PRINCIPLES OF LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING CHAPTER 2

H. DOUGLAS BROWN

FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Subject of interest for researchers Latter XVIII Century. Diarylike recordings

Second half XX Century. Systematic analisis of the acquisition of language. Analogies between L1 and L2 acquisition.

THEORIES OF FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Behavioristic Approaches
Skinner 1950s Stimulus Response Reinforcement Habit Formation Operant Conditioning Children learn by imitating and repeating Mind is a blank board (Tabula rasa)

The behavioristic approach focused on the immediately perceptible aspects of linguistic behavior the publicly observable responses and the relationships or associations between those responses and events in the world surrounding them.

THEORIES OF FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Behavioristic Approaches
The behaviorism didnt response to the abstract and complex nature of language. They couldnt explain the creativity of children while they are learning language.

The behavioristic approach focused on the immediately perceptible aspects of linguistic behavior the publicly observable responses and the relationships or associations between those responses and events in the world surrounding them.

THEORIES OF FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

The Nativist Approach
Chomsky 1960s Language acquisition is innately determined. A Black Box a Language Acquisition Device LAD Systematical way Universal Grammar Parmetros de variacin

The child is constantly forming hypotheses on the basis of the input received and then testing those hypotheses in speech (and comprehension). As the child's language develops, those hypotheses are continually revised, reshaped, or sometimes abandoned.

THEORIES OF FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

The Nativist Approach
Generative model Pivot grammars Parallel Distributed Processing PDP connectionism.

The child is constantly forming hypotheses on the basis of the input received and then testing those hypotheses in speech (and comprehension). As the child's language develops, those hypotheses are continually revised, reshaped, or sometimes abandoned.

THEORIES OF FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

The Nativist Approach
Freedom from the restrictions of the so-called "scientific method to explore the unseen, unobservable, underlying, abstract linguistic structures being developed in the child. Systematic description of the child's linguistic repertoire as either rule-governed or operating out of parallel distributed processing capacities. The construction of a number of potential properties of Universal Grammar.

THEORIES OF FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Functional Approaches
Cognition and language Development Social Interaction and Language Development Social Interaction and Language Development

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Competence and Performance
Competence Performance

The behavioristic approach focused on the immediately perceptible aspects of linguistic behavior the publicly observable responses and the relationships or associations between those responses and events in the world surrounding them.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Comprehension and Production
Comprehension Production

The behavioristic approach focused on the immediately perceptible aspects of linguistic behavior the publicly observable responses and the relationships or associations between those responses and events in the world surrounding them.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Nature or Nurture?

The behavioristic approach focused on the immediately perceptible aspects of linguistic behavior the publicly observable responses and the relationships or associations between those responses and events in the world surrounding them.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Universals

The behavioristic approach focused on the immediately perceptible aspects of linguistic behavior the publicly observable responses and the relationships or associations between those responses and events in the world surrounding them.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Systematicity and Variability

The behavioristic approach focused on the immediately perceptible aspects of linguistic behavior the publicly observable responses and the relationships or associations between those responses and events in the world surrounding them.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Language and Thought

The behavioristic approach focused on the immediately perceptible aspects of linguistic behavior the publicly observable responses and the relationships or associations between those responses and events in the world surrounding them.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Imitation
First level, echoing not knowing the meaning Later, children engaged in deep structure imitation. The meaning is more important

Children are excellent imitators. It is simply a matter of understanding exactly what it is that they are imitating.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Practice
Repetition and association Play with language Meaningful ocurrence

It would appear that frequency of meaningful occurrence may well be a more precise refinemente of the notion of frequency.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Input
The speech that children hear first is the speech they hear at home (adults) This input is more important regarding the deep structure and the communicative function of language

The importance of the issue lies in the fact that it is clear from more recent research that adult and peer input to the child is far more important than nativists earlier believed.

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Discourse
Conversation Interaction Initiations and responses Literal meaning Intended or functional meaning

children do not learn language from overhearing the conversations of others or from listening to the radio, and must, Instead, acquire it in the context of being spoken to.