First Language Acquisition Chapter 2

The big debate in first language acquisition Nature Nurture

Theories Behind First Language Acquisition Tabula Rasa The mind is a clean slate A baby who is born has no idea about language or concepts of interaction Children have an instinct about language Children come into the world with specific knowledge and predispositions Children learn to function through interaction and conversation What has been your understanding of child language development? Which theory do you think is more correct? Are they both correct?

Behavioral Approach Behavioral stimuli Operant conditioning Stimulus followed by response “Dada” from a child followed by father’s reaction Encourages responses and interactions Operant conditioning Utterance without stimuli Reinforcement of utterance with action Mediation Theory Stimuli often create reactions that cannot be seen; inside the learner

Nativist Approach Nativist – language is learned through innate knowledge; learned in an orderly fashion Chomsky (1965) – theorized about language acquisition device (LAD) Distinguishes speech from other sounds Organize linguistic data Knowledge that only some systems are possible Engages in constant evaluation Universal Grammar – universal linguistic rules Grammar is systematic in all languages, so is language acquisition Pivot Grammar – “Mommy sock,” “bye-bye Daddy” Parallel Distributed Processing – challenges Chomsky; brain processing happens simultaneously Connectionism – related to PDP, brain forms multiple connections Emergentism – theory that language evolves from simple processes while observing complex ideas

Functional Approach Functional approach builds off of nativist thinking Functions are the meaningful, interactive purposes in forms we use Cognition and Language Development “Mommy sock” could have many meanings Development happens naturally in regard to grammar Social Interaction and Language Development Discourse – the relationship that is between sentences

REVIEW Which approach do you think is most true for children learning their first language? Why?

Competence versus Performance Competence – non-observable ability; knowledge of a system Can a student understand everything you say and understand how to speak back? Heterogeneous competence – abilities that are in the process of being formed Performance – Observable and concrete realization of knowledge Can a student respond to something you told him and in turn understand the discourse?

Comprehension and Production Reading Listening Production Writing Speaking Different concepts than competence and performance!

Other aspects of first language acquisition Universals – deep structure of human languages may be common Principles – invariable characteristics of human language Parameters – vary across human languages Systematicity – how language is learned the same in all children Pivot grammar -> three or four-word utterances -> full sentences Variability – the differences in individual language learning Imitation – repetition Rote – learning through copying; behaviorist Does imitation always help in FLA?

Zone of Proximal Development The idea that a teacher can help the student to achieve something that is possible For first language acquisition, it means that the child has the ability to progress only to a certain point

Input’s role in first language acquisition What kind of input is needed for children to learn language? What is the role of input in first language acquisition? Example: How does a child know to start saying “엄마” and “아빠”? How does the child know that those are the names of their parents from all of the other sounds that they hear every day? Theory of Comprehensible Input States that children (and adults) of first and second language acquisition better acquire language that they can comprehend or understand

How L1 learning inspired L2 learning Series Method Teaches learners directly No translations or grammar rules Uses a “series” of connected sentences Direct Method Active oral interaction Spontaneous use of language No translations Little or no grammatical rules

Review and Group Work Do you think that methods such as the Direct Method can work in the classroom? Why or why not? Do classrooms in Korea use the Direct Method? In your groups, create an activity that uses the Direct Method to teach English to students in Korea. Choose an age group and difficulty Keep in mind ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) Make sure it is age appropriate/developmentally appropriate