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Essay on theories of language acquisition
4.1 child language acquisition theory
How young children acquire a second language
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Literature Review Introduction In this review, I will look at the Theory of learning about language acquisition and how children acquire their first or second language. The reason why this fields of education interest me is because we are now living in a diverse society where by English is no longer the central language in the school in UK. On the basis of National Data collected via School Census, British Council says that “almost one in six pupils speak English as an additional language” (British Council, 2016). The rate of children with EAL is continues to increasing in UK from Europe and Asia. Based on the literature I am reading how, where and why child will be acquiring knowledge and this process is complex (Clark, 2016). (Vetter …show more content…
(Klein and Anderson, 1986) There are three forms of Language acquisition in children. First Language Acquisition (FLA): (Clark, 2016) First language is acquired by children from their parents or family which is the child’s native language. The process of FLA varies depending on some elements like how the child is socially interacting, as well as the child’s level of cognitive skills. Parents should be specifying how, why and where the child is acquiring knowledge. The learning environment for a child should be rich and stimulating, even if the child is learning from television, radio or through play. (Vetter and Howell, 1971) Initially children construct and use their own language which begins with babbling while imitating their parents or family and gradually uses single word for example ‘baby’ then simple sentences like ‘I want baby’ and eventually use complex sentences in their first or native language. They need to be a good role model for their child, because in this early stage of their life whatever they will observe they will imitate, because children have no sense of judgement whether they are doing right or wrong. Children learn about their culture, community and values from their parents, siblings or family members while acquiring communication
After reading this article, I feel like I have a fresh and new look on how to better spot children who are falling behind in their language proficiency. References: Lippi-Green, R. (2012). The 'Path of the English with an accent (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. Monzó, L. D., & Rueda, R. (2009).
In Suzette Haden Elgin’s Native Tongue, infants of linguistic households are required to acquire various alien languages to become native speakers of Earth for the new languages studied. Our society, for the most part, understands that adults acquire foreign languages differently from the acquisition of a second language by a child. Furthermore, most people generally have the understanding that children learn languages quickly and easily compared to adults. Adults, however, are able to acquire foreign languages in fair or controlled conditions. There may be resulting differences between language acquisitions of new languages, but the rate at which adults acquire second languages should not be a factor.
This essay is about a child’s development and learning, focusing primarily on language development. It will describe the main stages of developmental "milestones" and the key concepts involved for children to develop their language skills, discussing language acquisition and social learning theory. The essay will also look into the key theorists involved in language development, primarily Vygotsky and Chomsky, and how these theories have had an impact on the way society views language and their implementation within schools. The essay will describe the factors affecting language development, both biological and environmental. While also discussing key arguments among theorists, one being the nature vs nurture debate, and how these play a part in the teaching in schools.
As stated earlier, there are different components to language which must be taught and used in conjunction with context and social situations (Gee & Hayes, 2011). These include phonetic (sound patterns of words), syntactic (sentence structures), semantic (meanings of words and sentences) and pragmatic (using language in certain contexts) mechanisms (Fellowes and Oakley, 2014). Learning these can put meaning and purpose to the language that children learn through their surroundings, including contact with other children and adults, their culture and build upon their cognitive functions. Children in the early years are at a crucial time in their learning, the exposure to language they get from their home environment can set them up for the rest of their educational journey and beyond schooling. McInerney (2014) explores Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, explaining that language is used as a communication instrument and a way to organize our own thoughts.
... (p. 116). In her article, “Babies Prove Sound Learners,” Sohn (2008), states, “Such studies show that, up to about 6 months of age, babies can recognize all the sounds that make up all the languages in the world” (para.24). B.K. Skinner suggest that the materialization of language is the result of imitation and reinforcement. According to Craig and Dunn (2010), “Language development is linked to cognitive development that, in turn, depends on the development of the brain, on physical and perceptual abilities, and on experiences. Biological and social factors also jointly influence the early development of emotion and personality” (p. 117). In her article, A natural history of early language experience. Hart (2000), states, “Talking is important for children, because complexity of what children say influences the complexity of other people’s response” (para. 1).
... proposes LAD as the innate mental mechanism that makes language acquisition possible. Chomsky's linguistic competence is the underlying knowledge that enables individuals to speak and understand their language. A native speaker has access to knowledge about the structure of his language which guides him in his language use. Second, Chomsky distinguished linguistic knowledge from language performance which is the use of language in a particular social context. Third, a child must acquire linguistic competence in order to be able to use language successfully. Forth, also he suggested universals of language which is languages share certain features. Fifth, also he suggested a critical period for language acquisition which is by the age of five children acquire almost the structure of their language. Elliot, J. A. (1981). Child Language . Cambridge University Press.
Long, M. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W.Ritchie and T.Bhatia (eds.) Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (San Diego, CA: Academic Press), 413-68.
The aim of this essay is to explore language acquisition and compare and contrast different theories of language acquisition and language development. Language in its most basic form is used to communicate our needs and wants. It encompasses a range of modes of delivery including signing, spoken and written words, posture, eye contact, facial expressions and gestures. So how do we learn ‘language’? Are we born with the skills for communication, or is it something that we have to learn or have taught to us? Four theories are looked at in this essay to determine how children acquire and then develop language. These theories include behaviourist, nativist, cognitivist and sociocultural. This essay will highlight some similarities and differences in each theory and what impact these have on a child’s acquisition and development of language. Lastly we will look at the implications of these theories when working with children. Can a classroom teacher deliver a quality literacy program based on just one of these theories or does it need to incorporate components of all four? Sims, (2012) pp. 21 states ‘’High-quality learning experiences in the early years of life enhance children’s cognitive and language skills’’. This places a great responsibility on educators and teachers alike to provide an environment which is rich in learning opportunities that will encourage both the acquisition and development of language.
Primary schools that introduce language learning at an earlier phase may do so for a number of purposes, but it is because of the benefits of learning a language at a younger age that this paper has chosen Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) as its target scheme of work. For the purpose of this assignment the focus language will be French (but the strategies to be discussed will apply to any MFL). The ideas within the scheme of work will be critically discussed as part of university experience, school practice and relevant research.
There are three main theories of child language acquisition; Cognitive Theory, Imitation and Positive Reinforcement, and Innateness of Certain Linguistic Features (Linguistics 201). All three theories offer a substantial amount of proof and experiments, but none of them have been proven entirely correct. The search for how children acquire their native language in such a short period of time has been studied for many centuries. In a changing world, it is difficult to pinpoint any definite specifics of language because of the diversity and modification throughout thousands of millions of years.
Krashen’s Hypotheses of Second Language Acquisition. For decades, foreign language teachers have wandered into a scientific abyss. Until 1983, there had been little real research dealing with the ways in which someone acquires a second language. Teachers mostly used the audiolingual classroom model that had been in place for the past twenty years (or, even worse, the literally ancient grammatical translation model that had been used by civilizations millennia old).
Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. M. (2006). How languages are learned (3rd ed.). Oxford [england: Oxford University Press.
Children are generally gone through the stage of "first sound", "babbling"," first words", "the two word", telegraphy to infinity" and eventually constructing more complex sentence as the stages move on. Human species genetically acquire their first language out of innateness. Moreover, the difficultness of each language is considered equal are children who acquired their first language.
Children’s acquisition of language has long been considered one of the uniquely defining characteristics of human behaviour.
It is necessary to draw a distinction between foreign language and second language learning. According to (Wisniewski, 2007), a language lear...