Children acquire language through a complex, innate process that unfolds over time. Babies are not born speaking but have the innate ability to learn language by being exposed to rich linguistic input from caretakers. Key aspects of first language acquisition include babbling, following milestones in phonological and grammatical development, and learning an increasingly large vocabulary through everyday interactions. The ability to acquire language appears to be biologically determined, as evidenced by characteristics of innate behaviors.

1. 1st Language1st Language
AcquisitionAcquisition
How do humansHow do humans
acquire speech?acquire speech?

2. Language acquisitionLanguage acquisition
We are not born speaking!We are not born speaking!
Language must be acquired.Language must be acquired.
If we think of all that is entailedIf we think of all that is entailed
in knowing a language, it seemsin knowing a language, it seems
quite a challenge.quite a challenge.
What Does a Baby Hear?

3. Language instinct?Language instinct?
 Language is innate – only surface details need
be learned?
 Human brain pre-programmed for language?
 Language a result of general cognitive
abilities of the brain?
 Neither tells us what specific language to
learn or particular structures to memorize.

4. Language UniversalsLanguage Universals
 What evidence is there for innate knowledge of
certain basic language features present in all
human languages?
 LINGUISTIC UNIVERSALS > UNIVERSALLINGUISTIC UNIVERSALS > UNIVERSAL
GRAMMARGRAMMAR
 All languages have:
A grammar
Basic word order (in terms of SOV, etc.)
Nouns and verbs
Subjects and objects
Consonants and vowels
Absolute and implicational tendencies
 E.g., If a language has VO order, then modifiers tend to
follow the head)

5. ““Universal Grammar”Universal Grammar”
 Humans then learn to specialize this
“universal grammar” (UG) for the particulars
of their language.
 Word order, syntactic rule preferencesWord order, syntactic rule preferences
 Phonetic and phonological constraintsPhonetic and phonological constraints
 LexiconLexicon
 Semantic interpretationsSemantic interpretations
 Pragmatic ways to conversePragmatic ways to converse

6. Innateness of language?Innateness of language?
Evidence for innateness of
language?
The biologist Eric LennebergEric Lenneberg
defined a list of characteristics
that are typical of innate (pre-
programmed) behaviors in
animals.

7. Innate behaviors . . .Innate behaviors . . .
1. Maturationally controlled, emerging before they are
critically needed
2. Do not appear as the result of a conscious decision.
3. Do not appear due to a trigger from external events.
4. Are relatively unaffected by direct teaching and
intensive practice.
5. Follow a regular sequence of “milestones” in their
development.
6. Generally observe a critical period for their
acquisition

8. 1. Emerge before necessary,Emerge before necessary,
cannot be forced before scheduledcannot be forced before scheduled
 When is language necessary?
 When do children usually begin
speaking/using language
coherently?
 Is this criterion met?

9. 2. Are not conscious2. Are not conscious
 Does a child decide to
consciously pursue certain skills?
(e.g., walking)
 Do babies make a conscious
decision to start learning a
language?
 Is this criterion met?

10. 3. Are not triggered. Are not triggered
 What would prompt a child to take up
soccer?
 What would prompt a child to begin
speaking?
 Is this criterion met?

11. 4. Cannot be taughtCannot be taught
 We CAN teach prescriptive rules of
language. But we’re not talking about
that here.
 We correct children’s errors
sometimes. Does it help?
– ‘‘Nobody don’t like me’Nobody don’t like me’
 In fact, “coaching” seems to hurt rather
than help language ability in children.
 Is this criterion met?

12. 5. Follow milestonesFollow milestones
 In spite of different
backgrounds, different
locations, and different
upbringings, most
children follow the very
same milestones in
acquiring language.
 Is this criterion met?

13. 6. Observe a critical periodObserve a critical period
What is a critical period?What is a critical period?
 For first language acquisition, there seems to
be a critical period of the first five years,
during which children must be exposed to
rich input. There is also a period, from about
10-16 years, when acquisition is possible, but
not native-like.
 For SLA, the issue is more complicated…
More on that later.
 Is this criterion met?

