Language Acquistion Theories Essay

Bridging two worlds rendering comprehension , metaphorical manner of speaking instruction , and the English spoken style assimilator Name University Introduction Many students in Ameri back tooth schools today babble English as a foreign speech communication . The English talking to learner (ELL ) keeps that English contains words and phrases that may seem confusing because of the variety between the literal and figural centres . These words and phrases argon used in everyday conversations by indigen speakers but ELL students find them hard to decrypt not only because of their figurative meanings but because of the various meanings one figurative word or phrase could contain depending on the context by which it is used .The inability to interpret figurative language leads to a partitioning in text comprehension which , in turn can mollycoddle readers and discourage them from continuing the reading task (Palmer Brooks , 2004 Figurative language instruction The arti cle discusses the case of Alejandro , an ELL student , to illustrate how and why ELL students find it difficult to understand figurative language in English . His instructor found Alejandro to be timid and withdrawn in class because of a lack of confidence in communication with the language . As a result , he disliked reading and writing although he real literal listening skills .The results of his Figurative Language Interpretation Test sustain his weakness in interpreting figurative language . His teacher so designed a scaffolding plan involving several instructional strategies which entangle the following explicit instruction , connections to the real world , dialogue in context , modeling and independent practice , visualization and the use ofthe native language (Palmer , Miller Leclere , 2006 . The first step of the schema involved a 3-step process by Simmons Palmer (1994 ) for finding meaning in figurative language . The teacher first identifies the figurative language in a write text , determine if the literal meaning in the text makes sentience , then find the intended meaning of the figurative language cheek . Through a series of questions the teacher leads the student towards the intended meaning . A fourth step is added to the 3-step process wherein which the figurative sayings atomic number 18 affiliated to real-life experiences of the student .Teachers define the various forms of the figurative language and contextualize them . Daily fundamental interaction and practice with the student , through both oral and written activities , are encouraged for the student to gain command of the newly-learned concepts . Another helpful strategy might be drawing both literal and figurative interpretations of the figurative expressions . Most children certainly relate more to visual imagery in figurative language . Finally , the primary language of the students should in addition be encouraged instead of dismissed during the teaching process .Secon d language students who study in bilingual programs perform better than those in non-bilingual programs . It also encourages students to understand the differences between their two languages , especially with regard to figurative language . Conclusion The strategies explained in the article look simple enough and can be practiced by any teacher handling classes with ELL students . They are practical and have been proven effective . The steps outlined in the article have actually