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Bahram Kazemian
Islamic Azad University Tabriz Branch

Chaos/Complexity theory and SLA? 87% of


In the past, it was believed that the nature of languages like any other systems are
Items Sold
constant and static; however after several years of study and with reference to the on eBay Are
Chaos/Complexity theory (C/CT), they came to the conclusion that languages are Buy It Now
complex, nonlinear and unpredictable in their underlying levels. I have read Larsen-
Freeman's (1997) article about C/CT and it is believed that there are issues in SLA Shop Now
that can be illuminated by the chaos/complexity theory. Any ideas and elaborations
about it?

Topics
Question followers (16) See all
Complexity Theory Chaos Theory Second Language Acquisition

Jul 1, 2014

Recommend 2 Recommendations
Similar Questions

Is the science of complexity "multidisciplinary" or


"interdisciplinary"?
Popular Answers 12 answers added

Wander Lowie University of Groningen


What is the difference between psychological
Dear all, very interesting discussion! I think the essence of Complexity / resilience and coping mechanisms? Is resilience just
DST approaches to language development is the time dimension. the ability to use adaptive coping mechanisms?
Although I agree with Peter that we cannot say all previous thinking about 16 answers added
SLA has been essentially static, the real focus on change over time is
relatively new. Rather than looking at factors that may have affected the How to calculate Inter-coder reliability across several
products of language learning, it is time to really start looking at the categories?
process of development and the complex interrelation of changing factors 2 answers added
over time. On refs: We (Kees de Bot, Marjolijn Verspoor and myself)
published on this in (eg) Bilingualism: Language & Cognition, and Marjolijn Are you ready for joint work in EFL/ESL/TEFL/TESL?
and I have just nished a paper on the time dimension of SLD and the fact
22 answers added
that this requires different (ie longitudinal) research paradigms - this will
come out later this year in Language Learning.

Jul 14, 2014 Recommend 3 Recommendations


Views 1517
Followers 16
Mobin Khanlarzadeh University of Tehran
I agree with Peter when he said Chaos/Complexity theory does not Answers 14
necessarily propose nonexistent hypotheses; however, considering the
fact that the term " Language as a complex adaptive system" is an all-
inclusive and illuminating terminology, one can justify that the recent
literature on the dynamic and complex nature of language development/
change/ acquisition/ learning can be acceptably accounted for by the new
PARADIGM of Chaos/Complexity theory in our eld.

I believe soon enough this PARADIGM will be included in the development


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Constructivism, Humanism, Sign up today to join our community of over
Dynamic complex systems theory... 12+ million scientic professionals.
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As an example,
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Dynamic complex systems theory. It can and should also be worked on so
as to account for the principles of this paradigm.
Don't hesitate to ask professor Lowie about Chaos/Complexity theory. His
papers speak for themselves.

Jul 16, 2014 Recommend 3 Recommendations

All Answers (14)

Heejong yi Defense Language Institute Foreign Language School


You may be interested in reading "Language as a Complex Adaptive
System" (2009) by N.C. Ellis and D. Larsen-Freeman. This book made me
think a lot of issues in SLA. My opinion is that there have been abundance
of research interest and research works but little consensus has been
achieved. I thought that the perspective of viewing language as a complex
adaptive system may offer us a reason why it has been like that.

Recently, I was reviewing literature on lexical learning. My task was to


make a state of art recommendations on lexical learning strategy and
teaching method for foreign language teachers and learners. Then I
realized how messy the ndings are. A simple statement like "vocabulary
learning within context is more effective than learning in isolation" does
not go farther without encountering a counter-claim. In fact, lexicon is
complex in its composition and very much adaptive as it creates a new
member all the time. Perhaps, there is a type of words that can be readily
learned in isolation while there is type of words that can be better learned
within context (Subtirelu, 2013). The researchers often overlook the fact
that lexicon is very much heterogeneous in its composition. Lexicon is not
a collection of the same type of information. I believe the Complex
Adaptive System (CAS) or Chaos/Complex (C/C) approach can sort a
number of conicted study ndings in SLA.
Jul 2, 2014 Recommend 2 Recommendations

Bahram Kazemian Islamic Azad University Tabriz Branch


Dear Heejong. Thanks for you contributuion and reply.
Jul 2, 2014 Recommend

Sundarapandian Vaidyanathan Vel Tech - Technical University


I recommend you to read the work "Chaos and language" (2004) by W.
Garrett Mitchener and Martin A. Nowak, published in Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B
(7 April 2004), vol. 271, no. 1540, pp. 701-704. (doi:
10.1098/rspb.2003.2643)

