This document discusses theories of second language acquisition. It explains that SLA is the process of learning a second language consciously or subconsciously in a natural or tutored setting. Learner differences exist based on factors like age, aptitude, cognitive style, motivation, and personality. Theories of SLA include the behaviorist perspective which views it as habit formation, the innatist perspective which posits an innate universal grammar, the cognitive perspective which sees it as information processing, and the sociocultural perspective which emphasizes social interaction and the zone of proximal development. Krashen's model and connectionism are discussed as examples within the innatist and cognitive perspectives.
2. What is SLA?
• Second Language Acquisition or L2
(language 2) acquisition, is the process by
which people acquire a second language.
• It is refers to subconscious or conscious
process by which a language, other than the
mother tongue is learnt in a natural or
tutored setting.
3. LEARNER DIFFERENCES
• Two learners can’t learn a L2 in exactly the
same way.
• 5 factors that make the learners different
from each other:
i. Age
ii. Aptitude
iii. Cognitive style
iv. Motivation
v. Personality
4. EXPLAINING SECOND
LANGUAGE LEANING
Different theories have been proposed:
The behaviorist perspective
The innatist perspective
The cognitive perspective
The sociocultural perspective
5. THE BEHAVIORIST
PERSPECTIVE
• Learning is explained in terms of imitation, practice,
reinforcement and habit formation.
• It had a powerful influence on second language
teaching between the 1940s and the 1970s.
• The Audio-lingual method.
• Students memorized dialogues and sentence patterns
by heart.
6. THE BEHAVIORIST
PERSPECTIVE
• Learning a language is a process of habit
formation: habits of L1 will surely interfere
with the new habits of L2 that the learner
wants to form.
• Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH)
7. THE INNATIST
PERSPECTIVE
• Noam Chomsky proposed this theory in 1959.
• Humans are born with innate knowledge of the
principles of Universal Grammar: UG
• The existence of an innate ability containing
principles that are universal to all languages.
• UG allows all children to acquire the language of their
environment during a critical period of their
development.
8. Universal Grammar
• Researchers are divided on the applicability
of UG to second language acquisition.
• Some think that the UG provides an adequate
explanation only for first language acquisition.
• Others think UG provides the best
explanation for second language acquisition.
9. APPLICATION:
Krashen’s Model
• It is one of the models that adopt the innatist
perspective
• It was quite influential in the 1970s.
• It emphasizes the role of exposure to
comprehensible input in second language acquisition.
• It is based on 5 hypotheses:
1. Acquisition/learning hypothesis
2. Monitor hypothesis
3. The natural order hypothesis
4. The input hypothesis
5. The affective filter hypothesis
10. THE COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
GENERAL THEORIES OF LEARNING
No need for a separate model of the language in the mind.
Language learning is explained within theories of learning.
• Information processing: Paying attention and practicing.
Declarative knowledge becomes Procedural knowledge.
Language becomes automatic.
• The interaction hypothesis: Modified input, opportunity
to interact. Conversational modification.
• Connectionism: The competition model: frequency of
encountering certain language features in the input allow
learners to make connections.
11. THE SOCIOCULTURAL
PERSPECTIVE
Vygotsky’s theory proposes:
• Cognitive development, including language development, arises as
a result of social interaction.
How learning occurs?
It occurs when an individual
- Interacts with an interlocutor.
- Within his ZPD ( a situation where the learner is capable of
performing at a higher level because there is support from the
interlocutor).
- Focus on input and output in the interaction.
- Cognitive development starts from the social context then
become internalized.
