Stages of Second Language Acquisition

All learners move through stages as they aquire a first or new language. They move from one word utterance to phrases to complete sentences. However as educators, it is important to understand and know when the students have reached a certain stage in their language learning, this is what helps to differentiate instruction for the learner. All learners learning an additional language will pass through these stages. The time frames are approximate and will vary for each lear

Stage Characteristics Approximate Time Frame Prompt
Preproduction “Silent Period” The learner
  • Has minimal comprehension
  • Does not yet verbalize
  • Gedtures or nods
  • Points to item/picture/person
0-6 months
  • Show me
  • Can you?
  • Where is?
  • Who is/has?
Early Producation The learner 6 months – 1 year
Speech Emergence The learner 1-3 years
Intermediate Fluency The learner
  • Has excellent comprehension
  • Uses complex statements
  • Makes few grammatical errors
  • States opinions/asks for clarification
3-5 years
  • Ask questions to clarify learning
  • What would happen if?
  • Why do you think?
  • Why does
Continued Language Development
  • Participates fully in the grade level classroom activities with support for understanding specialized academic language in the content area
  • Continued growth in cultural and background knowledge of the language
5-7 years
  • Decide if...
  • Retell...
Source: Adapted from John Stanford International School, (2000)