1. First Language Acquisition
Chapter 2

2. The big debate in first language acquisition
Nature
Nurture

3. 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?

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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?

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

10. 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?

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

15. 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