As we saw in Chapter 1, children are almost always successful in acquiring the language or languages that are spoken (or signed) to them in early childhood, provided that they have adequate opportunities to use the language over time. This contrasts with our experience of second language learners, whose success varies greatly. Both educators and researchers have an interest in understanding how the characteristics of individuals are related to their ability to succeed in learning a second language.
正如我们在第一章中看到的，儿童几乎总能成功习得在幼年时期对他们所说（或所示）的语言，前提是他们有足够的机会长时间使用该语言。这与我们对第二语言学习者的经验形成鲜明对比，后者的成功程度差异很大。教育工作者和研究人员都有兴趣了解个体特征如何与他们成功学习第二语言的能力相关联。
Many of us believe that individual differences that are inherent in the learner can predict success or failure in language learning. Such beliefs may be based on our own experience or that of people we have known. For example, many teachers are convinced that extroverted students who interact without inhibition in the second language and seek opportunities to practise language skills will be the most successful learners. In addition to an outgoing personality, other characteristics often believed to predict success in language learning are intelligence, motivation, and the age at which learning begins.
我们中的许多人认为，学习者固有的个体差异可以预测语言学习的成败。这种信念可能基于我们自己或我们所认识的人的经验。例如，许多教师坚信，那些性格外向、在第二语言中毫无拘谨地互动、并寻求机会练习语言技能的学生将是最成功的学习者。除了外向的个性，其他通常被认为能预测语言学习成功的特征还包括智力、动机和学习开始的年龄。
To what extent can we predict differences in the success of second language acquisition if we have information about learners’ personalities, their general and specific intellectual abilities, their motivation, or their age? In this chapter, we will review some of the studies that have sought to understand the relationships between individual differences and learning outcomes.
如果我们掌握了学习者的人格、他们的一般和特定智力能力、他们的动机或年龄等信息，我们能在多大程度上预测第二语言习得的成功差异？在本章中，我们将回顾一些试图理解个体差异与学习结果之间关系的研究。
Before you read this chapter, use the questionnaire in Table 3.1 to reflect on your own experience as a language learner. Using additional copies of the questionnaire, interview several friends, colleagues, or family members about their experiences of learning a second or foreign language. Keep the responses to the questionnaire and refer to them as you read this chapter about individual differences in second language learning.
在阅读本章之前，请使用表3.1中的问卷来反思你自己的语言学习经历。使用问卷的复印件，采访几位朋友、同事或家人，了解他们学习第二语言或外语的经历。保留问卷的回答，并在阅读本章关于第二语言学习个体差异的内容时参考它们。
| 1a What language do you speak best? Do you speak more than one language equally well? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1b When did you begin to learn this language (these languages)? | |||
| 2 Which second or foreign language(s) have you learned with the most success? | |||
| 3 Which second or foreign language(s) have you learned with the least success? | |||
| 4 For the languages you mentioned in response to questions 2 and 3, answer the following questions in the appropriate columns: | |||
| Languages learned successfully | Languages not learned successfully | ||
| How old were you when you first tried to learn the language? | |||
| Did you have a choice about learning this language or were you required to learn it? | |||
| Do you currently speak this language regularly? | |||
| Do you regularly read this language for information or enjoyment? | |||
| How much of your learning experience with this language was in a foreign language classroom? | |||
| If you no longer use this language on a daily basis, can you estimate how many years you spent learning or using it? | |||
| language. | Estimate how many hours of classroom instruction you had for this | ||
| How much time have you spent living in a place where the language is spoken? | |||
| Have you used the language to learn other subjects at school? At what level (elementary, secondary, university)? | |||
| language? | Do you have personal or emotional attachments to this language? For example, do you have peers or family members who speak this | ||
| Do/did you enjoy studying the grammar of this language? | |||
| Do/did you enjoy studying vocabulary in this language? | |||
| Are/were you a successful student in other school subjects? | |||
| Do you think of yourself as a person who likes to socialize? | |||
