Language Learning · 1976 · 71 citations · 8 references
Second Language LearningMultilingualismLanguage DevelopmentAtypical Language DevelopmentBilingual Language DevelopmentLanguage LearningLanguage ProficiencySecond Language AcquisitionLanguage TestingChild LanguageLanguage AcquisitionAdult Language LearningLanguage StudiesHealth SciencesMore EvidenceDifficulty OrderSociolinguisticsLanguage CurriculumHeritage Language AcquisitionForeign Language LearningSlope TestSecond Language StudiesOral ProductionForeign Language AcquisitionLinguisticsLanguage-learning Aptitude
Sixty‐six adult speakers of English as a second language were tested on the SLOPE test, a measure of oral production covering 20 structures in English. The difficulty order found was not significantly different from that found in children learning English as a second language in previous studies (Fathman 1975b), and no significant difference was found between speakers of different first languages. These results confirm and extend Bailey, Madden, and Krashen's (1974) findings and support the hypothesis that certain similarities exist in the language acquisition processes utilized by children and adults.
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