Language Acquisition

1. Language Acquisition By: Marissa Persinger Whitney Lewis

2. Definition • Ahypothesized innate mental faculty present in infants that enables them to construct and internalize the grammar of their native language on the basis of the limited and fragmentary language input to which they are exposed • A child’s language is constantly developing and changing. Children are actively engaging in communication as they are learning to communicate. • His experience and interaction with others give him the background to relate language to the sound/meaning relationship and to the purpose it represents.

3. Role Language Acquisition Plays on Education • According to Kathleen Leos of the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), “The role of every teacher in every classroom in the nation has never been more important than today." Education will benefit as it recognizes how technology supports many effective strategies, such as using nonlinguistic representation, helping students recognize patterns, giving them opportunities to practice communicating complex ideas. (http://www.netc.org/focus/challenges/ell.php)

4. Role Language Acquisition Plays on Education Cont. • The theory and methods of the natural approach to language acquisition in the classroom are described. The natural approach is based on the theory that language acquisition occurs only when students receive comprehensible input. The emphasis is on reading and listening comprehension for beginning students. The seven chapters cover (1) language teaching approaches, (2) second language acquisition theory, (3) classroom implications of the theory, (4) how to begin using the natural approach, (5) oral communication development through acquisition activities, (6) additional sources of input for acquisition, and (7) testing and classroom management. Curriculum organization, classroom activities, management of classroom activities, the role of reading in the natural approach, homework, vocabulary, and error correction are also discussed. (http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED230069&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED230069)

5. Activities Birth to 2 years old • Imitate your babies laughter • Talk to your baby • Use gestures to convey messages (such as wavy when you say goodbye) • Expand on single words • Read to your child 2-4 years old • Repeat what your child says indicating that you understand. Build and expand on what was said. "Want juice? I have juice. I have apple juice. Do you want apple juice?", • Ask questions that require a choice. "Do you want an apple or an orange?" "Do you want to wear your red or blue shirt?" • Expand vocabulary

6. Activities 4-6 Years old • When your child starts a conversation, give your full attention whenever possible. • Make sure that you have your child's attention before you speak. • Acknowledge, encourage, and praise all attempts to speak. Show that you understand the word or phrase by fulfilling the request, if appropriate. • Pause after speaking. This gives your child a chance to continue the conversation. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/parent-stim-activities.htm

7. Experiences • In the beginning, children’s language growth comes from their direct experience. It is personal and related to the present. As their language understanding grows, children can relate to ever more expanding situations. This early language experience is necessary to be able to use language symbols apart from actual situations. (http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/pubs/katzsym/clark-b.html) • It is a remarkable fact that without any training or carefully sequenced linguistic input, every normal child acquires a natural language. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,49&as_vis=1&q=Experiences+in+Language+Acquisition