14. The Critical Period HypothesisThe Critical Period Hypothesis
 CPH: Proposed by LennebergCPH: Proposed by Lenneberg
– This hypothesis states that there is only a
small window of time for a first language to be
natively acquired.
– If a child is denied language input, she will not
acquire language
• Genie: a girl discovered at age 13 who had not
acquired her L1 (-- Isabelle and Victor)
• Normal hearing child born to deaf parents, heard
language only on TV, did not acquire English L1

15. More evidence for theMore evidence for the CriticalCritical
PeriodPeriod HypothesisHypothesis
 Second Language Acquisition:Second Language Acquisition:
– Younger learners native fluency.
– Older learners (>17) never quite make it.
 ASL Acquisition:ASL Acquisition:
– Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs) have an advantage over later-
learners of ASL in signing
 Aphasia:Aphasia:
– Less chance of recovery of linguistic function after age 5.
– Lateralization

16. So how DO we learnSo how DO we learn
our first language?our first language?

17. L1 acquisitionL1 acquisition
 Sound production/babblingSound production/babbling
 Phonological acquisitionPhonological acquisition
 Morphological/SyntacticalMorphological/Syntactical
acquisitionacquisition
 Semantic developmentSemantic development

18. Caretaker SpeechCaretaker Speech
 A register characterized by:
– Simplified lexiconSimplified lexicon
– Phonological reductionPhonological reduction
– Higher pitchHigher pitch
– Stressed intonationStressed intonation
– Simple sentencesSimple sentences
– High number of interrogatives (Mom) &High number of interrogatives (Mom) &
imperatives (Dad)imperatives (Dad)
Caretaker SpeechCaretaker Speech

19. ASL Caretaker SpeechASL Caretaker Speech
Some of the major features:Some of the major features:
signing on the baby's body (when the location should be on
the signer)
using the baby's hands to sign on the adult's or child's body
placing the child on the lap and facing away from the mother
signing on the object
signing using the object
signing bigger than normal
signing repeated more often then normal
sign lasts longer than normal
signing special “baby” signs rather than adult signs
BSL Caretaker Speech

20. Acquisition of phoneticsAcquisition of phonetics
 Few weeks: cooing and gurgling, playing with
sounds. Their abilities are constrained by
physiological limitations.
 4 months: distinguish between [a] and [i], so their
perception skills are good.
 4-6 months: children babble, putting together
vowels and consonants. This is not a conscious
process! Experiment with articulation
 7-10 months: starts repeated babbling.
 10-12 months, children produce a variety of
speech sounds. (even ‘foreign’ sounds)

21. Acquisition of phonologyAcquisition of phonology
 Early stage: Unanalyzed syllables
 15-21 months: words as a sequence of phonemes.
 Mastery of sounds differing in distinctive
features (e.g., voicing)
 Duplicated syllables: mama, dadamama, dada - CV is main
syllable structure. They reduce = bananabanana 
[na.nana.na] 2 syllable words
 Early mastery of intonation contours (even in
non-tone languages)
 Perception comes before production (‘fisfis’ or
‘fishfish’?)
Phonological Processes

22. LexiconLexicon
 Begin with simple lexical items for
people/food/toys/animals/body functions
 Lexical Achievement:Lexical Achievement:
• 1-2 years old 200-300 words (avg)
• 3 years old 900 words
• 4 years old 1500 words
• 5 years old 2100 words
• 6-7 years old 2500 words
• High school grad 40,000 – 60,000 words!
 “5,000 per year, 13 words a day” --
Miller & Gildea

23. But Don’t Animals Know Words, Too?But Don’t Animals Know Words, Too?
 Yes, but…what about…?
– Just (very)Just (very) brilliant vs. just (only)just (only) a little dirty vs. a
just (right)just (right) person
– Blunt (dull)Blunt (dull) instrument vs. blunt (sharp)blunt (sharp) comment
– I was literally (meaning figuratively)literally (meaning figuratively) climbing the
walls.
– Clip (on)Clip (on) a pin vs clip (off)clip (off) hair
– Cleave (together)Cleave (together) vs cleave (apart)cleave (apart)
– Dust (remove)Dust (remove) or dust (sprinkle)dust (sprinkle)
– And what does inflammableinflammable mean?

