Language acquisition and learning key concepts and issues

Angela Devung Dennis Elfera Achin Kelly Katty Jameson

NATURE OF LANGUAGE

1. WHAT IS LANGUAGE?
A system for communicating i. Written languages use symbols to build words. ii. The entire set of words is the language's vocabulary. iii. The ways in which the words can be meaningfully combined is defined by the language's syntax and

grammar.
iv. The actual meaning of words and combinations of words is defined by the language's semantics.

2. ANIMAL VERSUS HUMAN COMMUNICATION

Most animal communication is genetically determined and includes hoots, grunts, or screams that are meant to mean only one thing and are used every time in the same situation. Human communication is dependent on

both signals and symbols.

Sign Language
Deaf people have developed sign languages that are complex visual-gestural forms of communicating with each other. Effective communication systems with

standardized rules

Pidgin and Creole

A simplified, makeshift language that develops to fulfill the communication needs of people who have no language in common but who need to occasionally interact

commercial and other reasons. combine a limited amount of the vocabulary and grammar of the different
languages.

 At times, a pidgin language becomes the mother tongue of a population creoles

language
vocabularies enlarge

LANGUAGE LEARNING PROCESS

1. Language Learning based on the Behaviouristic Theories

Language learning consists of acquiring habits, initially by imitation (like the parrot). We learn by imitation, mimicry, constant practice and, finally, the new language habits become as fixed as those of our mother tongue" (Bell, 1981: 24). proposed by Skinner (1957), is based on Pavlov's idea of conditioning which was popular from 1920s to 1960s.

2. Language Learning based on the Cognitive

Theories
Language learning is a matter of "making sense" of the data which the brain receives through the senses.

Language learning, therefore, is a mental process, and not a physical one. It cannot be

explained solely as the acquisition of a set of habits by the process of conditioning. (See also Bell, 1981, and Titone & Danesi, 1985 for further discussion). based on Chomsky's theory of competence and performance (see Chomsky 1959), in reaction against behaviorism.

3. Language Learning based on the Humanistic Theories

Language learning should: (a) be interpersonal and student-centered learner's personality is very important in the learning-teaching process. (b) refer to the integrated, or eclectic,

methodologies.
Eclecticism, a recent trend in language teaching, has brought some degree of flexibility in language teaching methodology. It is an integration of approaches -behaviouristic, cognitive, and interpersonal.

Language Learner
Adults Have superior cognitive abilities Can handle abstract rules & concepts Longer attention spans More confidence teaching adults in class Able to understand more context-reduced segment of language. Children & Teens Needs more abstract operational thought Attention spans can be shorten due to other disturbances Need to consider their fragile self-esteem
Source: H. Douglas Brown. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy- 2nd ed. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Acquisition Versus Learning

Acquisition (Get,Gain) Children- acquire knowledge-subconscious process-unaware of grammatical rules. Can also be acquired through natural communication. Learning (Study) Result of direct instructions in the rules of language. In language learning, students have conscious knowledge of the new language and can talk about that knowledge. They can fill in the blanks on a grammar page.
Source: Retrieved June 17, 2013 from http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_acquisiti_vs_language_02033.ph p

Behaviourism
Behaviourism is primarily concerned with observable behaviour, as opposed to internal events like thinking. Behaviour is the result of stimulus response Behaviour is determined by the environment For the behaviourists, language learning is a matter of conditioning by means of imitation, practice, reinforcement, and habituation, which constitute (establish) the paces (steps) of language acquisition.
Source: Retrieved June 17, 2013 from http://soda.ustadistancia.edu.co/enlinea/MAURICIO_BUITRAGO_ingles_PSYCHOLINGUISTICS_PRIMER_MO MENTO/Behaviorist_theory_on_language_acquisition.pdf

Cognitivism
Focus on the mental activities of the learner. Humans possess a part in the brain that is responsible for the language development. Damage on this part will cause the language acquisition to be late or not develop at all. Language learning stress over efficient processing strategies.
Source: Elva V. Gonzalez. Behaviourism vs. Cognitivism: Theories of Learning. Powerpoint.

Social Constructivism
Culture gives the child the cognitive tools needed for development. Adults such as parents and teachers are conduits for the tools of the culture, including language. The tools the culture provides a child include cultural history, social context, and language. Today they also include electronic forms of information access.
Source: Retrieved June 17, 2013 from http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/social.htm

Humanism

Humanism is a paradigm/philosophy/pedagogical approach that believes learning is viewed as a personal act to fulfil ones potential.

Source: Retrieved June 17, 2013 from http://www.learning-theories.com/humanism.html