1. Psycholinguistics by Mariana De Luca mariana.deluca@cms.k12.nc.us

2. First Language Acquisition
Theories
Behaviorism
Imitation Reinforcement Analogy
Skinner
The Innateness Hypothesis
Universal Grammar
Grammar Construction
Chomsky

3. Stages in Language Aquisition
Pre-linguistic stage (birth to six months): The baby cries, coos, laughs, and makes other sounds.
Babbling (six to 12 months): The baby makes nonspecific sounds from all human languages.
One-word (holophrastic) stage (1 year): The child speaks single words in isolation, in his or her first language.
Two-word stage (24 months): The child forms two-word phrases or strings that reflect the language being acquired. The vocabulary increases; the child begins to learn words at the rate of one word every two waking hours.
Telegraphic speech (30 months): Children begin to utter short phrases like telegraph messages, without formal grammatical structure.
Fluent speech (three years +): The child learns grammar and syntax (patterns of sentence formation) with surprising rapidity and accuracy; sentences increase in length and complexity.

4. Theories of Second Language Learning
Behaviorist
Cognitive
Constructivist
-Tabula rasa
-Stimuli
-Conditioning
- Reinforcement
-Innate predispositions
-Systematic, rule governed acquisition
-Creative construction
-Whole person
-Social interaction
-Cognition and context
-Discovery Learning
-Learn how to learn
Empowerment
Skinner makes a distinction between respondent conditioning and operant conditioning. The former is concerned with respondent behavior, behavior that is elicited by a preceding stimulus. The latter attempted to account for most of human learning and behavior. Operant behavior is behavior in which one operates on the environment (stimuli, not important). He focused not on what led somebody to do something but on the events that happened afterwards. The reinforcers that follow a response and that tend to strengthen the behavior or increase the probability of a recurrence of that response constitute a powerful force in the control of human behavior. Skinner described language as a system of verbal operants. This view dominated language teaching for decades (50, 60, 70) (audiolingual method) leading to a heavy reliance on the controlled practice of verbal operants under carefully designed schedules of reinforcers.
Ausubel contended that learning takes place in the human organism through a meaningful process of relating new events or items to already existing cognitive concepts or propositions. Rote learning=mental storage of items (phone numbers, zipcodes) Meaningful learning = new material enters the cognitive field, interacts with exisisting concepts and as it relates , it constructs meaning. Cognitive theory provides the theory to reject practice and repetition in Language teaching
The constructivist view considers the whole person, especially the emotional being. It focuses away from teaching and towards learning. Learning how to learn is more important. The teacher facilitates. Rogers is not concerned about the cognitive aspect of learning because he considers that if the context for learning is appropriately created, then human beings will learn anything they need to. Teachers as facilitators must provide the nurturing context for learners to construct their meanings in interaction with others.

5. Instructional Implications
Behaviorist
Language from dialogues, and drills from teachers
Structured by grammatical complexity
Similar proficiency levels
Structured repetitions and drills
Students repeat immediately
Errors corrected immediately
Cognitive
Natural language from the teacher, classmates or books
Unstructured but made comprehensible by teacher
Language production is expected to occur naturally
Silent period
Errors not corrected
Constructivist
Unstructured but focused on communication
ELL and native speakers
Speaking occurs naturally
No pressure to speak
Meaning negotiated

6. An Innatist Model: Krashen’s Input Hypothesis
Acquisition – Learning Hypothesis
Monitor Hypothesis
Natural Order Hypothesis
Input Hypothesis
Affective Filter Hypothesis

7. The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
Natural Development
Meaningful Interactions
Formal study of forms and functions
Conscious process
The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis

8. Monitor Hypothesis Sufficient Time Focus on Grammar
Conditions
Sufficient Time
Focus on Grammar
Explicit knowledge of rules
Monitors
Correct Language Use
Monitor Hypothesis

9. Natural Order Hypothesis
Predictable Sequence
Present Progressive (-ing)
In-on
Plural (-s)
Past Irregular
Possessive (‘s)
Is, am, are
Article (a, the)
Past regular (-ed)
Third person regular (-s)
Third person irregular
(Brown, 2007)
Natural Order Hypothesis

10. Extralinguistic features
Comprehensible Input
I+1
Background knowledge
Simplified language
Context
Extralinguistic features
Pre-teaching
Vocabulary
Hands-on activities
Input Hypothesis

11. Affective Filter Hypothesis
Low-anxiety Learning Environment
Motivation
Self-confidence
Self-esteem
Affective Filter Hypothesis

12. Information Gap Find your partner
Take turns to ask questions and complete your graphic organizer
5 minutes
Information Gap

13. Bilingualism vs. Second Language Acquisition
SLA
Simultaneous acquisition of two languages
Acquisition of L1 Acquisition of L2
Unitary system hypothesis
Separate systems hypothesis
Fundamental difference hypothesis
Same stages of LA as monolingual children
L2ers construct interlanguage grammars
Unconscious process
Conscious process
Codeswitching
L1 Interference

14. Using your book “Principles of Language Learning and Teaching”, complete the Key Terms Graphic Organizer (7 minutes)
Transfer, Interference, overgeneralization (pp.102,103)
Zone of Proximal Development (p.13)
Fossilization (p.270)
Codeswitching (p.139)
Interlanguage (p.256)
Key terms

15. Factors Affecting Language Learning
At your table, use the classification of learner variables to discuss how different factors can affect language learning and what the teacher can do to address them. (5 minutes)
Factors Affecting Language Learning