24. The acquisition ofThe acquisition of morphosyntaxmorphosyntax
 At about 12 months, children begin
producing words consistently.
 One-word stageOne-word stage (holophrastic stage):
– Name people, objects, etc.
– An entire sentence is one word
 Two-word stage:Two-word stage:
– Approximately 18-24 months
– Use consistent set of word orders: N-V, A-N,
V-N…
– With structure determined by semantic
relationships
• agent+action (baby sleep)
• possessor+possession (Mommy book)
 Telegraphic stageTelegraphic stage (only content words)

25. Word InflectionsWord Inflections
 Function word sequences:Function word sequences:
1. -ing
2. Plural –s
3. Possessive –’s
4. 3rd
person singular –
s
5. Past marker –ed
6. Future marker ‘will’
7. Verb ‘to be’ (is, are)
Plurals:
1. All singular
2. Some irregulars
3. Regular ‘s’
overgeneralized
4. [-ez] for all
5. Only irregulars
remain problematic
6. Irregulars
memorized

26. Copulas before ProgressivesCopulas before Progressives
We see another consistent pattern:We see another consistent pattern:
 Copula:Copula: am, is, are,am, is, are, as in I am aam a
doctordoctor developed before progressive:progressive:
am, is, are,am, is, are, as in I am singingI am singing.
 Shortened copula:Shortened copula: as in He’s a bearHe’s a bear
came before the shortenedshortened
progressive:progressive: He’s walkingHe’s walking.

27. Negative FormationsNegative Formations
 Negatives
 1st
stage - attach no/notno/not to beginning of sentence
(sometimes at end)
 2nd
stage – negatives appear between subject and
verb (don’tdon’t stayed at beginning in imperatives,
but not can’tcan’t)
 3rd
stage – appearance of nobody/nothingnobody/nothing &
anybody/anythinganybody/anything & inconsistent use of “to be”
verb isis and auxiliary “dummy” dodo verb.

28. Question FormationsQuestion Formations
 1st
stage – wh- word placed in front of rest
of sentence: WhereWhere daddy go?daddy go?
 2nd
stage – addition of an auxiliary verb:
Where youWhere you willwill go?go?
 3rd
stage – subject noun changes places
with the auxiliary: WhereWhere willwill you go?you go?

29. Acquisition of SemanticsAcquisition of Semantics
 Concrete before abstract:Concrete before abstract:
– ‘‘in/on’ before ‘behind/in front’in/on’ before ‘behind/in front’
 Overextensions:Overextensions:
– Using ‘moon’ for anything roundUsing ‘moon’ for anything round
– Using ‘dog’ for any four-leggedUsing ‘dog’ for any four-legged
animalsanimals
 Underextensions:Underextensions:
– The word ‘bird’ may not includeThe word ‘bird’ may not include
‘pigeon’, etc‘pigeon’, etc

30. Reviewing Linguistic StagesReviewing Linguistic Stages
 6-12 weeks:6-12 weeks: Cooing (googoo, gurgling, coocoo)
 6 months:6 months: Babbling (baba, mama, dada)
 8-9 months:8-9 months: Intonation patterns
 1-1.5 years:1-1.5 years: Holphrastic stage (one word)
 2 years:2 years: Two-word stage
 2.5 years:2.5 years: Telegraphic stage
 3,4 – 11 years:3,4 – 11 years: Fluent speech w/errors
 12 years+:12 years+: Fluent speech

31. What aboutWhat about
Second LanguageSecond Language
Acquisition?Acquisition?
L2L2

32. Second LanguageSecond Language
AcquisitionAcquisition
Differences from L1Differences from L1
acquisitionacquisition
Teaching MethodsTeaching Methods

