The Role of Derivation and Compounding in the Process of English Language Acquisition

Abstract

The communicative approach in this day and age is focused on communication as the most important, and even the single route in learning a foreign language. The advantage of communicative approach is that pupils and students learn the language naturally through practice, nevertheless, this approach neglects derivational as well as word-formation rules which assist pupils to create new words from the existing words they know, thus, to increase their vocabulary, creativity and their independence. Because of the universality of languages, always there are similarities in word-formation rules of the two languages being involved in the process of teaching (L1 & L2); a fact which enables pupils to transfer derivational awareness of their mother tong (L1) in support of the second language (L2) acquisition. On the other hand, because each language has its own characteristics, there always are differences, which hamper the foreign language acquisition. In such cases, theory and practice should be considered necessary for pupils, and, consequently, additional focus should be given especially to derivational rules. Yet, the difference between derivational and word-formation rules between the two languages being involved should be decisive in determining the amount of time spend on word-formation. In this essay the focus has been given to the similarities and differences between English and Albanian word-formations. As it is demonstrated, there are similarities in derivation and compounding of the two languages. After that, there are and dissimilarities. In the end there is reached the conclusion that Albanian pupils and students would have need of only some more time spend on word-formation, and, in particular on English derivational rules.

DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n2p117