I. Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Rubric A. Language as an integrating system1. PhonologyGrowing up as a bilingual child, I never realized that there was more to a language than the obvious difference. Sure, I could tell the difference between English and Spanish, but what I didn't realize was that both languages ​​had a set of sounds specific to them. This of course applies to all languages ​​and not just the two I speak. According to Dr. Elena Izquierdo, phonology is about the sounds of a language, the rules that govern those sounds. Phonology directly dictates how a person learns a language. All babies are born with the ability to hear all sounds in any language. Their brains are receptive to learning the language they will grow up with. Around the age of 10 to 12 months, babies begin to ignore other language sounds, sounds that will not be part of the language they will speak (French). These sounds are called phonemes and constitute the smallest sound unit existing in a language. As a child learns their native language, many of the sounds they can make become developmental; however, the child can hear this specific sound even without being able to produce it themselves. Learning a second language, however, differs from this because a child over 12 months of age has already discriminated against the sounds of their native language. Take English for example, when a kindergarten child is first learning to read or write, they will use more consonants because to them, consonants are more consistent, but a Spanish-speaking child will use vowels to guide their learning (Izquierdo). Spanish only has five definite vowels while standard English has 11...... middle of paper ......a 65). The language of teachers, for example, will be different from that used by lawyers. Since terminology varies widely from career to career, a second language learner might struggle to learn content-specific vocabulary if they don't have that vocabulary in their native language. For example, an ELL who has medical training in their country would likely transfer some of that prior knowledge, make connections, and apply it to the new language being learned more than someone who does not have that prior knowledge at all. Speech varieties don't just apply to academic careers. For example, the vocabulary of a mechanic will be very different from that of a factory worker. An auto shop mechanic and a factory worker form a community with his peers. The terminology used will differ significantly, as it is up to the community to decide..