Language rejuvenation and Accelerated Second Language Acquisition

This chapter explains why a great deal of consideration has to go into how to write about the work of language revitalization and Accelerated Second Language Acquisition (ASLA). The initial stage of second language acquisition through ASLA is basically not much different from how a child begins articulating their first language. In certain important respects, L2 acquisition is like L1 acquisition. Like L1ers, L2ers do not acquire their second language overnight; they go through stages, like L1ers, L2ers construct grammars. These grammars reflect their competence in the L2 at each stage, and so their language at any particular point, though not native-like, is rule-governed and not haphazard. The intermediate grammars that L2ers create on their way to the target have been called interlanguage grammars. The skill sets taught using the ASLA method enable students learn to express situations in first, second and third persons singular and plural, as well as reflexively.