What is Language Acquisition?
Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill. - Stephen Krashen
The Essential Issue About Language Acquisition
Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language - natural communication in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding. - Stephen Krashen
Language Learning vs. Language Acquisition: Key Differences
"Language learning" and "language acquisition" are often used interchangeably but refer to distinct processes.
1. Nature of the Process:
Language Acquisition: Refers to the natural, unconscious process through which individuals, especially children, pick up a language by being exposed to it in everyday life. This process typically occurs without formal instruction and relies heavily on interaction, immersion, and context. Acquisition is often associated with the first language (L1) or second language learned through immersive environments.
Example: A child acquiring their native language (L1) by being exposed to it in their home and social environment without formal grammar lessons.Language Learning: Refers to the conscious, deliberate effort to study and understand a language through formal instruction, rules, and practice. It usually involves learning grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and syntax in a structured environment, such as a classroom. This process is typically associated with second language learning (L2).
Example: An adult learning Spanish by attending a language class, studying grammar, and memorizing vocabulary.
2. Conscious vs. Unconscious Process:
Language Acquisition is unconscious and intuitive. It relies on natural language absorption through meaningful communication and social interaction. Individuals acquire the rules of a language without explicit instruction or awareness of grammatical structures.
Example: A child learns how to form sentences correctly by hearing and mimicking adults without being explicitly taught grammatical rules.Language Learning is conscious and intentional. Learners actively focus on language rules, grammar structures, and correct usage. It involves deliberate study and practice, often using textbooks and language exercises.
Example: A student consciously learns past tense rules in French through lessons and exercises.
3. Age Factor:
Language Acquisition typically occurs during childhood, the critical period for natural language acquisition. Children acquire languages more easily and fully because their brains adapt to linguistic input.
Example: A young child raised in a bilingual environment acquires both languages naturally.Language Learning: Primarily associated with adolescents and adults consciously trying to learn a second language. While adults can still acquire languages, the process is slower and often requires more conscious effort compared to children.
Example: An adult learner enrolling in a French class to study vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
4. Focus on Communication vs. Rules:
Language Acquisition focuses on communication and understanding, with less emphasis on grammatical correctness. The goal is fluency and the ability to convey meaning in natural contexts, regardless of grammatical perfection.
Example: A child learning to speak their native language doesn't worry about grammar rules but learns to communicate meaning effectively.
Language Learning focuses heavily on rules, structure, and correctness. It emphasizes mastering grammar, syntax, and formal aspects of the language, often at the expense of communicative fluency.
Example: An ESL learner practicing grammar exercises in a classroom to ensure correct sentence structure.
Language acquisition and language learning differ in approach, intent, and context. While acquisition is a natural, unconscious process typically occurring in childhood, learning is a formal, structured process that usually occurs in a classroom. Both methods are essential in different contexts, with acquisition being more effective for natural fluency and learning being necessary for mastering the formal rules of a language. Understanding the distinction can help educators and learners adopt appropriate strategies for language development.
Language Acquisition Controversies
In the field of language acquisition we sometimes have questions and there are no common agreements about the answers. They are called controversies.
There are five basic SLA controversies as well as topics for future investigation:
1. Infant language acquisition / first language acquisition. How are infants able to learn language? One line of debate is between two points of view: that of psychological nativism, i.e., the language ability is somehow "hardwired" in the human brain, and that of the "tabula rasa" or Blank slate, i.e., language is acquired due to brain's interaction with environment. Another formulation of this controversy is "Nature versus nurture".
2. Is the human ability to use syntax based on innate mental structures or is syntactic speech the function of intelligence and interaction with other humans? The question is tightly related with the two major problems: language emergence and language acquisition.
3. The language acquisition device: How localized is language in the brain? Is there a particular area in the brain responsible for the development of language abilities, or is language not localized in the brain, or is it only partially localized?
4. What fundamental reasons explain why ultimate attainment in second language acquisition is typically some way short of the native speaker's ability, with learners varying widely in performance?
5. Animals and language: How much language (e.g. syntax) can animals be taught to use?
An overall issue: Can we design ethical psycholinguistic experiments to answer the questions above?
[Retrieved on 5 June 2008 from: Unsolved Problems in Linguistics, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsolved_problems_in_linguistics>. Copyright 3 March 2008. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia].
Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition
Stephen Krashen distinguishes five key hypotheses about second language acquisition:
1. The Acquisition-Learning Distinction
2. The Natural Order Hypothesis
3. The Monitor Hypothesis
4. The Input Hypothesis
5. The Affective Filter Hypothesis
The above five hypotheses of second language acquisition can be summarized in the following way:
acquisition is more important than learning.
Conclusion
Language acquisition refers to the natural process through which individuals develop the ability to understand and use language. It involves the internalization of linguistic structures and patterns, enabling communication.
First language acquisition pertains explicitly to how children learn their native language, beginning from infancy and progressing through various stages of development as they are exposed to the language in their environment. This process is largely unconscious and intuitive, shaped by constant interaction and immersion in linguistic contexts.
On the other hand, second language acquisition involves learning an additional language beyond the first one. While this process can occur in children and adults, it is often studied in the context of adults who consciously learn a new language after their first. Second language acquisition tends to be more structured and deliberate, involving both formal education and informal exposure, with adults generally facing different challenges than children due to cognitive, social, and linguistic factors.
Both forms of acquisition highlight the complex nature of language learning across various life stages.
References
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The above references represent key works in second language acquisition and language learning, covering a broad spectrum of theoretical perspectives and research approaches.
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