Tertiary language teaching
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Subject classification: this is an education resource. |
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Type classification: this resource is a course. |
Objective
[edit | edit source]At the end of the contribution, you will be able to explain the concept of tertiary language teaching, give some concrete examples and apply didactic principles of tertiary language teaching to your own lessons.
Keywords
[edit | edit source]second language, didactics of plurilingualism, “Deutsch nach Englisch” (German after English), language awareness, learning strategies
Table of contents
[edit | edit source]- Introduction
- History of the concept
- Definitions
- Practical examples
- Take home messages
- Self-assessment (multiple choice with solutions, open questions…)
- Resources to go further
Introduction
[edit | edit source]If you teach young adults nowadays, you can usually assume that they have already learnt English, as English has become established worldwide as the first foreign language (L2), especially in the context of foreign language learning at school. Very often, we can expect that when they start learning another foreign language at school (or at university), they are already familiar with learning techniques and strategies for learning foreign languages and also have acquired a certain level of language awareness. The teaching of additional foreign languages (L3, L4, L5, the so-called tertiary languages) can therefore often build on previous experience of the language learning process of English (or other previously acquired languages).
The following could be a task for learners of German as a Foreign Language who had previously learnt English, in which they are asked to reflect on the similarities and differences between English and German. In this case, they should realize that there are real friends (same meaning), but also false friends (with different meaning), which means that similarities between English and German can be helpful when learning German; but there are also stumbling blocks that can hinder learning and cause one to fall into a trap.
| English (E) | German (G) | Real friend or false friend? | Meaning/s |
| house | Haus | ✅ Friend | building, in which one lives |
| hand | Hand | … | part of … |
| gift | Gift | ❌ False friend | gift (E) = Geschenk (G) ↔ Gift (G) = poison (E), |
| to become | bekommen | … | … |
| brave | brav | … | ... |
| student | Student | … | … |
| actually | aktuell | … | … |
| fast | fast | … | … |
| also | also | … | … |
You can then discuss with the learners which words in German are easy to understand if you know English, which words are dangerous because they mean something different, and under what circumstances your knowledge of English can still help you learn German.[A1]
If we teach one of these tertiary languages, then it is important that we take the previous experience into account. But what should this teaching be like? What principles should it be based on?
This article explains the origin, presents the definition and principles of tertiary language teachings. Examples are included and further reading suggestions are provided.
History of concept
[edit | edit source]Tertiary language teaching developed as an independent field of research in the 1990s. The fact that it is assumed that learners can strategically use their previously acquired knowledge and skills constructively for learning additional foreign language(s) when learning several foreign languages consecutively. This has marked a break with the previous belief that the influence of previously learnt languages was rather negative (ʽnegative transferʼ) and led to interference and that for this reason a separation of the languages offered was necessary. It was not until around 1990 that tertiary language research began to focus on the positive transfer effects and use them for foreign language teaching.
The first thoughts on specific didactic approaches for the acquisition of a third language emerged as early as 1980-1990, particularly in Europe, in order to respond to the reality of a Europe that was growing together, its large and small languages, i.e. its multilingualism. The geographical focus of early research into tertiary language didactics was Scandinavia, France, Spain, Germany and Austria. With the publication of the European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), an increased awareness of multilingualism was promoted and influenced the development of tertiary language teaching. In the 2000s, research was enriched by concepts of language awareness and intercomprehension. As a result, the term is increasingly being replaced by the term multilingual didactics in the sense of an overall language concept.
Definition
[edit | edit source]Tertiary language didactics is just one of several possible manifestations of the concept of plurilingual teaching. The term tertiary language refers to two different contexts: In tertiary language research, it refers to that language which is learnt after the L1 and a second foreign language (L2). In the school context, however, tertiary language refers to any other foreign language (L3, L4, L5,...) that is learnt after a second foreign language. Tertiary languages are generally foreign languages learnt late (at school).
It is assumed that learning an L3 (and other foreign languages) differs significantly from learning a first foreign language (L2). In terms of language acquisition theory, it is assumed that when learners begin to learn a second (or further) foreign language, they have prerequisites that were not yet present when they learnt their first foreign language. Thus, when learning subsequent foreign languages, there are many layers of experience from learning the first foreign language. This experience is reflected in procedural and declarative knowledge, which includes knowledge of learning strategies and learning techniques as well as the language skills already acquired in the first foreign language. Language comparison is a key method. Learners of tertiary languages do not primarily activate the languages themselves, but a range of cognitive, metacognitive, and linguistic strategies influenced by their previous language learning experiences.
In the context of tertiary language teaching five didactic and methodological principles are defined (Neuner 2009: 7-8):
- Cognitive learning: developing language awareness (by comparing languages) and language learning awareness (expanding learning techniques and learning strategies)
- Understanding as the basis and starting point of foreign language learning (many language phenomena (hundreds of words; many elements of grammar; texts; etc.) can be understood by using English (or another L2)
- Content-orientation (age-appropriate content; inclusion of one's own world and the world of the languages one has already begun to learn)
- Text-orientation; inclusion of the new types of text in the ‘new media’
- Economization of the learning process (activation of learners (incorporate all the language(s) and learning strategies already ‘in your head’ while learning a L3); creative use of language (e.g. forming hypotheses on word meanings, language rules and texts through language comparison); guidance on self-evaluation, etc.).
There are languages that are typical tertiary languages. From a global perspective, German, for example, is a typical tertiary language, as German is almost always learnt after another foreign language (usually English). This is why tertiary language teaching in Germany also became known as German after English (Deutsch als Fremdsprache nach Englisch (DaFnE)). The aim of DaFnE is to research the influences of prior English acquisition on subsequent German acquisition and to develop concepts to use these influences for German acquisition and DaF lessons (see practical examples).
