2. Content Objectives
This week we will:
Review chapter one material:
(1)The process of first language acquisition
(FLA)
(2) Behaviorist vs. cognitive perspectives of
FLA
(3)Chomsky’s theories of Generative Grammar
and Universal Grammar
Identify key theories associated with SLA,
while comparing with that of FLA.
3. Language Objectives
We will accomplish our CO by:
◦ As a whole group we will review the issues of
first language development.
◦ In cooperative group we will map the key
elements associated with the main theories of
second language acquisition.
◦ Read for new information and identify a specific
text structure (compare/contrast).
4. B.F. Skinner (1957) : Language is
learned through imitation and reinforcement.
Children learn language through positive
reinforcement, i.e., every time the child says
something “correctly,” the child is praised by
the caretaker. In the behaviorist perspective,
this causes the child to remember and
internalize the structure to be learned.
5. Language learning is a complex process
that involves much more than just
imitation and reinforcement!
It involves children interacting with
their environment and testing hypotheses
(Chomsky,1959). Behaviorism does not
explain why children make some errors and
not others!
6. Cognitive Science Perspective on
Language Acquisition
Cognitive perspective explains how children
create new utterances that they have never
heard before (i.e., they are not simply
imitating adult language structures that they
have already heard). - Argument against
behaviorist view of language acquisition
Child-generated sentences give good
evidence that young children do not simply
imitate adults’ speech, but overgeneralize
language rules.
7. Chomsky’s Theory of Generative
Grammar
Generative Grammar
◦ A limited set of rules for the unlimited generation
of language
Deep Structure (DS) vs. surface structure (SS)
of language (generation of SS from the same
DS)
“The boy threw the ball./The ball was thrown by the
boy”: 2SS (ACTIVE & PASSIVE),1DS (AGENT/DOER =
boy; Action = throwing; OBJECT = the ball)
8. Deep Structure & Surface Structure
SS: the syntactic structure of the sentence,
which a person speaks and writes.
How many SS and DS are there in the
following sentence?
“The chicken is ready to eat.”
DS/underlying structure (more abstract than
SS): considered to be in the speaker’s/writer’s
mind.
Structurally ambigous
chicken = agent/chicken = object
9. Chomsky’s Theory of Universal
Grammar
Children are born with an innate capacity for
language/linguistic knowledge. Humans are pre-
programmed to learn language. EVERY CHILD HAS
THE POTENTIAL TO LEARN ANY LANGUAGE IN THE
WORLD!
This innate capacity or knowledge is called Universal
Grammar
Knowledge of those things common to all
languages (e.g., have subjects and
predicates, pre/post-positions)
Proposed to use the language acquisition
device [LAD].
10. Children’s Errors in FLA and What they
Teach Us
Errors children make when acquiring English
as L1:
◦ He hitted me.*
◦ She bringed me the toy.*
◦ We goed to the party.*
Errors children DON’T make when acquiring L1
= evidence for their innate ability.
“Is the person who is sitting at the table is a
linguist?”* (p. 16)
11. The Wug Test (Berko, 1958)
Children
acquire
language rules
in a productive
and analytical
way (not in rote
fashion).
12. FLA occurs more rapidly than other kinds
of developmental learning (e.g., motor
skills) - even without formal instruction.
Uttering grammatical sentences>tying
shoe laces
Early correction of children’s language
output tends to inhibit rather than
encourage FLA.
13. Recapping FLA Concepts
How would you explain the behaviorist and
cognitive perspectives on language
acquisition to someone who is unfamiliar
with these concepts?
Giveexamples of the behaviorist
explanation for language learning.
Give examples that support Chomsky’s
theories of Universal and Generative
Grammar.
14. Krashen’s Theories of SLA:
Map out a Hypothesis
1. Learning/Acquisition
Activity:
Hypothesis (p. 35)
2. The Natural Order • Divided into teams of 3.
Hypothesis (p. 36) • Review your assigned
3. The Monitor Hypothesis (p. theory.
37) • Create a visual that
4. The Input Hypothesis (p. 38) represents the main
5. The Affective Filter points of your theory on
Hypothesis (p. 39) chart paper.
• We’ll revisit the visual
after the lecture on
Krashen’s 5 Hypotheses.
15. The Learning/Acquisition Hypothesis (Krashen)
: 2 Independent systems of Language
Performance
Learning: Conscious process of
accumulating knowledge
Acquisition: Subconscious process
Explicit Learned “Knowing
Learning Grammar/ about” a
Rules language
Natural Input Acquired “Picking up” a
(similar to L1 Competence language
development)
16. Learned System
This system is the product of formal
instruction, and it comprises a conscious
process, which results in conscious
knowledge about the language (e.g.,
vocabulary and grammar rules through
drill and practice).
Is mathematics learned or acquired? Why?
17. Acquired System
The product of a subconscious process - very
similar to the process children undergo when
they acquire their first language.
“Picking up” an L2 in another country from
long periods spent in interaction with native
speakers of the language is acquisition.
