great practical significance of SLA.A good understanding of acculturation model would help deepen L2 learners confidence to overcome their social and psychological distance.

References：

[1]Brown，H.Douglas（1994）.Principles of Language Learning and Teaching.New Jersey： Prentice Hall Regents.

[2]Grookes，G.，& Schmidt R.W（1991）.Motivation： Reopening the research agenda.Language Learning，41（4）.

[3]Gardner，R.C.（2001）.Language Learning Motivation： the Student，the Teacher，and the Researcher.Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education.

[4]Tremblay，P.F.，Gardner，R.C.（1995）.Expanding the Motivation Construct in Language Learning.The Modern Language Journal.

作者简介：

刘翠萍：包头医学院外语系讲师，硕士研究生，研究方向：外国语言学与应用语言学。