FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THEORIES Mtra. Cecilia Luhrs Olmos 1.

First language acquisition theories Unless they suffer mental of physical problems, all children acquire language in an amazingly accelerated time frame. Babies start babbling in the first months and try to imitate words around their first year. By age three children had received a massive amount of language input and they talk incessantly. Later, at school age, children become socio-culturally correct, by learning what to say and what not to say. Some children learn to speak two or more languages fluently in an apparently unconscious, effortless manner. (Harmer, 2007). Second language teachers have been wondering if acquiring a new language in the classroom could be compared to childrens acquisition, trying to replicate the learning conditions. Adults talk to children in a simplified way, using shorter sentences, showing empathy, making them part of the conversation using special vocabulary easier to understand than more complex lexical items. There are several theories about how first language acquisition happens. The behavioristic approach claims that children come into the world without preconceived notions about language or the world in general, with a tabula rasa, and then the environment gradually conditions them as they go through various stages of reinforcement. The opposite constructivist view is the Nativist Approach, which states that children are born with a very specific innate knowledge,

predispositions, and biological timetables that allows them to acquire language mainly through social interaction and discourse. Between these opposite views there are other approaches to language acquisition that are based not only on the forms of language but also on the functional levels of meaning. (Brown, 2000). Behaviorists examined first language acquisition as the fundamental part of human behavior to formulate their theory. In this approach the immediately observable aspects of language were studied in order to find a connection between the individuals publicly observable responses to the world surrounding him. Language behavior was considered effective if it responded correctly to stimuli. When a certain response is reinforced it becomes a conditioned response or habit. From that logic, children use language because they receive a positive reinforce from their caretakers when they use correct language structures. This theory explains first language acquisition based on empirical observation and the scientific method but does not explain some complex factors like genetic and interactionists aspects of language acquisition. (Brown, 2000). The Nativist approach explains language acquisition as an innate biological predisposition of human beings that allows us to internalize a language system. Nativists believe language has innate properties that enable childrens language acquisition in an amazingly short period of time. Universal Grammar is a more recent Nativist line of investigation and states that all humans have imprinted in our genes the ability to acquire language and that all children will go through the acquisition process regardless of their linguistic context, the language or languages they hear around them. One of the most important ideas of the field of SLA is the

Nativist approach theory that describes the childs language as a system in which, based on the input they receive, children are constantly forming hypotheses and testing them in speech. As language continues to develop, children continue testing and reshaping these hypotheses. (Brown, 2000). In recent times SLA researchers have studied language acquisition as a manifestation of the affective and cognitive ability to interact with the world we live in, the people we interact with and ourselves. The Nativist approach dealt with the forms of language (morphemes, words, sentences and grammar), not with the deeper meaningful functions of the language that emerge from social interaction that is accomplished with the forms. SLA researchers found a relation between cognition and language development. They discovered that what children learn about language is determined by their knowledge of the world they live in, they have interpretative abilities. Language learning depends on the childs cognitive development. When it comes to language, learning semantic complexity is more important than structural complexity. What children learn depends on their ability to understand messages. (Brown, 2000). Until now, there is not a unified theory about first language acquisition but a lot of research has been done and at least it seems that the right questions are being asked and certain conclusions can be drawn from the results obtained. Gass and Selinker (2008) state the following conclusions: Children learn their first language as they go through the same stages of

development, but at different rates.

Children systematize language and develop rules to impose order on what

they know about language and its use. The rules that children develop for language are not always consistent with

the adults language rules. Children overgeneralize grammatical morphemes. There are processing limitations that rule acquisition and use. Error correction does not always work. Intelligence does not determine language acquisition.

2. Second Language Acquisition Theories The second language acquisition (SLA) field has experienced a fast development in the last 45 years. There is not a unified theory of SLA yet, but thanks to the contributions of other disciplines like linguistics, psychology, sociology,

anthropology and neurolinguistics significant progress has been made. SLA studies the acquisition of a language beyond the mother tongue. SLA also

investigates how learners create a new language system based on only limited exposure to it, what can be learned and what cannot, the variations in the degree of proficiency and knowledge some learners achieve in comparison with others and the interrelationship between the native and the foreign language rules. (Gass and Selinker, 2008). For most English teachers gaining a full understanding of SLA theories is not an easy task since the discipline includes an overview of language learning from several other disciplines points of view and numerous research studies.

However, there are some concepts not difficult to understand that teachers can observe and apply in their classes. One of these concepts held by most theorists states that learning a second language is a continuous process: language learners in general go through the same predictable stages in their way to mastering a new language. (Reed and Railsback, 2003). Stage1. Preproduction Stage. It is believed to last from 10 hours to six months. Learners can understand around 500 words, this does not imply they can use them to communicate since in this stage it is common for the learners to go through a silent period, students are not yet able to speak but they can use gestures, movements and answer yes or no to communicate. Stage 2. Early Production. The vocabulary increases to around 1000 words and learners can understand and usually speak in one or two word phrases called chunks they memorized although these are not always used correctly. This stage could take another six months. Stage 3. Speech Emergence. Learners vocabulary is now around 3000 words and they can communicate using simple phrases, ask questions and can engage is short conversations. Students can read short stories with pictures. Grammatical errors are common at this stage. Stage 4. Intermediate Language Proficiency Stage. The vocabulary is now around 6000 words and learners are able to understand and use more complex statements to speak and write to express their thoughts and opinions. At this stage,

students use their native language to learn English content. Students are ready to deal with more complex concepts, grammar and sentence structures. Stage 5. Advanced Fluency. Some SLA studies suggest that getting to this stage can take up to five to seven years, other studies mention four to 10 years. Vocabulary has developed to a specialized content-area. Most learners can participate in regular classroom activities in the second language. Grammar and vocabulary use is similar to a native speaker of similar age. Knowing about the stages learners go through helps language teachers identify her students stage and to decide what teaching methods and techniques are more appropriate to help them move to the next stage. (Haynes, 2010). Comprehensible language input has been recognized as one of the most important aspects for the acquisition of a new language. Based on this, Stephen Krashen developed his Input Hypothesis, based on the idea that for language learners sole exposure to the new language is not enough to acquire it. For this to happen it is necessary that the learners are capable of understanding the input they receive. This understanding should be based on the learners prior knowledge and then they should be presented with new information that is a little bit beyond the learners current knowledge of grammatical structures. (Gass and Selinker, 2008). Acquisition does not occur if the information presented to the learner is totally comprehensible or if it is so complex that previous knowledge cant be used to help understanding.

As an extension of the Input Hypothesis, other language researchers have studied comprehensible output claiming that for learners putting into practice their acquired language knowledge and abilities is almost as important as providing them with the correct input. (Reed and Railsback, 2003). Stephen Krashen also developed the Affective Filter Hypothesis, another key concept for language researchers and instructors. It states that language students emotions can help or inhibit the learning process, because it is necessary to practice with others and this could be embarrassing, cause anxiety or even anger, especially in adult learners. Someones ability to process the new language can be diminished or blocked if that persons negative emotions create a kind of filter that impedes proper learning. To avoid the emergence of affective filters teachers can promote a relaxed classroom environment where the students feel safe and their cultural heritage and native language are respected and appreciated. In this atmosphere the learning abilities are increased as well as motivation and risk taking. (Reed and Railsback, 2003).