Applied linguistics first language acquisition

1. EDUC. 564 Applied Linguistics
Dr. Philip Murray Finley

3.  Similar among children all over the world
(predicable patterns in the L1 development)
1.Pretalking Stage (0-6 months) :
crying, cooing, grunts, laughter
 Example: http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kuOt4kZUn0
2.Babbling (6-8
 yells, squeals, repeated consonant + vowel sequences
(bababa, nanana)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJzVZvMPkAI

4. 3. Holophrastic (9-18 months) :
 one word communication
 Example: “up!” (pick me up) http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2EertzeHjM
4. Two word (18-24 months)
 “mini-sentences" with simple semantic relations
 Example: “Mommy work” (Mommy is at work)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJzVZvMPkAI

5. 5. Telegraphic Stage (24- 30 months)
early multiword stage
 Example: http
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrRKLHq25UA
6. Later Multiword Stage
age 5 - utterances 4.6 words per sentence
age 6 - about 13,000 words.
age 8 -about 28,300 words

6. Audio lingual
Method
Information
Processing
Stephen Krashen’s
Hypothesis

8. Language learning is the result of 1)
imitation (word-for-word repetition), 2)
practice (repetitive manipulation of
form), 3) feedback on success
(positive reinforcement), and 4) habit
formation.

9.  Goal- acquisition of structures and patterns in
dialogue
 Characteristics:
◦ Drills are used to teach structural patterns
◦ Set phrases are memorized with a focus on intonation
◦ Grammatical explanations are kept to a minimum
◦ Vocabulary is taught in context
◦ Audio-visual aids are used
◦ Focus is on pronunciation
◦ Correct responses are positively reinforced immediately

11.  Chomsky  language acquisition is an innate
structure of the human brain
◦ Environment contributes
◦ Language Acquisition Device –LAD (neurological
wiring)
 allows a child to listen to a language  decipher the
rules  create with the language
 Universal grammar- principles which are universal to
all human languages
Brain-the basic structures to learn any language
contains

12.  Piaget  Language is dependent
upon cognitive development.
◦ “children’s cognitive development determines their
language development”
 Vygotsky  Language develops primarily
from social interaction
o Zone of proximal development (ZPD): a supportive
interactive environment permits children to reach a
higher level of knowledge than s/he would be able to
do independently

15.  Information processing theories focus on how
people:

◦ attend to environmental events
◦ encode information to be learned and relate
it to knowledge in memory
◦ store new knowledge in memory
◦ retrieve it as needed

16. retrievalencoding
attention
sensory
input
responses

17. HypothesisHypothesis

18.  Language Learning in Early Childhood
◦ www2.nkfust.edu.tw/.../SLA/ppt/1_Learning_a_First_Language
_new.ppt
 Module 5 Lesson 5.3 First Language Acquisition
◦ http://
emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/hurley/Ling102web/mod5_Llearnin
 Escamilla, Kathy & Grassi, Elizabeth. A Brief
Description of Second Language Acquisition
(2000).
◦ http://
www.wce.wwu.edu/Resources/CIRCLE/Articles/SLA
%20Escamilla%2BGrassi.pdf