| Do you think of yourself as a person who learns a new language easily? |
表3.1 语言学习经历中的个体差异
| 1a 你哪种语言说得最好？你是否能同样好地使用一种以上的语言？ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1b 你是从什么时候开始学习这种（这些）语言的？ | |||
| 2 你学习最成功的第二语言或外语是哪（几）种？ | |||
| 3 你学习最不成功的第二语言或外语是哪（几）种？ | |||
| 4 针对你在问题2和3中提到的语言，请在相应的栏中回答以下问题： | |||
| 成功学会的语言 | 未能成功学会的语言 | ||
| 你第一次尝试学习这门语言时多大？ | |||
| 学习这门语言是你的选择还是被要求的？ | |||
| 你目前经常说这门语言吗？ | |||
| 你经常为了获取信息或娱乐而阅读这门语言吗？ | |||
| 你有多少这门语言的学习经历是在外语课堂上获得的？ | |||
| 如果你现在不再每天使用这门语言，你能否估计一下你花了多少年时间学习或使用它？ | |||
| 估计一下你为这门语言上了多少小时的课堂教学？ | |||
| 你在所学语言的国家生活了多长时间？ | |||
| 你是否用这门语言在学校学习其他科目？在哪个阶段（小学、中学、大学）？ | |||
| 你对这门语言有个人或情感上的依恋吗？例如，你有同伴或家庭成员说这门语言吗？ | |||
| 你是否喜欢学习这门语言的语法？ | |||
| 你是否喜欢学习这门语言的词汇？ | |||
| 你在学校其他科目上是（曾是）一个成功的学生吗？ | |||
| 你认为自己是一个喜欢社交的人吗？ | |||
| 你认为自己是一个能轻易学会一门新语言的人吗？ |
Perhaps the best way to begin our discussion is to describe how research on the influence of individual differences on second language learning is usually done. When researchers are interested in finding out how a variable such as motivation is related to second language learning outcomes, they usually select a group of learners and give them a questionnaire to measure the type and degree of their motivation. Then some kind of test is used to assess their second language proficiency. The test and the questionnaire are both scored, and the researcher uses a statistical procedure called a correlation. The correlation is an indication of how likely it is that learners with high scores on the motivation questionnaire will also have high scores on the language test. If the two variables (motivation and language proficiency) are found to be correlated, the researcher will try to discover just what the relationship between them is. Note that correlations may be positive or negative. That is, one may find a pattern suggesting that learners with higher motivation scores have higher language proficiency scores (a positive correlation), or one might, in some circumstances, find that learners with lower motivation scores do better on proficiency measures (a negative correlation).
开始讨论的最佳方式或许是描述一下关于个体差异对第二语言学习影响的研究通常是如何进行的。当研究人员有兴趣了解像动机这样的变量如何与第二语言学习结果相关时，他们通常会选择一组学习者，给他们一份问卷来测量他们动机的类型和程度。然后，使用某种测试来评估他们的第二语言熟练度。测试和问卷都会被评分，然后研究人员会使用一种称为“相关性”(correlation)的统计程序。相关性表明了动机问卷得分高的学习者在语言测试中也获得高分的可能性有多大。如果发现这两个变量（动机和语言熟练度）是相关的，研究人员将试图发现它们之间的确切关系。请注意，相关性可能是正向的，也可能是负向的。也就是说，人们可能会发现一种模式，表明动机得分较高的学习者其语言熟练度得分也较高（正相关），或者在某些情况下，也可能会发现动机得分较低的学习者在熟练度测量中表现更好（负相关）。
Although the correlation procedure seems straightforward, it requires careful interpretation. One problem is that, unlike variables such as height or age, it is not possible to directly observe and measure motivation, extroversion, or even intelligence. These are just labels for an entire range of behaviours and characteristics. Furthermore, characteristics such as these are not independent of each other, and researchers have sometimes used the same label to describe different sets of behavioural traits. For example, in motivation questionnaires, learners may be asked how often they use their second language outside a classroom context. The assumption behind the question is that those who report that they frequently do so are highly motivated to learn. This seems reasonable, but it is not so simple. If a learner responds that he or she frequently interacts with speakers of the second language, it may not be because he or she is more motivated to learn than one who reports less interaction. Rather, it might be that this individual lives where there are more opportunities- or a greater necessity-for language practice than those who report a low frequency of interaction. Because it is usually impossible to separate these two variables (i.e. motivation or desire to interact and opportunities or the need to interact), we cannot conclude whether it is motivation, necessity, or opportunity that is being measured by this question.
尽管相关性分析程序看似简单，但它需要谨慎的解释。一个问题是，与身高或年龄等变量不同，动机、外向性甚至智力都无法被直接观察和测量。这些只是对一系列行为和特征的标签。此外，这些特征彼此之间并非相互独立，研究人员有时会使用相同的标签来描述不同组的行为特征。例如，在动机问卷中，学习者可能会被问到他们在课堂外使用第二语言的频率。这个问题背后的假设是，那些报告频繁使用的人有很高的学习动机。这似乎很合理，但事情并非如此简单。如果一个学习者回答他/她经常与第二语言的使用者互动，这可能并不是因为他/她比那些报告互动较少的人更有学习动机。相反，可能是因为这个人生活的地方有更多的机会——或更大的必要性——去练习语言。由于通常无法将这两个变量（即动机或互动愿望与机会或互动需求）分开，我们无法断定这个问题测量的是动机、必要性还是机会。