On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 6:22 AM, Mark Waser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I think a person thinks in his/her first language, and when talking in > > a second language there is some extra processing going on (though it > > may not be exactly a translation process), which slow things down, > > giving the popular impression that immigrants are a bit dumber. I'm > > not sure how great this effect is, but I'd be very surprised if it > > doesn't exist. Afterall, I have spent a lot of time learning English > > and I still find it a severe handicap when communicating in English. > > Instead of just "thinking" things, could you please get some scientific > proof? There are tons of studies on this very subject including when a > person switches their thinking into another language and back and how it > affects verbal (and visual) processing time. > > Why are you subjecting us to your amateurish useless hypotheses when there > is a ton of scientific evidence out there? Please stop wasting our time > hypothesizing as if your *opinion* is better then already-existing research.
I think a person's thoughts are encoded and organized in his/her *first* language, and when speaking in a second language, extra processing is needed. That's why a second-language speaker very rarely achieve the same level of proficiency as a native speaker. That's my point. I remember that your own theory is that the KR is the same as the first language. Are you trying to dispute that? I'm sure there is a ton of research out there about second languages, but the research do not conclusively indicate that people can learn a second language as good as their first language. This survey is from 2006: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2006.00353.x One of the observations is that late-arrival immigrants have difficulty achieving proficiency in L2. Their L2 proficiency is consistently negatively correlated with AoA (age of acquisition), over many studies. Now what do you cite? I'm surprised you've suddenly become an expert in second language linguistics and that you so quickly dismiss my point by citing "tons of research". YKY ------------------------------------------- agi Archives: http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ Modify Your Subscription: http://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=101455710-f059c4 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
