On learning a Language-21 Today Review theories on language learning: Behaviorist psychology (Skinner) Universal Grammar (Chomsky) Monitor Theory (Krashen) 2 more theories: connectionism, cognitive theory Research on the Critical period Hypothesis

On learning a Language-22 Theories on language learning

On learning a Language-23 Cognitive theory Learning results from internal mental activity. Language learning is a type of general human learning and involves the acquisition of a complex cognitive skill. The subskills involved must be practiced, automatized and integrated into organized internal representations (rule systems), in cognitive structure. Internal representations are constantly restructured Controlled processing> practice> automatic processing- careful style vs. vernacular style Declarative vs. procedural knowledge (knowing that vs. knowing how) Anderson’s (1980) stages of learning: (1) cognitive stage (declarative knowledge); (2) associative stage (declarative knowledge becomes proceduralized); (3) autonomous stage Rote vs. meaningful learning (Ausubel 1968, 1978)

On learning a Language-24 Innateness Innateness: language is acquired using a set of principles, which is available to the child at birth Modularity: language ability is separate from other cognitive abilities, and the principles used to learn language cannot be used for any other skill Domain Specificity: there are specific parts of the brain devoted to language learning and processing

On learning a Language-25 Questions Is there learning? What does it mean to be innate? How do we learn? What is the nature of the learning mechanism? Is language specific to humans? Is language like other kinds of learning?

On learning a Language-26 The Critical Period Hypothesis Lennenberg: there is a critical period (CP) for the acquisition of language (usually thought to be between the ages of 2 and 12 years) Neurobiological basis Some evidence (for and against CP): Wild boy of Aveyron Genie Non-native signer parents Exceptional language learners

On learning a Language-27 Children vs. Adults Why are children more likely to attain native-like proficiency in a second language than adults? Differences in motivation/sociological factors Loss of plasticity and reorganizational capabilities Pronunciation is thought to be more subject to age constraints than other aspects of language Scovel (1988) Long (1990) However, in early stages of SLA adults outperform children Adults outperform children with TPR instruction and listening comprehension (Asher and Price 1967) Adults and older children are faster in acquiring L2 morphology and syntax Ability for NE children to imitate French and Armenian intonational patterns declines with age from 5-15 yrs (Tahta, Wood and Loewenthal 1981