33. Terms/AssociationsTerms/Associations
 Native LanguageNative Language = L1 =1st Language, mother
tongue, heart language
 Second LanguageSecond Language = L2 = Target Language or
Learner Language
 Second Language Acquisition (SLA)Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
– Research investigates how people attain proficiency in
a language which is not their mother tongue

34. Differences between L1 and L2Differences between L1 and L2
 Interlanguage contrasts/similaritiesInterlanguage contrasts/similarities
– Equal transfer
• Same word order, words, vowels
– 2 to 1, 1 to 2 (splits)
• English his/herhis/her to Spanish susu
– 1 to 0, 0 to 1 (new items)
• English must learn to add new determiners: El hombre esEl hombre es
mortal,mortal, English learners of Spanish must learn to “forget” the
English “do”“do” as a tense carrier
– Old 1 to New 1 (changes)
• English must learn new distribution for French nasalized
vowels.

35. Mastering the L2Mastering the L2
 Is there a critical period for L2?Is there a critical period for L2?
– For authentic accent perhaps (Scovel 1999)
 Cognitive considerations?Cognitive considerations?
– Does formal/abstract thought help or hinder?
– Conscious vs. automatic learning
 Affective considerations?Affective considerations?
– Self-esteem, inhibition, risk-taking, anxiety, empathy,
extroversion
 Interference between L1 and L2?Interference between L1 and L2?
– Adult may be more vulnerable to interference from
L1, but L1 can also be useful to adults
 Second Culture Influence?Second Culture Influence?
– Culture shock, social distance, policy and politics

36. Stages of L2 AquisitionStages of L2 Aquisition
 Stage 1 – Random errors/wild guessesStage 1 – Random errors/wild guesses
– The different city is another one in the another twoThe different city is another one in the another two. Or
John cans singJohn cans sing.
 Stage 2 – EmergentStage 2 – Emergent
– Learner cannot correct errors even when pointed out.
• L: I go New YorkL: I go New York
• NS: You will go to New York? When?NS: You will go to New York? When?
• L: 1972.L: 1972.
• NS: Oh, you went to New York in 1972.NS: Oh, you went to New York in 1972.
• L: Yes, I go 1972.L: Yes, I go 1972.

37. Stages of L2 AcquisitionStages of L2 Acquisition
 Stage 3 – SystematicStage 3 – Systematic
– Learners can correct errors if pointed out:
• L: Many fish are in the lake. These fish are serving in theL: Many fish are in the lake. These fish are serving in the
restaurants near the lake.restaurants near the lake.
• NS: [laughing] The fish are serving?NS: [laughing] The fish are serving?
• L: [laughing] Oh, no, the fish are served in the restaurants!L: [laughing] Oh, no, the fish are served in the restaurants!
 Stage 4 – StabilizationStage 4 – Stabilization
– Learners can self-correct.
– However, often they may not correct errors that aren’t
brought to their attention and may manifest
fossilizationfossilization of their L2.

38. L2 Teaching MethodsL2 Teaching Methods
 Grammar-translationGrammar-translation
– Mother tongue, vocabulary lists, grammar, classical
texts, reading important
 Direct (Berlitz) methodDirect (Berlitz) method
– Active oral interaction, spontaneous use, no
translation between L1 and L2, little grammar, good
for smaller classes
 Audio-lingual methodAudio-lingual method
– Dialogue form, mimicry, set phrases, drills,
memorization, tapes, language labs, pronunciation
important, little use of mother tongue, popular in
military training, short-term effectiveness
 Today’s approach?Today’s approach?
– Multiple approaches, customized, interactive

39. Communicative CompetenceCommunicative Competence
 What is it, and how do we know when weWhat is it, and how do we know when we
have it?have it?
– Pragmatic Competence:Pragmatic Competence:
• Functions of language:
– Discourse, sociolinguistic, cultural, contexts of use
– Organizational Competence:Organizational Competence:
• Grammatical:
– Vocabulary, morphology, syntax, phonology,
graphology
• Textual:
– Cohesion, rhetorical organization
 What does it mean to beWhat does it mean to be fluentfluent??