Language Acquisition

1. Language Acquisition First Lecture

2. How do we use language? Language allows us to coordinate what we do with others, relay information, find out answers, and carry out everyday activities. Language is an integral part of everyday life that we rely on to convey wants and needs, thoughts, concerns, and plans.

3. Babies are not born talking, so when do they learn language and how?

4. First Language Acquisition Language acquisition is the process whereby children acquire their first languages. It is a passive process. All humans (without exceptional physical or mental disabilities) have an innate capability to acquire language

5. The meaning of innate capability to acquire language Children do not need explicit instruction to learn their first languages but rather seem to just "pick up" language in the same way they learn to roll over, crawl, and walk. Language acquisition in children just seems to happen.

6. Do you think acquisition is the same as learning? Acquisition (as opposed to learning) depends on children receiving linguistic input during the critical period. (which time)

7. Critical period The critical period is defined as the window of time, up to about the age of twelve or puberty, in which humans can acquire first languages

8. What kind of input the children must receive? Children must receive adequate/enough linguistic input including phonology (speech sounds), semantics (vocabulary and meaning), grammar (syntax or word order and morphology or grammatical markers), and pragmatics (use and context) and prosody (intonation, rhythm, stress) before the end of the critical period in order to acquire their first languages

9. What will happen if linguistic input is not adequate? In this case children will never fully acquire language Example: (Genie, an abused and neglected girl who was discovered by authorities in 1970).

10. Genie displaying her characteristic "bunny walk" shortly after she was rescued at the age of 13. Born 1957

11. Genie was totally isolated in the early years of her life and consequently did not start learning language (English) until the age of thirteen. While she developed considerable communicative ability, she failed to acquire many grammatical rules.

12. Nativist Noam Chomsky suggested that the acquisition of language could not be fully explained by learning alone. Instead, he proposed that children are born with a language acquisition device (LAD), an innate ability to understand the principles of language. Once exposed to language, the LAD allows children to learn the language at a remarkable pace.

13. Findings Language acquisition cannot normally occur after the critical period because the brain becomes "hardwired" to the first language.

14. second Language Learning Second language learning, on the other hand, is an active process. We need to learn vocabulary and grammar in order to achieve our goal. Most people will need an instructor, either a teacher at school or the instructions of a course book or audio course

15. If we ever want to achieve fluency or near fluency in a second language, it requires years of studying and likely a long stay in another country. Many people will never reach anywhere near fluency with any second language

16. Difference between first language acquisition and second language acquisition The term first language acquisitionrefers to children's natural acquisition of the language or languages they hear from birth. It is distinguished from second language acquisition, which begins later, and from foreign language learning, which typically involves formal instruction.

17. First language acquisition First language acquisition is a rapid process. In the span of just a few years, newborn infants who neither speak nor understand any language become young children who comment, question, and express their ideas in the language of their community

18. Second language acquisition Second language acquisition, is learning a second language after a first language is already established. Many times this happens when a child who speaks a language other than English goes to school for the first time. Children have an easier time learning a second language, but anyone can do it at any age. It takes a lot of practice! 

19. knowing a first language affects the process ofsecond language acquisition in two different ways . Some researchers believe that second language acquisition is often hindered by the knowledge of one's first language. Every language has its own set of rules for grammar, syntax and pronunciation. These rules hinder understanding those of any given second language. However, researchers also says that one's cognitive development in his/her native language helps the person transfer the already learned concepts to the second language.

20. Ways to acquire a second language • language spoken at home • amount of opportunity to practice the second language • internal motivation of the learner • reason that the second language is needed (e.g., to learn at school, to talk to a friend, or for work)

21. The difference between Foreign language learning and second language acquisition Foreign language is usually to be learned in schools, while a second language is to be acquired in schools and in many other social in institutions.