Unfortunately, the tertiary language teaching approach is not yet sufficiently recognized in teaching practice. In terms of curriculum and methodology, the existing programs are still too much in the tradition of nationally conceived foreign language teaching. This applies to the extensive ignoring of pluralistic approaches, in this case the individual multilingualism profiles that are relevant to learning on the part of the students, including language learning competence.
Practical examples:
[edit | edit source]There are two possible starting positions when learning and teaching a tertiary language: Either similarities are used for positive transfer or there is a warning about possible interference, e.g. false friends, differences in verb position. As a rule, the positive comparison is favored.
Some examples of exercises for German as a tertiary language are given below.
The first example shows how similar the German and English words for body parts are (Fig. 1).
The second example shows the similarities in verbs between English and German, but also another language (Tab.1).
Complete the table. What are the verbs in your language?
| English | German | Other language |
| To come | kommen | |
| to control | kontrollieren | |
| to discuss | diskutieren | |
| to drink | trinken | |
| to help | helfen | |
| to organize | organisieren | |
| to speak | sprechen | |
| to stand | stehen |
Tab. 1: Verbs between English, German and another language
The third example focuses on comparing the possessive adjectives between German, English, Italian and other languages, e.g. the student’s own L1 (Tab. 2).
Who’s house this? Complete the table. How do you express that in your language?
| English | German | Italian | Other language | |
| Max (m.) | his house | sein Haus | la sua casa | |
| Anna (f.) | her house | ihr Haus | la sua casa | |
| Max and Anna | their house | ihr Haus | la loro casa |
Tab. 2: Possessive articles in English, German, Italian and another language
The fourth example focuses on the realization of the Konjunktiv II (wishes and unreal conditionals) with different auxiliary verbs in German and English, as well as other languages. (Tab. 3 and Tab. 4)
I would like to do …Read the example and complete the table. How is a real possibility expressed in other languages?
| English | German | Other language | Other language |
| would + infinite
I would eat |
Form of Konjunktiv II or
würde + Infinitiv Ich würde … essen |
Tab. 3: Real conditional clauses in English, German and other languages
If I had … How is an irreal condition (also in the past) expressed in other languages?
| English | German | Other language | Other language |
| If I still had the chance, I would go. | Wenn ich noch die Chance hätte, würde ich gehen.
Hätte ich noch die Chance, würde ich gehen. |
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| If I had had the chance, I would have gone. | Wenn ich die Chance gehabt hätte, wäre ich gegangen.
Hätte ich die Chance gehabt, wäre ich gegangen. |
Tab. 4: Irreal conditional clauses in English, German and other languages
Take home messages
[edit | edit source]A. Read the entry again, highlight important key words and write a short summary as if you were explaining the concept of tertiary language teaching to another person.
B. Try to answer the following questions: What previous experience, knowledge, strategies etc. did you transfer from learning an L2 to learning an L3? Try to find examples that include the foreign languages you have learnt so far or your language learning history. Do you already have experience with tertiary language teaching? Can you think of any examples of your own foreign language teaching or class experience where tertiary language teaching would have been more appropriate?
Self-assessment (multiple choice with solutions, open questions…)
[edit | edit source]
Resources to go further
[edit | edit source]Hufeisen, Britta (2003): Le, L2, L3, L4, Lx – alle gleich? Linguistische, lernerinterne und lernerexterne Faktoren in Modellen zum multiplen Spracherwerb. In: Zeitschrift für interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht 8 (2/3). [https:zif.tujournals.ulb-tu-darmstadt.de]
Neuner, Gerhad & Hufeisen, Britta (eds.) (2003): Mehrsprachigkeitskonzept – Tertiärsprachen – Deutsch nach Englisch, Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.
Hufeisen, Britte/ Lindemann, Beate (1998): Tertiärsprachen. Theorien, Modelle, Methoden, Stauffenburg, Tübingen.
Bibliography
[edit | edit source]Neuner, Gerhard (2009): Mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktik und Tertiärsprachenlernen. Grundlagen - Dimensionen – Merkmale. Zur Konzeption des Lehrwerks „deutsch.com“. [https/www.hueber.de]
Kursiča, Anta/ Neuner, Gerhard (2006): Deutsch ist easy! Lehrerhandreichungen und Kopiervorlagen „Deutsch nach Englisch“ für den Anfangsunterricht, Ismaning: Hueber.
Strathmann, Jochen (2019): “Tertiärsprachen” In: Fäcke, Christian/ Meißner, Franz-Joseph (eds.): Handbuch Mehrsprachigkeits- und Mehrkulturalitätsdidaktik. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto, pp. 415-417.
Hoffmann, Sabine (2013): Didattica della lingua tedesca. Roma: Carocci.
Hufeisen, Britta (2011): “Tertiärsprachendidaktik” In: Barkowski, Hans/ Krumm, Hans-Jürgen (eds.): Fachlexikon Deutsche als Fremd- und Zweitsprache. Tübingen und Basel: Narr Francke Attempto, p. 334.
Braun, Birgit et al. (2016): Daf kompakt neu. A1-B1. Übungsbuch. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Sprachen.
Credits
[edit | edit source]This resource has been created by Projet PEP (discuss • contribs) (Erasmus+ project, co-financed by the European Commission) :
- Martina Nied Curcio (Università Roma Tre)
- Daniela Zini (Università Roma Tre)