I reproduce below the abstract of their work:

"Human language is a complex communication system with unlimited


expressibility. Children spontaneously develop a native language by
exposure to linguistic data from their speech community. Over historical
time, languages change dramatically and unpredictably by accumulation
of small changes and by interaction with other languages. We have
previously developed a mathematical model for the acquisition and
evolution of language in heterogeneous populations of speakers. This
model is based on game dynamical equations with learning. Here, we
show that simple examples of such equations can display complex limit
cycles and chaos. Hence, language dynamical equations mimic
complicated and unpredictable changes of languages over time. In terms
of evolutionary game theory, we note that imperfect learning can induce
chaotic switching among strict Nash equilibria."

I recommend you to read their full paper!

Jul 4, 2014 Recommend 1 Recommendation

Peter M. Bednar Lund University


ok, the question makes no sense to me as it starts with a proposition that
I could not nd any evidence of. The Question starts with the following
Got a question
statement "In the you
past, itneed answered
was believed quickly?
that the nature of languages like Sign up today to join our community of over
any other systems are constant and static". There seems to be quite a lot 12+ million scientic professionals.
Technical
of work questions
(predating likediscussion
the current the one you've just found
on "complex usually get answered
systems")
within
suggesting 48 hours
contrary, foron ResearchGate.
example the work of Wittgenstein, who coined the Join for free
concept *languaging*. But he was not the only one with relevant work
related to this question. There is also a lot of work within the area of
cybernetics and systems science. If nothing else the work of Gregory
Bateson comes to mind (for example in the book *an ecology of
mind*).So the question itself may need some further work.

Jul 4, 2014 Recommend 2 Recommendations

Bahram Kazemian Islamic Azad University Tabriz Branch


Dear Peter, would you please suggest the right question. That will be very
kind of you.

Jul 5, 2014 Recommend

Sundarapandian Vaidyanathan Vel Tech - Technical University


I nd this topic interesting, and I am reading papers on it.

One interesting paper is "Chaos, complexity and language learning" by Bill


Harsharger published recently in "Language Research Bulletin". It is a
general paper only.

I already mentioned another interesting paper "Chaos and language" by W.


Garrett Mitchener and Martin A. Nowak (2004). There is a nice
mathematical model in this work and the authors explain well that
language dynamical equations mimic complicated and unpredictable
changes of languages over time.

Jul 8, 2014 Recommend 1 Recommendation

Bahram Kazemian Islamic Azad University Tabriz Branch


Thank you very much dear Sundarapandian for your contribution and
response. It is very pleasant that the question interests you to follow the
topic.

Jul 8, 2014 Recommend

Peter M. Bednar Lund University


The whole foundation for the question maybe needs some revision. So for
example it is questionable to state that "In the past, it was believed that
the nature of languages like any other systems are constant and static" -
there is little (if any) evidence that this proposition is correct when there
are many sources suggesting otherwise (examples mentioned above).
Then the proposition continues with "however after several years of study
and with reference to the Chaos/Complexity theory (C/CT), they came to
the conclusion that languages are complex, nonlinear and unpredictable
in their underlying levels." It is perhaps the case that specialism within
areas of scientic inquiry can make people blind and unaware of previous
work which their own environment does not readily know about. Ignorance
of other peoples work does not however mean that such work did not
exist. It is not at all obvious why the reference should limit itself to
Chaos/complexity theory (whatever that is supposed to be refering to -
considering there is more than one proposition with similar sounding
name and theoretical descriptions but with signicantly different
foundations and *meaning*). Even similar descriptions may have very
different knowledge and practical consequences dependent on which
*philosophy of science* they may be associated with (and by whom). So
yes we could agree upon that there are issues in SLA that can be
illuminated by the chaos/complexity theory. But we would need to explore
and have a dialogue about - what - do we mean with *chaos/complexity
theory* and - what - do we mean with *issues*. Perhaps also the purpose
of our inquiry and why we are interested in SLA needs to be reected
upon.

