Using Large Language Models for Second Language Acquisition

By Bill Lauritzen

Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained on trillions of webpages to give probability predictions of the next word or phrase given an initial prompt. They do not give highly creative responses; they give average responses.

The goal of second language acquisition is not to produce a Shakespeare, a Hemingway, or a Mo Yan. The goal of second language acquisition could be considered a student who can read, listen, speak, and write in the second language with the ability of an average native person (at the student’s target level). Although, the student may wish to continue their education in that second language so as to become a producer of creative content in that language, for the vast majority of students this is not what is needed or wanted.

I have been using a Large Language Model, specifically ChatGPT, to help students. It can give a grammatically perfect response for a typical exam question such as: “Describe a movie you have seen recently.”

I prompt the LLM like this: Give a short description of a recent movie.

One recent movie that comes to mind is “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” released in December 2021. The movie is a superhero action-adventure film and the third installment in the Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland. The plot follows Peter Parker as he seeks the help of Doctor Strange to erase everyone’s memories of him as Spider-Man after his identity is revealed. However, things don’t go as planned, and Peter finds himself facing multiple villains from different dimensions, including Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro. The movie has received critical acclaim for its storytelling, visuals, and performances from the cast, including returning actors from previous Spider-Man films.

In addition, I can ask it to write a simpler or more complex answer, to shorten or lengthen the response, to put the answer in the language of a 12-year-old or a professor, to use formal English or English slang, to change the answer to Chinese, etc. Then I can clarify any new vocabulary or misunderstood words by asking the LLM to give definitions, synonyms, example sentences, etc. Also, I can ask the LLM to explain any cultural differences.

New Prompt: Put that in English slang.

Yo, have you seen “Spider-Man: No Way Home” yet? It’s the latest flick in the Spider-Man trilogy with Tom Holland. Basically, Peter Parker goes to Doctor Strange for help to make people forget he’s Spider-Man ’cause his identity was exposed. But things go sideways, and he has to face off against villains from different dimensions, like Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro. It’s a sick movie with sick visuals and the cast killed it, especially the old-school Spider-Man actors.

New Prompt: Write that in the style of a nine-year-old.

Hey, did you see the new Spider-Man movie? It’s called “No Way Home” and it’s super cool! It’s about Peter Parker, who’s also Spider-Man, and he’s in trouble ’cause people know who he really is. So, he asks Doctor Strange for help, but things don’t go as planned and he has to fight bad guys from other dimensions like Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Electro. The movie is totally awesome ’cause it has really cool special effects and the actors are great, especially the ones from the other Spider-Man movies. You gotta watch it, it’s so cool!

New Prompt: Define installment for movies.

In the context of movies, an installment refers to a part or segment of a larger film series or franchise that typically features the same characters, setting, and overall storyline. Each installment of a movie franchise is generally designed to be a standalone film that can be enjoyed on its own, but also contributes to a larger narrative arc that spans across multiple films. For example, the “Star Wars” franchise consists of multiple installments, including “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi,” each of which tells a unique story within the same fictional universe.

New Prompt: Write that for a nine-year-old.

When we talk about movies, an installment means a part of a bigger story. It’s like when you read a book series, each book tells a story but is also part of a bigger story. The same thing happens with movies, there are some movies that have many parts or installments, where the same characters and places appear in each one. For example, you might have seen Star Wars, which is a story that has many installments, like “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi,” and they all tell a story that’s part of the same big story.

New Prompt: Translate the first answer into Chinese.

您好！以下是我对“最近的电影”的简短描述：“蜘蛛侠：无路可归”（Spider-Man: No Way Home）是一部2021年12月上映的超级英雄动作冒险电影，也是由汤姆·赫兰德主演的蜘蛛侠三部曲的第三部。故事情节围绕彼得·帕克展开，他向斯特兰奇医生求助，希望医生可以消除所有人对他作为蜘蛛侠的记忆，因为他的身份已被揭露。然而，事情没有像计划中那样进行，彼得发现自己面临来自不同维度的多个反派，包括绿魔、奥克博士和电击怪等。这部电影因其故事情节、视觉效果和演员们的表演而受到了广泛好评，尤其是之前的蜘蛛侠系列电影中回归的演员。

It is important to point out that current Large Language Models can make factual errors. When Google publicly demonstrated it’s new LLM, called Bard, it was asked, “What new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope can I tell my 9 year old about?” The Bard LLM answered that the telescope “took the very first pictures of a planet outside of our own solar system.” Several astronomers immediately pointed out that the first image of an exoplanet was taken back in 2004.

The accuracy of the answers will improve over time, however, second language learners are not concerned so much with factual accuracy as they are with pronunciation and grammatical accuracy.

So although LLMs are neither creative nor perfectly accurate at present, they can make a highly useful tool for second language acquisition.