Language Acquisition Learning

7/28/2019 Language Acquisition Learning

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Language Learning /Acquisition

ICELT

Leticia Adelina Ruiz Guerrero, MA in ELT


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Language Learning / Acquisition

Topics

Myths and Facts, what do you believe?

Learning a first language

Approaches to first language acquisition

Approaches to second language acquisition


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Task 1 : Language learning

How are languages learned?

Read the task sheet carefully.

Indicate how strongly you agree withthese opinions.

Compare your ideas with some of your

classmates. Save your answers for the end of the

session.


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Task 2: Which one comes first?

Presentprogressive

Plural -s

Irregular past forms

Possessive scopula

Articles the and aRegular past form

Third person singularSimple present

Auxiliary be


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High degree of similarity in early languageof children all over the world.

By the end of 1st year babies showunderstanding of quite a few frequently

repeated words.

At 1 year most babies have begun toproduce a small number of recognizable

words.


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By age 2 most children produce at least50 different words.

Begin to combine words into simple

sentences (e.g. mommyjuice) referredto as telegraphic, leaving out functionwords and grammatical morphemes.

By age 3 - most children can askquestions, give commands, report realevents and create stories with correctgrammatical morphemes.


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By age 4 children have mastered

basic structures of languages which

have been spoken to them in their

early years.


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The wug testJean Berko Gleason (1989):

Here is a wug. Now there are two orthem. There are two _________.

Here is a man who knows how to bod.Yesterday he did the same thing.Yesterday he ___________.

Children demonstrate that theyactually know the rules for theformation of plurals and simple past.


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Developmental sequences

There are predictable patterns in the

emergence and development of many

features of the language. Research by

Roger Brown (1973) shows that

grammatical morphemes are acquired bychildren in a similar sequence:


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Present progressive ing (mommy

running) Plural s (two books) Irregular past forms (baby went)

Possessive s (daddys

hat) Copula (Annie isa nice girl) Articles the and a

Regular past ed (she walked) Third person singular simple present s(she runs)

Auxiliary be (he iscoming)


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Task 3: discuss

Find a partner. Discuss the following:

What are the implications for ourteaching practice of our knowledge ofthe Developmental Sequence Theory?

What can we modify in our teaching

to accomodate this? Join another team and share your

findings?


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First language

L1


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ExplainingFirst Language Learning

Behaviourism: say what I say

Innatism: Itsall in your mind

The interactionist position: A

little help from my friends

(Lightbown and Spada, 1999)


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Behaviourism

Psychological theory of learning(1940s and 1950s)

Sees language learning as the resultof: Imitation Practice Feedback on success Habit formation


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Innatism

Linguist Noam Chomskys proposal(1959)

Language acquisition device (LAD) Universal Grammar (UG)

Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) by

biologist Eric Lenneberg: LAD worksonly when it is stimulated at theright time.


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Theinteractionistposition

Language develops as a result of theinteraction between the child and theenvironment.

Modified language made to suit the capabilityof the learner is a crucial element in thelanguage acquisition process (child directedspeech).

Psychologists Piaget (1969) and Vigotsky(1978), both claimed the importance of socialinteraction in the development of language.


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Task 4: what do you think?

What makes more sense to you? One of them?

A few of them? A combination of them?

Can you explain to yourself why?

How do think these theories applyto Second Language Acquisition?


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Second Language

L2


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SECOND LANGUAGEACQUISITION (SLA)

Influence from theories of first languageacquisition.

Behaviourism (1960s) Innatism: Krashens Monitor Model (1982)

Interactionist position: InteractionHypothesis (Long 1983)

Cognitive views: Information Processing(Schmidt 1990, Ellis 1993)


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Behaviourism

Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH)

It predicts that where there are

similarities between the first language and

the target language, the learner will

acquire target-language structures with

ease; where there are differences, thelearner will have difficulty.


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Krashens Monitor Model

Innatist view.

Based on 5 hypotheses: The acquisition-learning hypothesis The natural order hypothesis

The monitor hypothesis

The input hypothesis

The affective filter hypothesis


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The acquisiton learning hypothesis

Acquisition We acquire language as we are exposed to

it, like children picking uptheir L1, with noconscious attention to language form.

Only acquired language is available fornatural, fluent communication.

Learning

We learn through a conscious process ofstudy and attention to language form andrules.

Learning cannot become Acquisition.


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The monitor hypothesis

What is acquired is responsible forfluency and intuitive judgements aboutcorrectness.

What is Learned is responsible forediting and monitoring.

Learners use their monitor capacity to

check for accuracy not for fluency, theyneed sufficient time and they wouldneed to know the actual rules.


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The natural order hypothesis

Just like in First language acquisition,learners of a Second language seem toacquire certain features in a predictable

order. The rules which are easiest to state are

not necessarily the first to be acquired.

Understanding and using are twodifferent things.


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The input hypothesis

Acquisition can occur only whenexposed to comprehensible input.

If the input contains both formsand structures just beyond thelearners level then both

comprehension and acquisition willtake place. This is called: i + 1


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The affective filterhypothesis

Imaginary barrier (formed by motives,needs, attitudes, and emotional states)that may prevent or aid the

acquisition process. When the filter is up it blocks

acquisition: learner under stress, self-conscious, or unmotivated.

When the filter is down it helpsacquisition: relaxed and motivatedlearner.


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Interaction Hypothesis

SLA takes place through interaction. Agrees with Krashen that

comprehensible input is necessary for

SLA, but asks how input is madecomprehensible: Modified interaction= necessary mechanism

(Child-directed speech)

Modified interaction: Comprehension checks Clarification requests Self-repetition or paraphrasing


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Information processing

Second language acquisition is formed by abuild up of knowledge that can eventually becalled on automatically for speaking andunderstanding.

The learner has to pay attention: noticing. Then gradually, through experience and practice,

the learner becomes able to use the knowledge,without even being aware of it, quickly and

automatically. The Learner also needs to work on restructuring:

changes in skills and knowledge by interaction withprevious and/or the acquisition of new knowledge.


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Implicit vs. Explicit knowledge

Implicit knowledge intuitive Formulaic (unanalyzed units) Rule-based (internalized structures)

Explicit knowledge Conscious representation,analyzed knowledge.

Input samples of L2 learner is exposed to. Noticing Consciously recognizing a linguistic

feature in input of L2.

Intake What learner attends to in L2 input. Noticing the gap learners make cognitivecomparison between input and theiroutput/knowledge = restructuring of their

knowledge.


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What impact is this knowledgeof Language Acquisitiontheories going to have in your

teaching?

Write it down for yourself


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Bibliography Brown, D.H. (1980) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching.

New Jersey, Prentice Hall.

Ellis, R. (1996) Understanding Second Language Acquisition. Oxford,Oxford University Press.

Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003) Techniques and Principles in LanguageTeaching. Oxford, Oxford University Press

Lightbown, P.M. and Spada, N. (1999) How Languages are learned.Oxford: Oxford University Press

Mitchell, R. and Myers, F. (1998) Second Language Learning Theories.London, Arnold.

Nunan, D. (1998) Language Teaching Methodology. Hemel Hempstead,Prentice Hall.

Richards, J.C. and Rodgers, T.S. (2001) Approaches and Methods inLanguage Teaching. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Williams, M. and Burden, R. (1997) Psychology for LanguageTeachers. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Language Acquisition Learning

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