LIN 5700 Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition

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LIN 5700Applied Linguistics and Second Language
Acquisition

• Session Notes
• Dr. Elia Vázquez-Montilla

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The Big Question

• How are we to account for the fact that
  virtually every child,
• without special training,
• exposed to surface level language data in
  interaction,
• builds for himself ----
• in a short period of time, and
• at a pre-logical stage in his development ---
• a deep level, abstract and highly complex system
  of linguistic structure?
• J. W. Lindfors, Childrens Language and Learning,
  1980.

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Basic Ideas about Language

• First one is acquired swiftly, efficiently, and
  without instruction.
• It has rules.
• It has a sound system, a vocabulary, and a
  grammar system.

• Languages have private codes.
• Change is essential.
• Languages are shaped by the needs of the
  speakers.
• Writing is a derivative of speech.

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Developmental Sequence

• Crying
• Communicative Dance
• Cooing
• Babbling
• Echolalic babbling
• 1 word stage (holophrastic)

• pivot words (2 word stage)
• telegraphic stage
• overgeneralizations

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Acquistion vs. Learning

• Acquisition
• Similar to first language acqusition
• Picking up a language
• May not be in conscious awareness
• Implicit knowledge
• Errors accepted
• Formal teaching does not necessarily help

• Learning
• Formal knowledge of a language
• Knowing about a language
• Deliberate and conscious efforts
• Explicit knowledge
• Errors corrected
• Formal teaching helps

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Theories about language acquisition

• Behavioristic
• Children are born with a genetic inheritance for
  learning.
• Learning occurs entirely through the action of
  the environment shaping the individuals
  behavior.
• Behavior is shaped through reinforcement.

• Nativistic
• Structures and functions in the biological makeup
  cause language to be learned.
• Regardless of environment, child can learn
  language if biologically equipped.
• Environment affects the rate of learning.

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More theories...

• Cognitivist
• cognitive development (and thus language) is a
  product of interaction between child and
  environment.
• There is a fixed sequence of development
  determined biologically.
• Children are born with innate capacity to develop
  logical thought. From this thinking, they
  develop language.

• Social Interactionist
• Language and cognition develop together with
  verbalized thought produced around 2 years of
  age.
• Social interaction at base of language
  development.
• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is range of
  possibility for higher learning or language
  development.