MAGISTER OPOSICIONES AL PROFESORADO_ Inglés TEMA2 ‘TEORIAS GENERALES SOBRE EL APRENDIZAJE Y LA ADQUISICION DE UNA LENGUA EXTRANJERA. EL CONCEPTO DE INTERLENGUA. EL TRATAMIENTO DEL ERROR. 0. INTRODUCTION. a 1. LANGUAGE LEARNIN' 'IRST VS SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. | 1.1. First language acquisition. é 1.1.1. Theories of first language acquisition. 1.1.1.1. Imitation. 1.1.1.2. Innateness. 1.1.1.3. Cognition. | 1.1.1.4. Input. 1 1.2. Foreign language leaming and acquisition theories. | 1.2.1. Theories of learning in general. “ 1.2.1.1. Behaviourism, 1.2.1.2. Mentalism. 1.2.2. Theories of language leaning, 1.1.2.1. Acculturation Model. 1.1.22. Accommodation Theory. 1.1.23. Discourse Theory. 1.1.2.4. Monitor Model. 1.1.2.5. Cognitive Theory. 1.3. Differences and similarities between first and foreign language acquisition. 2. INTERLANGUAGE. 3. ERROR. 4, BIBLIOGRAPHY. 5. TOPIC-BASED UNIT.Inglés ©MAGISTER, Tema 2 0. INTRODUCTION. Language structure is something we do not pay much attention to in our mother tongue: we can say that wwe take it for granted. We are so accustomed to using it that we do not perceive the extremely complex linguistic architecture that underlies every single one of our utterances. However we can again become aware of the intricacies of linguistic processes when we encounter the structural complexity of a foreign language we want to leam or when we discover the amount of structural planning involved in treating people whose linguistic abilities are defective as a consequence of arrested development or an accident. Alll these examples suggest the tremendous importance of the study of the acquisition of language. In the first part of our unit we are going to study how language is acquired. We will not keep Krashen's distinction between acquisition and learning and we will use both terms as synonyms except when dealing with his theory of language acquisition. We will analyze the main theories about both first and second language acquisition, as well as the difference between first language acquisition at home and at school. We will then study the differences and similarities between first and second language acquisition and their practical relevance to our English classroom methodology. Finally in sections two and three we will study inter-language and error. 1, LANGUAGE LEARNING: FIRST VS SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. A great many theories regarding language development in human beings have been proposed in the past and still being proposed in the present time. Such theories have generally arisen out of major disciplines such as psychology and linguistics. Psychological and linguistic thinking have profoundly influenced one another and the outcome of language acquisition theories alike Language acquisition theories have basically centred around “nurture” and “nature” distinction or n “empiricism” and “nativism”. The doctrine of empiricism holds that all knowledge comes from experience, ultimately from our interaction with the environment through our reasoning or senses. Empiricism, in this sense, can be contrasted to nativism, which holds that at least some knowledge is not acquired through interaction with the environment, but is genetically transmitted and innate. To put it another way, some theoreticians have based their theories on environmental factors while others believed that it is the innate factors that determine the acquisition of language. It is, however, important to note that neither nurturists (environmentalists) disagree thoroughly with the nativist ideas nor do nativists with the nurturist ideas. Only the weight they lay on the environmental and innate factors is relatively little or more. Before sifting through language acquisition theories here, therefore, making a distinction between these two types of perspectives will be beneficial for a better understanding of various language acquisition theories and their implications for the field of applied linguistics. In the following paragraphs, the two claims posed by the proponents of the two separate doctrines will be explained and the reason why such a distinction has been made will be clarified. "he terms second language and foreign language are used as synonyms in this topic following numerous authors (Stem, 1983)Inglés MAGISTER Tema 2 Environmentalist theories of language acquisition hold that an organism’s nurture, or experience, are of more significance to development than its nature or inborn contributions. Yet they do not completely reject the innate factors. Behaviourist and neo-behaviourist stimulus-response learning theories (S-R for simplicity) are the best known examples. Even though such theories have lost their effect partially because of Chomsky's intelligent review of Skinner’s Verbal Behaviour (Chomsky, 1959), their effect has not been so little when we consider the present cognitive approach as an offshoot of behaviourism. The nativist theories, on the other hand, assert that much of the capacity for language leaning in human is ‘innate’. It is part of the genetic makeup of human species and is nearly independent of any particular experience which may occur after birth. Thus, the nativists claim that language acquisition is innately determined and that we are born with a built-in device which predisposes us to acquire language. This mechanism predisposes us to a systematic perception of language around us. Brown (1987:19), in his attempt to explain language development in the child, assumed that language is a species - specific behaviour and it is ‘biologically determined’. Another important point as regards the innatist account is that nativists do not deny the importance of environmental stimuli, but they say language acquisition cannot be accounted for on the basis of environmental factors only. There must be some innate guide to achieve this end. In Table 1 below, a classification around the nurture/nature distinction has been made. (BOTH L1 AND 12) |- Behaviourism (Skinner’s Verbal Behaviour). THEORIES BASED on [ Coenition (Piaget's View of Language Acquistion) "NURTURE" ‘ognitive Theory: Language Acquisition View (environmental factors are believed | Discourse Theory to be more dominant in language : | Acculturation Model acquisition) |- Accommodation Theory | Imitation THEORIES BASED ON “NATURE” | Innateness (The Universal Grammar Theory) (innate factors are believed to be : more dominant in language ~ Monitor Model acquisition) Table 1. Classification of Language Acquisition Theories Around “Nurture and Nature Distinction”