Language Acquisition

Mother tongue

Non-native language

Components of linguistic competence

• To demonstrate theoretical knowledge about the acquisition and development of different languages ​​(especially in terms of: distinguishing languages ​​with different statuses in the lives of learners, comparing the processes of mother tongue and non-native language acquisition, presenting the main explanatory theories of such processes, identification of the main phases in the development of different linguistic components);

• To use the concepts related to this field of study appropriately;

• To reflect critically, in appropriate academic language, on internalized theoretical knowledge;

• To develop research skills in this field of study, in particular by correctly articulating goals, hypotheses and methodologies in a small research work and by analyzing linguistic data that allow them to better understand the acquisition and development of different languages.

1. Acquisition of the mother tongue

1.1. Introductory concepts

1.2. Some explanatory theories regarding language acquisition

1.3. Language development in children

1.3.1. Phonological component

1.3.2. Morphosyntactic component

1.3.3. Semantic and lexical component

1.3.4. Pragmatic component

2. Acquisition and learning of different languages

2.1. Prior concepts

2.2. Mother tongue acquisition vs. non-native language acquisition/learning

2.3. Some explanatory theories about non-native language acquisition/learning

2.4. Acquisition of different components in a non-native language: some data

Learning Resources

Batoréo, H. (2022). A Linguística Cognitiva e o Mito da Linguagem como Instinto. In H. Batoréo, (Ed.), Linguagem – Cognição – Cultura: Teorias, aplicações e diálogos com foco na Língua Portuguesa (Português Europeu e Português do Brasil) (pp.27-45). Universidade Aberta. Disponível em http://hdl.handle.net/10400.2/12057.

Flores, C. (2013). Português Língua Não Materna. Discutindo conceitos de uma perspetiva linguística (pp.35-46). In R. Bizarro, M. Moreira & C. Flores, C. (Eds.), Português Língua Não Materna: Investigação e Ensino. Lidel. Disponível em https://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/handle/1822/23009

Freitas, M. J. & A. L. Santos (2017) (eds.). A aquisição de língua materna e não materna. Questões gerais e dados do Português. Textbooks in Language Sciences, Language Science Press. Disponível em https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/160 .

Gonçalves, F., Guerreiro, P., & Freitas, M. J. (2011). O conhecimento da língua: percursos de desenvolvimento. Ministério da Educação / DGIDC. Disponível em https://www.dge.mec.pt/materiais-didaticos-elaborados-no-ambito-do-pnep .

Leiria, I. (2004). Português língua segunda e língua estrangeira: investigação e ensino. Idiomático. Revista Digital de Didáctica de PLNM, 3. (Disponibilizado na plataforma)

Saville-Troike, M. (2006). Introducing Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge University Press. (Disponibilizado na plataforma)

Sim-Sim, I. (1998). Desenvolvimento da Linguagem. Universidade Aberta. (Disponibilizado na plataforma)

Sim-Sim, I., Silva, A. C., & Nunes, C. (2008). Linguagem e comunicação no jardim-de-infância: textos de apoio para educadores de infância. Ministério da Educação / DGIDC. Disponível em https://www.dge.mec.pt/sites/default/files/EInfancia/documentos/linguagem_comunicacao_jardim_infancia.pdf .

Learning Corpora of Portuguese as Non-native language

COPLE2 - Learner Corpus of Portuguese L2: http://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cople2/

Corpus Leiria (1991): https://www.clul.ulisboa.pt/recurso/corpus-leiria-1991

Corpus de Produções Escritas de Aprendentes de PL2. Subcorpus Português Língua Estrangeira (PEAPL2_PLE): https://teitok2.iltec.pt/peapl2-ple/index.php?action=home

Corpus Oral de Português L2-Coimbra (COral-Co): https://teitok2.iltec.pt/coralco/index.php?action=descricao

CAL2 – Corpus de Aquisição de L2: https://cal2.clunl.fcsh.unl.pt/ 

The work methodology in this course is based on the e-learning methodology described in the Virtual Pedagogical Modelo f Universidade Aberta, which presupposes two types of learning:

 (A) individual - associated with the autonomous study of the course contents by each master's student, through critical and reflective reading of the resources provided in each topic and the carrying out of learning activities (subject to formative or summative assessment);

 (B) collaborative - carried out through active participation in certain learning activities (notably group work or discussions in the forums of each topic), thus contributing to the collective construction of knowledge.

The work methodology is therefore based on carrying out learning activities supported by the various resources provided.

Assessment is individual in nature and, in addition to formative assessment, involves the coexistence of two types of summative assessment: continuous assessment (60%) and final assessment (40%).

More specifically, in this course, formative assessment will be carried out through feedback provided by the teacher (and also by colleagues) in the forums relating to the various topics.

There will also be three elements of summative assessment:

- Assessment A (6 points): synthesis (of 3 pages) of a scientific article of the student's choice on the acquisition of some aspect of the mother tongue;

- Assessment B (6 points): final work project (of 3 pages), defining the Portuguese as Non-native Language data to be analyzed (taken from a corpus available online), the goals of the analysis and the methodology to be used and justifying the proposals made;

- Assessment C (8 points): final work (of 10 pages) analyzing Portuguese as Non-native Language data, in order to achieve certain goals of greater understanding of the Portuguese as Non-native Language acquisition/learning process, associated with a specific context or group of learners.

This course may use bibliography in Portuguese, English and/or Spanish.