First Language Acquisition

1. Language Acquisition
Theory

2. Children & Language

3. Characteristics of language in young
children
༝ There is a similarity of the way children learn
language around the world
༝ Young babies can hear the difference in
sounds
༝ Predictable ‘patterns’ seen within the first
three years of language acquisition.
༝ These patterns/stages are related to
cognitive development.
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4. Preschool age
༝ By this age most language is acquired,
children are developing the ability to use it in
different environments
༝ Learning complex linguistic structures and
several new words a day.
༝ By this age children can:
༝ Give commands, report real events, create
imaginary stories, use correct word order and
grammar,
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5. School age
༝ School requires the using language for
academic tasks; children acquire a different
register of language
༝ New environment and language tasks help to build
vocabulary
༝ Children fluent in non-standard dialects will
acquire the standard dialect and academic
register
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6. First Language
Acquisition
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7. 3 Major Language Acquisition
Perspectives/Theories
Behaviorist Innatist Interactionist/
Developmental
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8. Behaviorist
Children imitate language heard around them ->
receive positive reinforcement ->
continue imitation = language acquisition
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9. Behaviorist Perspective
༝ Ivan Pavlov & B.F. Skinner
༝ Popular until 1950’s
༝ Children are born with ‘tabula rasa’ blank
slate
༝ They imitate language until they form habits of
correct language use
༝ Stimulus -> Response -> Reinforcement
○ Environment provides stimuli
○ Caregivers provide reinforcement
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10. “
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11. Behaviorism (cont.)
༝ The form of language + quantity of language +
consistency of reinforcement will shape child’s
language behavior
༝ Language learning is a result of imitation &
practice
༝ Imitation: word for word repetition of language
༝ Practice: manipulation of language form
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12. “
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13. Arguments against Behaviorism
༝ It can explain how regular and routine
aspects of language are learned at early
stages
༝ Cannot explain how children acquire complex
grammatical forms that are not available for
them to imitate
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14. 3 Major Language Acquisition
Perspectives/Theories
Behaviorist Innatist Interactionist/
Developmental
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15. Innatist/Nativist
All human languages are based on some innate principals
and children are born with a specific innate ability to
discover them
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16. Innatist/Navist Perspective
༝ Noam Chomsky
༝ Language develops like other biological
functions and children are biologically
‘programmed’ to acquire it
༝ Language Acquisition Device (LAD) a system in
the brain that enables children to learn and
internalize the universal rules of grammar and
internalize them
༝ Specifically for language acquisition
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17. Innatist/ Naticvist (cont.)
༝ With the LAD children can acquire
universal grammar (UG)
༝ UG: principals that are universal to
all human language
༝ Explains how children acquire
complex syntax they may not be
exposed to
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18. Innatist / Navitist (cont.)
༝ Critical Period Hypothesis
༝ All animals, including humans, are genetically
programmed to acquire certain kinds of knowledge
at specific times (critical period) in their lives
༝ After this critical period it is nearly impossible to
acquire this knowledge
༝ The CP Hypothesis is applied to language
learning but hard to disprove
○ L’enfant sauvage (The Wild Child)
○ Studies show that there is a critical period in oral
and gestural language
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19. “
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20. Arguments against the Innatist/Nativist
perspective
༝ Too much of a focus on the ‘final stage’ of
language acquisition and not enough on
the process or the development of
language
༝ More emphasis on the environment is
needed
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21. 3 Major Language Acquisition
Perspectives/Theories
Behaviorist Innatist Interactionist/
Developmental
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22. Interactionist/Developmental
What children need to learn about language is available in
the environment around them; interaction with those
around them will help to develop language.
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23. Interactionist/Developmentalist perspectives
༝ Psychologist: Paiget & Vygotsky
༝ See language acquisition as similar to and
influenced by the acquisition of other skills
༝ Nature + Nurture = language acquisition
༝ Recognize the LAD but believe that social
interaction/community are key to
language acquisition
༝ Usage based linguistics
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24. Interactionist/Developmentalist perspectives
(cont)
༝ vs Behaviorism- more emphasis on child’s
ability to create networks of association
rather than just imitation
༝ vs Innatist/Nativist – language acquisition
does not require a separate ‘module of the
mind’ but depends on child’s general learning
abilities and contributions to the environment
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25. Interactionist/Developmental perspectives
(cont)
༝ Piaget: language can be used to represent
knowledge that children have acquired
through physical interaction
༝ Children’s language acquisition is built on
their cognitive development
1. Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs)
2. Pre – operational (2-7 yrs)
3. Concrete Operational (7-11 yrs)
4. Formal Operational (11 to adulthood)
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26. Interactionist/Developmental
perspectives (cont)
༝ Vygotsky: language develops from social
interaction
༝ Supportive interactive environments helps
children achieve higher levels of knowledge
and performance
༝ Zone of Proximal Development: what students
can do with scaffolding instead of independently
○ Scaffolding is a supportive structure for students to help
them make the most of the knowledge they have
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27. “
27Scaffold

28. Piaget vs. Vygotsky
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Language as a
symbol system
that could be
sued to express
knowledge
acquired
through
interaction with
the physical
world
Thought is
essentially
internalized
speech that
emerges in
social interaction

29. 3 Major Language Acquisition
Perspectives/Theories
Behaviorist Innatist Interactionist/
Developmental
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30. Class activity
As a pair or group, create a
poster for one of the 3 L1
Language Perspectives
discussed today. Your
poster should include key
supporter, ideas, theories
etc. Remember that a
poster is images, single
phrases, emojis etc.; this
should be a visual
representation. 30