The initial stage is Elemental. In this stage the individual is learning the basics of the
language, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciations, etc. (what Lambert would term the vocabulary
cluster). We see this in the development of one’s first language when the toddler learns new
words, begins to put words together, mispronounces some words but corrects them later, etc...
With the second language student, we see the same process when initial vocabulary is learned,
equivalents with the first language are recognized, simple declarative sentences are memorized,
etc. The second stage is Consolidation, where the elements of the language are brought
together and some degree of familiarity with the language is achieved. We see this stage in
the young child learning the first language, when they begin to recognize that language is a
system where some elements are correct and others incorrect, and they develop rules for
pluralization, sentence structure, and the understanding of idioms, etc. A similar pattern
occurs for students learning a second language, when they find that some of the structures
and elements can be like those in their native language while others can be very different,
when they learn that some expressions are meaningful, others not, etc. In the third stage, there
is Conscious Expression, during which the individual can use the language but with a great
deal of conscious effort. The individual can communicate thoughts and ideas, but there is a
lot of deliberation about what is being expressed. For the young first language learner, this
phase can be recognized by the use of a lot of speech hesitations such as um, er, uh, where
the individual is actively searching for the right words or form of expression. For the learner
of a second language, you can observe the same phenomenon, and often get the impression