The Innateness Theory and Theories of Language Acquisition

1. The Innateness Theory and Theories of Language Acquisition Sara Albornoz Gallegos

2. The Innateness Theory • The active Construction of a Grammar Theory “Language ability is innate in humans” Eric Lenneberg (by studying animal behavior)

3. The Innateness Theory • The behavior emerges before it is necessary • Its appearance is not the result of a conscious decision • It emergence is not triggered by external events • Direct teaching and intensive practice have • relatively little effect • Regular sequence of “milestones” as the behavior develops, usually correlated with age and other aspects • Critical period for the acquisition of the behavior

4. The Innateness Theory Critical – age period Hypothesis supports: Genie’s Case

5. Theories of Language Acquisition • The Imitation Theory • The Reinforcement Theory • The Active Construction of a Grammar Theory

6. Theories of Language Acquisition The Imitation Theory • “Children learn language by listening to the sounds around them and reproducing what they hear” • Child’s genetic make up has nothing to do with which language the child will acquire

7. Theories of Language Acquisition Limitations of the Imitation Theory • It does not recognize the fact that mistakes children make are because they deal about the system underlying their speech Go – Goed / Went Hit – Hited / Hit • Children’s attemps to repeat adult’s utterances are often inaccurate Adult: He doesn’t want a drink Child: He no want a drink • The theory cannot account for how children and adults are able to produce and understand new sentences

8. Theories of Language Acquisition The Reinforcement Theory • Children learn to speak because they are praised or reinforced when they use the right forms and are corrected when they use wrong forms Limitations of the Reinforcement Theory • Corrections generally have more to do with the accuracy or truth of a statement and not its grammatical form

9. Theories of Language Acquisition • Although adults correct a child’s grammar, their attempts usually fail Child: Nobody don’t like me Mother: No, say “nobody likes me” Child: Nobody don’t like me (repeated 8 times) Mother (now exasperated): Now listen carefully! Say “Nobody likes me” Child: oh! Nobody don’t likes me

10. Theories of Language Acquisition The Active construction of a Grammar Theory • Children actually invent their rules of grammar themselves. • Inventions based on the speech they hear How to form the past tense of verbs : adding /ed/ Needed – Walked Eated – Holded • This theory predicts that children will fail to imitate adult forms accurately, even when they are reinforced by adults