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Language Acquisition - Coggle Diagram
Language Acquisition
Second Language Acquisition Theories
Monitor model
(
Stephen Krashen, early 1980s
)
Stephen Krashen is known for his background in linguistics, education, research, and political activism.
Krashen proposed a cognitive model of secondary language acquisition known as the monitor model, which consisted of five core sub-hypotheses. In their summation, Krashen's individual hypotheses present a model in which
comprehensible input
and the
affective filter
are the key variables guiding secondary language acquisition (Wright, 2019, 53-54).
Comprehensible input
- language received by a second language learner that is slightly above their current proficiency level but is still understood by the learner and thus leads to second language acquisition. Modeled by the mathematical formula
i
+ 1, where
i
is the current proficiency level of the language learner.
Adequate insight into
semantics
is required for language learners to fully comprehend the meaning of language they are receiving.
Affective filter
- a mental filter that interferes with the reception of comprehensible input and thus prevents second language acquisition. Filter is created by factors such as fear, anxiety, shyness, lack of motivation, and other emotional factors.
Interaction hypothesis
(Michael Long, 1996)
Building upon research arguing the importance of interaction in second language acquisition as well as the idea of comprehensible input, linguist Michael Long proposed that interaction is a prerequisite for comprehensible input. According to Long, interaction presents necessary opportunities for language learners to interact with other speakers of the second language and engage in a mutual exchange of language that results in comprehension (Wright, 2019, p. 55).
Comprehensible output hypothesis
(Merrill Swain, late 1980s)
Swain argued that
comprehensible output
plays an equally important role in the interactions that shape second language acquisition (Wright, 2019, p. 55-56).
Comprehensible output
- language produced by a language learner that is able to be understood by the other member(s) involved in the communication. Swain and other linguists proposed that the need to make sure their language is understood by others is what drives language learners to find better ways to convey their meaning and thus learn new language.
Syntax
and
pragmatics
are both key language elements involved in producing comprehensible output.
First Language Acquisition Theories
Innatist perspective
(Noam Chomsky, 1959)
Noam Chomsky was an American linguist with a background in philosophy, cognitive science, history, and politics.
Prior to Chomsky, prevalent first language acquisition hypotheses were based on behavior theories and attributed imitation and positive reinforcement as the requisite steps for children to develop proper speech habits.
Chomsky noted that the spectrum of language used by children extends beyond what could be spoken through imitation alone. He thus hypothesized that children must have a natural ability to learn language.
This resulted in Chomsky's innatist perspective on first language acquisition. This theory is based on the existence of what Chomsky called a
language acquisition device (LAD)
that allows children to independently learn the rules of a language through exposure to samples of that language (Wright, 2019, p. 51).
Language acquisition device (LAD)
- a hypothetical cognitive mechanism possessing a great deal of innate knowledge that is then applied to observational learning (American Psychological Association, n.d.). No longer seen as a valid idea linguistics or psychology.