ATTN: This session will be an hour and half in length. Both English and French will be incorporated.
Please join us for a special session with Chantal Mayer-Crittenden Associate Professor at Laurentian University, Canada.
Chantal is an experienced speech and language pathologist specializing in bilingualism, primary language impairments (PLI) and non linguistic cognitive intervention. Chantal is also the host of The Parle Podcast, the podcast that talks about talking.
During this 1 1/2 hour session, we will review the typical and not so typical trajectory of the second language acquisition of a minority language. How does the acquisition of a minority language differ from that of a majority language? We will also examine some of the factors that may make it difficult for a child to learn and maintain a minority language based on evidence from the literature.
Strategies and tips will be provided to help educators support L2 learning in their students and their families. A discussion period will allow for a conversation on the North American MLF context with regards to L2 learning.
Outcomes: By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
– Explain the difference between the acquisition of a minority and a majority language as an L2
– Name the key elements required for language acquisition
– Explain the difference between language learning and language acquisition
– Identify risk factors that may make the acquisition of an L2 more difficult
– Explain how certain populations may find it more difficult than others to learn an L2
– Explore different strategies that can be used in the school or home setting to facilitate the acquisition and maintenance of a minority language
