Linguistics | Typology of Second Languages

Typology of Second Languages

Second Language Acquisition:

 A Typology of Second Languages

What is a Second Language?

In SLA, a Second Language has two major senses: a general sense and a specific sense. In its general sense, the term Second Language refers to any language(s) that is/are acquired after the First Language has been acquired (i.e. after the age of about five or six). It can be one or more than one language. 

In its specific sense, this term typically refers to an additional language which is not a person’s first language and which is learned within a context where it is SOCIETALLY DOMINANT and needed for a number of basic purposes. 

Often, a country chooses (as part of its language policy) to grant a language official status as a second language, using it as a medium of government, law, education, science and technology, medicine, banking, the media, and employment. This role is played, for example, by English or French in many countries of Africa. A case in point is French in Morocco.

Some researchers make the distinction between Foreign Language Learning and Second Language Acquisition. The term Foreign Language Learning is used to refer to language learning in contexts in which the language is not normally spoken outside the classroom, such as learning French in London or Greek in New York at school. 

The term Second Language Acquisition is used by some researchers to refer to those contexts in which the language is used outside the classroom, as in the case of learning English in the US or Spanish in Spain.

In its specific sense, a Second Language is often distinguished from a Foreign Language, a Library language, an Auxiliary language, and Language for Specific Purposes.

Foreign Language :

A Foreign Language is one which is not widely used in the learners’ immediate social context and which might be used for future travel and business or studied as a curricular requirement, but with no immediate or necessary practical applications. For example, English, German, or Japanese are learned as foreign languages in Morocco, as they fulfil no functions related to practical domains such as education, finance or the law.

A Library Language :

A Library Language is one which functions primarily as a tool for further learning or advanced research through reading, especially when books or journals in a desired field of study are not usually published in the learners’ native tongue. Per Example, a postgraduate student or researcher learns English in order to be able to read books and articles written in English and which are not available in his or her first or second language.

An Auxiliary Language :

An Auxiliary Language is one which learners need to know for some official functions in their instant political settings, or will need for purposes of wider communication, Though their first language serves most other needs in their lives. Per Example, a French diplomat may learn English or Spanish in order to conduct political negotiations more effectively.

📢 Other restricted or highly specialized functions for ‘second’ languages are designated as Languages for Specific Purposes. The learning of these languages focuses only on a narrow set of occupation-specific uses and functions. Examples include English for air traffic control or aviation technology, French for hotel management or Spanish for agriculture.

English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

The name given to courses for foreigners where the kind of English taught is determined by the professional needs of the students. It contrasts with English for General Purposes (EGP), where the courses aim to establish a general level of proficiency. Several areas have been recognized, including English for Academic Purposes and English for Science and Technology but any specific domain might be the focus of attention, such as medical English, legal English, or business English.

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

EAP refers to English language courses designed to help learners study and conduct research in English, usually in universities or other post-secondary settings. Such courses may prepare students to take tests such as TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language). They may preparing students to be able to deal with listening, speaking, writing and reading demands in courses of academic, and may also address study skills. EPA is a branch of ESP and is based on the study of how languages is used for academic purposes.