Theories of FLA

Relate the following claims to a person and/or a theory that we have discussed: Behaviourism Innatism Functionalism Connectionism

1.Mothers should involve their children in repeated, meaningful conversations to teach them linguistic behaviour. 2.We are not preprogrammed genetically for any linguistic behaviour. 3.Human linguistic ability consists of the universal grammar and the language acquisition device.

3. Caretakers should match their speech to the child’s actual competence level. 4. Children best learn if they are continuously praised or corrected. 5. The genetic programme for human learning consists of the free neurons that form connections in the brain. 6. Nature and nurture are equally important in FLA.

True or false? 1.By learning the rules of the language, we can apply these rules to form correct sentences. 2. Language is produced in the left hemisphere. 3.In the 1970s, when Chomsky made his claim about the LAD, it was not yet known where language exactly resides in the human brain. 4. Children can’t imitate what they can’t fit into their system.

5. Children say a lot of things they could not have heard because they do not understand the info correctly or cannot retain it in their memory. 6. Language errors should be corrected immediately so that they should not become fixed. 7. What best facilitates child FLA is using exactly the same level of language that the child curretly has. 8. You can learn language from TV. 9. According to Skinner, the most effective reinforcement is random reinforcement.

Pair up the concepts with the definitions and relate them to one of the fields. 1 Amygdale 2 Cortex 3 Facilitator 4 Hemisphere 5 Motherese 6 Non-threatening environment 7 Stimulus 8 Synapsis 9 Wiring 10 Zone of proximal development A Stress-free, encouraging context B Helper, assistant C Brain surface D One half of the brain E Connection between neurons F Formation of neural connections to store info in the brain G Small almond-shaped part in the brain attaching emotional values to visual and audial impulses H Conversation in which language is matched to the child’s actual language competence I Special language characterised by simplified language, high, rising intonation, repetition and a focus on function that caretakers use to scaffold children’s FLA J Urge to act