Jul 11, 2014 Recommend 1 Recommendation

Bahram Kazemian Islamic Azad University Tabriz Branch


Dear Peter, thanks for your contribution. That is a nice question posed by
Got a question
you: what - do weyou
mean need answered theory*,
with *chaos/complexity quickly?
I've raised this Sign up today to join our community of over
question to get the responses for it, Could you please think aloud and 12+ million scientic professionals.
Technical questions
answer/elaborateyour ownlike the one you've just found usually get answered
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Jul 11, 2014 Recommend
Peter M. Bednar Lund University
Perhaps we would benet from rst asking ourselves what issues we can
identify with SLA? As it might help us with creating *a purpose* for our
engagement with (other) theories and traditions such as those drawing
upon ideas of *chaos and or complexity*... What issues - or - what kind of
issues - do you have in mind, when thinking of SLA?

Jul 11, 2014 Recommend

Wander Lowie University of Groningen


Dear all, very interesting discussion! I think the essence of Complexity /
DST approaches to language development is the time dimension.
Although I agree with Peter that we cannot say all previous thinking about
SLA has been essentially static, the real focus on change over time is
relatively new. Rather than looking at factors that may have affected the
products of language learning, it is time to really start looking at the
process of development and the complex interrelation of changing factors
over time. On refs: We (Kees de Bot, Marjolijn Verspoor and myself)
published on this in (eg) Bilingualism: Language & Cognition, and Marjolijn
and I have just nished a paper on the time dimension of SLD and the fact
that this requires different (ie longitudinal) research paradigms - this will
come out later this year in Language Learning.

Jul 14, 2014 Recommend 3 Recommendations

Mobin Khanlarzadeh University of Tehran


I agree with Peter when he said Chaos/Complexity theory does not
necessarily propose nonexistent hypotheses; however, considering the
fact that the term " Language as a complex adaptive system" is an all-
inclusive and illuminating terminology, one can justify that the recent
literature on the dynamic and complex nature of language development/
change/ acquisition/ learning can be acceptably accounted for by the new
PARADIGM of Chaos/Complexity theory in our eld.

I believe soon enough this PARADIGM will be included in the development


of TESOL==) Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, Humanism,
Dynamic complex systems theory...

As an example, dynamic assessment can be put under the paradigm of


Dynamic complex systems theory. It can and should also be worked on so
as to account for the principles of this paradigm.

Don't hesitate to ask professor Lowie about Chaos/Complexity theory. His


papers speak for themselves.

Jul 16, 2014 Recommend 3 Recommendations

Achilleas Ioannis Kostoulas Karl-Franzens-Universitt Graz


Complex Systems Theory can be brought to bear on several aspects of
instructed language learning/language acquisition. Some approaches
include attempts to reconceptualise language as a complex system, while
others have approached this by applying complexity on the psychological
aspects of language acquisition, or by thinking of educational settings
where language learning takes place as complex systems. It has also
been suggested that Complexity can be used to 'bridge' different, yet
compatible, theoretical perspectives that have informed the discipline.

While complexity is a promising new paradigm for Applied Linguistics,


there are some challengesto be faced. For instance, it seems
thattransferring Complex Systems Theory without modication from the
natural sciences to SLA/Applied Linguistics is not the best way to go.
Rather, it appears that we need to 'nativise' it, and this begs the question
of how far we can stray from the original theory to suit our purposes, while
still claiming to work in the domain of Complexity.

If your are interested in exploring the literature, an obvious starting point


would be Larsen-Freeman & Cameron's (2008) Complex systems and
Got a question you need answered quickly? Sign up today to join our community of over
Applied Linguistics, and the Special Issues in Applied Linguistics (2006)
12+ million scientic professionals.
and theTechnical
Revista Brasileira
questionsdelike
Linguistica Aplicada
the one you've just(2013)
found[it's in English].
usually get answered
Some names to look out for are:Diane
within 48 hours on ResearchGate. Larsen-Freeman, Lynne Cameron, Join for free
Sarah Mercer, and some of the more recent work by Zoltan Dornyei. If you
come across anything I have writtenon the topic,that ,too, may be of
some use.

Aug 6, 2014 Recommend 2 Recommendations

Mobin Khanlarzadeh University of Tehran


I liked the part that dear Achilleas said "how far we can stray from the
original theory to suit our purposes"

Unfortunatly whenever sometheory becomes a paradigm in our eld, it


seems like everyonegoes out of his/her way tonecessarily adapt most of
the ndings of applied linguistics to that paradigm. That's why, as a
student, Ihave been beingannoyingly surprized by what D. Brown
calls"changing winds and shifting sands" of language teaching.

I believethose who have voice in our eld must let this process takes its
course and there is no need for rushing it. It's not likeanyone can by any
chance precede them in any idea!

Aug 12, 2014 Recommend 1 Recommendation

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