Dyslexia and learning a foreign language: A personal experience

Annals of Dyslexia, 2000 by Simon, Charlann S

Ganschow et al.'s (1998) findings, together with the observations of Dinklage (1971) and Levine (1987), support the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (Sparks, Ganschow, and Pohlman 1989; Sparks and Ganschow 1991). This hypothesis, derived from native language reading research by Vellutino and Scanlon (1986), states that one's skill in three native language components or "codes"-phonological/orthographic (sound-symbol), syntactic (grammatical), and semantic (vocabulary, meaning)-serves as the foundation for learning a foreign language successfully. Initially, the hypothesis grew out of case study research on 22 college-age students who had sought course substitutions for their foreign language requirement after having experienced unusual learning difficulties (Sparks, Ganschow, and Pohlman 1989). It has since been confirmed by numerous empirical studies. (For a review of this research, see Ganschow, Sparks, and Javorsky 1998.) Their research has produced the following general observations:

* The efficiency of one's native language skill plays a large part in the success or failure of foreign language learning.

* Difficulties with phonology/orthography and syntax in one's native language are likely to negatively affect one's performance in the foreign language classroom.

* Most foreign language difficulties do not seem to be at the semantic level.

* Lack of motivation and high anxiety are likely to be the consequences rather than causes of foreign language learning problems (Ganschow et al 1995, p. 78).

Ganschow and colleagues (1998) have found that: (1) foreign language learning difficulties can be placed on a continuum; (2) it is unlikely a distinct entity such as a "foreign language learning disability" exists; and (3) most poor foreign language learners do not exhibit language deficits, but exhibit significant language differences in their skills when compared to good foreign language learners. In addition, Sparks, Ganschow, and Pohman (1989) found differences in the nature of linguistic coding deficits between those students who experienced immediate difficulties in the first or second semester courses (i.e., 101 or 102) and those whose difficulties appeared later in the sequence of foreign language requirements (i.e., 201 or 202). In particular, those who had relatively intact phonological coding skills, but who had syntactic and/or semantic problems, did not encounter major difficulties before the second year of language. Specific problems in the native language reappeared as specific problems in the foreign language.

Phonological working memory deficits also have a negative impact on both first and second language learning (Sparks, et al. 1989, 1997; Service 1992). Gathercole and Baddeley (1993) use the term "working memory" to describe the short-term memory system involved in the temporary processing and storage of information, such as language:

Close links have been established between children's phonological memory abilities and both their native language vocabulary knowledge and their second-language learning. It also appears that the poor vocabulary growth associated with both developmental language disorders and specific reading impairments may be attributable to deficits of phonological working memory in these children (p. 67).