The Neurolinguistic Approach (NLA) to second or foreign language acquisition: An attempt to adapt this method to delf exam preparation

English

Authors

  • Valeria Emi Mara Sgueglia Independent Scholar

Keywords:

declarative memory, DELF, foreign language acquisition, language didactics, neurolinguistic approach, NLA, procedural memory, mémoire déclarative, didactique des langues, approche neurolinguistique, ANL, mémoire procédurale

Abstract

The neurolinguistic approach (NLA), a teaching method for French in particular, and for second or foreign language acquisition in general, transforms the conception of language learning processes and, therefore, teaching strategies. This note from the field provides an appraisal of the implementation of this method within a group of learners who, at the time, were demonstrating signs of lower self-confidence and engagement in their studies. It also provides an account of the author’s attempt to adapt the strategies of the NLA to the exam context and requirements of the Diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF), which corresponds to the first four levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. 

Author Biography

Valeria Emi Mara Sgueglia, Independent Scholar

holds a PhD in philosophy from Jean Moulin University (Lyon 3) and a PhD in French studies from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland). There, she served as a teaching assistant from 2009 to 2013. She previously taught at Jean Moulin University (2001–2003) and at the University of Toulon (2003–2008). From 2016 to 2021, she worked as an assistant professor of French in Taiwan at Da-Yeh University and National Chengchi University. Her fields of expertise are 20th-century French literature, Indian Buddhist philosophy, and language didactics. Her publications include a short essay on Nietzsche, comparative philosophy articles exploring the notion of reductionist identity, and others on Yourcenar, Ortese, Caillois, Jabès, and Huxley. 

References

Germain, C. (2017). L’approche neurolinguistique. Myosotis Presse.

Germain, C. (2018). The neurolinguistic approach (NLA) for learning and teaching foreign languages: Theory and practice. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Germain, C., Liang, M., & Ricordel, I. (2015). Évaluation de l’approche neurolinguistique (ANL) auprès d’apprenants chinois de français en première et en deuxième année d’université. Recherches en didactique des langues et des cultures, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.4000/rdlc.288

Gettliffe, N. (2020). Les recherches portant sur l’approche neurolinguistique pour l’enseignement des langues étrangères et secondes : Axes actuels et perspectives. Les cahiers de l’AREFLE, 1(1), 137–174. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03160077

Netten, J., & Germain, C. (2004). Theoretical and research foundations of intensive French. Canadian Modern Language Review, 60(3), 275–294. https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.60.3.275

Netten, J., & Germain, C. (2008). Learning to communicate effectively through intensive instruction in French. In M. Dooly & D. Eastment (Eds.), “How we’re going about it”: Teachers’ voices on innovative approaches to teaching and learning languages. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Netten, J., & Germain, C. (2012). A new paradigm for the learning of a second or foreign language: The neurolinguistic approach. Neuroeducation, 1(1), 85–114. https://doi.org/10.24046/neuroed.20120101.85

Paradis, M. (1994). Neurolinguistic aspects of implicit and explicit memory: Implications for bilingualism. In N. Ellis (Ed.), Implicit and explicit learning of second languages (pp. 393–419). Academic Press.

Paradis, M. (2004). A neurolinguistic theory of bilingualism. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.18

Paradis, M. (2009). Declarative and procedural determinants of second languages. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.40

Ricordel, I., & Truong, V.-T. (2019). Comment l’approche neurolinguistique intensifie la motivation de l’apprenant dans l’acquisition d’une langue étrangère ? In J. Domingues de Almeida, S. Auf des Maur Tomé, F. Bacquelaine, M. Barros Lorenzo, I. Margarida Duarte, N. Hurst, A. Kind, P. Nicolas Martinezet, & S. Valente Rodriguez (Eds.), Para lá da tarefa: Implicar os estudantes na aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras no ensino superior (pp. 325–342). FLUP. https://doi.org/10.21747/9789898969217/paraa18

Segalowitz, N. (2010). Cognitive bases of second language fluency. Routledge.

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Published

2024-07-17

How to Cite

Sgueglia, V. E. M. (2024). The Neurolinguistic Approach (NLA) to second or foreign language acquisition: An attempt to adapt this method to delf exam preparation: English. McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill. Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/10236

Issue

Advance Online Publication

Section

Notes from the Field

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