Little is known about the actual origin of language as a system in the human brain.

Researchers do not agree on how to account for language acquisition.

The following questions about language still remain unanswered:

Is language learnt or inborn?

Does it develop gradually or in distinct stages?

Is language competence universal or individual?

Is language a separate skill or is it an element of cognitive development?

Is it a structure or a function that we acquire?

Therefore, there is a variety of approaches accounting for the language acquisition.

1.Behavioural/Learning Approach

2.Nativist/Innatist/Mentalist/linguistic Approach

3.Cognitive Approach

4.Social Interactionist Approach

Approach Central idea linguist

Behaviourist Children immitate adults Skinner

Cognitive Lang. is just one aspect of a child’s overall intellectual development

Piaget

Innatist Lang. is an innate capicity Chomsky

Interactionist Emphasis the interaction b/w child and their care giver

Burner

Social Interactionist ApproachSocial interactionism ascribes the central role in the process of language acquisition to the environment. The focus of attention of social interacionists is the way interaction leads to the development of language competence.

Social Interaction takes place

Social interactionism ascribes the central role in the process of language acquisition to the environment. The focus of attention of social interacionists is the way interaction leads to the development of language competence.

Major Claim:Language, according to social interactionists, develops through interaction with other human being, which leads to input modification i.e. adjusting it to the capacity of the learner.

Additionally, interactionists claim that no ‘critical period’ for language acquisition exists as the process of interaction is not dependent on biological or cognitive development.

Social interactionists do not deny the existance of neuropsychological factors affecting language acquisition; however, they claim that biological factors are not sufficient. They also do not accept placing language as just one more element of cognitive development.

Critical Period (Four stages of child language acquisition by JEAN WILLIAM FRITZ PIAGET

Zone of proximal development (level of skill of knowledge which is just beyond what the learner currently copes with)

Mediation (the role played by ‘significant people’, the people the learner admires, who select and modify the learning material for the learner helping him/her to move to the next zone of proximal development)

Lev Vygotsky proposes the model of language acquisition consisting of two major concepts:Zone of proximal development (level of skill of knowledge which is just beyond what the learner currently copes with)

Mediation (the role played by ‘significant people’, the people the learner admires, who select and modify the learning material for the learner helping him/her to move to the next zone of proximal development)

Refers to the support or assistance that lets the child accomplish a task he/she cannot accomplish independently.

It is not about doing the task for the child while he/she watches.

It is not about doing short cuts for the child.

It should involve the judicious assistance given by the adult or peer so that the child can move from the zone of actual to the zone of proximal development.

Unzipping the lunch bag, opening the food container and putting straw in the child’s juice tetra pack for her /

him is NOT SCAFFOLDING.

When the adult unzips the zipper an inch or two and then holds the lunch bag still so that the child can continue to unzip the lunch bag is SCAFFOLDING.

Loosening the food container lid just a bit and letting the child open the lid himself is SCAFFOLDING.

Leading the straw to the hole and letting the child put the straw through the tetra pack is SCAFFOLDING.

The purpose of the support is to allow the child to achieve higher levels of development by:

1. simplifying the task or idea2. motivating and encouraging the childHighlighting important task elements or

errorsGiving models that can be imitated.

Conclusion Like Piaget, Bruner believed that children have

an innate capacity that helps them make sense of the work and that cognitive abilities develop through active interaction.

“According to Burner “The child learns how to use language within the social context of language use in which the child interacts. He grows up and needs to interact in the social scenario of the caretaker (s) around him and he gradually adopts their movements & language.”

Question?