18. Language Acquisition Theory
Acquisition vs. Learning
Stephen Krashen and Tracy Terrell, 1983
Acquisition: Learning:
Subconscious Conscious
Similar to first Knowing about
language language
development Focus is on grammar
Focus is on needs Corrections of errors
and interest of Involves drills and
students grammar exercises
All attempts at
communication are
praised and
reinforced; errors are
accepted as
developmental
Involves student-
centered
Situational activities
20. The Natural Order Hypothesis(Krashen)
The acquisition of
grammatical
ING (progressive)
structures follows a
PLURAL COUPULA (―to be‖)
natural order that is AUXILIARY (progressive, as in ―he is going‖
predictable. ARTICLES (a, the)
It is independent of
IRREGULAR PAST (e.g., ―ate‖)
the learner’s age &
L1 background. REGULAR PAST (e.g.,‖ walked‖)
III SINGULAR –S POSSESIVE -S
“Average” order of acquisition of
grammatical morphemes for ESL (children
& adults)
22. Monitor Hypothesis:
Language learning may not lead to language
acquisition.
The acquisition The learning system
system as an as a monitor/editor -
utterance initiator - When the focus of language
When the focus of language is grammatically correct
is communicating for communication, language is
meaning, language is more learned; therefore, is subject
easily acquired. to the influences of self-
Learned competence monitoring.
(the monitor)
Acquired
competence Output = acquired AND learned
together
Acquisition and learning in L2
production
23. Krashen’s Monitor Hypothesis
Knowing how language works and how words are
comprised can facilitate the language acquisition
process.
This hypothesis suggests that knowledge of the
rules of language helps second language learners
to check or monitor the language they produce or
their linguistic output. This can occur with both
oral and written output. Writing > Speaking
24. Monitor Hypothesis continued:
The monitor acts in a planning editing and
correcting function when three specific
conditions are met:
◦ The second language learner has sufficient time
◦ He/she focuses on form or thinks about
correctness
◦ He/she knows the rule.
26. Input Hypothesis
Condition 1: Language is acquired by
receiving comprehensible input with
linguistic items that are a slightly
beyond the learner’s current level.
Current Level of competence = “i”
Comprehensible Input contains
“i” + 1
27. The Input Hypothesis
Explains how second language
acquisition takes place.
Only concerned with acquisition not
learning.
The learner improves and progresses
along the natural order when he/she
receives comprehensible input in the
second language.
“i+1” input is appropriate for ELLs’
current stage of linguistic competence.
29. Affective Filter Hypothesis
High motivation,
Condition 2: a low
affective filter to
strong self-
allow the input “in” confidence, & a low
level of anxiety lead
Filter to being better
Input
LAD
Acquired equipped for
Competence classroom
performance & SLA
Operation of the “affective filter”
30. Affective Filter
Conversely, the opposite characteristics can raise
the affective filter and form a mental block that
prevents comprehensible input from being used
for acquisition when a person feels nervous or
threatened. A high filter can impede language
acquisition.
32. Becoming Hypothesis Experts: Jigsaw
Activity
Pretend that you’re teaching students who are
non-education majors about your group’s
hypothesis.
Create an analogy for remembering your team’s
hypothesis—be ready to explain your analogy
to the class.
Come up with an original phrase to help
you/classmates remember the 5 hypotheses.
Act out your hypothesis—BE CREATIVE!
33. Let’s Meet Stephen Krashen
Two Conditions in Which L2 Learners Acquire
a New Language
The Silent Period
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiTsduRr
eug&feature=related
34. Reactions to Krashen’s Theory of SLA
M. Long agrees with Krashen on some points but
not others. His research shows that teaching rules
in context through use of negotiated interactions
makes “i + 1” language input more
comprehensible.
35. How do we best support SLA?
Contextualize learning Differentiate
to make language instruction through a
input comprehensible variety of
(e.g., visuals, hands- meaningful/communi
on, & guarded vocab.) cative activities
Create an affectively Allow preproduction
supportive climate level students should
(e.g., L1 use & small be develop listening
groups) comprehension
without requirement
of performing orally
42. Additional Points to Remember about
SLA….
Neurological Factors (accent remains post critical period)
pp. 42-43
Cognitive Factors (younger = acquisition without needing
to analyze the L2) p. 43
Affective Factors (self-conscious) can create a barrier to
acquisition pp. 43-44
Interlanguage – in-between system (Yule, pp. 191-192)
Fossilization – fixed repertoire of L2, not progressing any
further p. 44
43. Additional SLA Concepts:
Create a Slide
1. The Critical Period Hypothesis
Activity:
(F & F, pp. 41-42)
2. Interlanguage (Yule, pp. 191- • Divided into teams of
192) 2/3.
3. Fossilization (F & F, p. 44) • Investigate your
4. Communicative Competence assigned theory/concept.
(Yule, p. 194 • Create PowerPoint
slides that represent your
understanding of the
theory/concept
• Teach the class!
46. Using comparison/contrast to
understand text
Authors compare 2 things to show how they
are alike and different. Sometimes, they
define a new word by telling how it is like or
different from something that they think their
readers know about by using comparison
words and contrast words
Comparison words: like, just as, similar to,
the same as
Contrast words: in contrast, different from
this, on the other hand, however, whereas
47. Compare & Contrast: Word Clue to
Define Key terms
The freshman year of college is the first year
of college study; it is like grade thirteen in
that it is the 13th year that students will be in
school.
In contrast to the bachelor’s degree, the
master’s degree requires six years of college
study – four years to obtain the bachelor’s
degree and an additional two years for the
master’s degree.
48. Comparison and Contrast Word
Clue Exercise 1
What is the clue word that tells us what each
of the following key terms means?
1) The smallest asteroid are irregular in
shape, like boulders.
2) Whereas asteroids travel between the
planets in roughly circular orbits, the orbits
of comets are highly elliptical, extending far
beyond Pluto’s orbit.
49. Comparison and Contrast Word
Clue Exercise 2
A unified field theory is one in which two
forces, seemingly different from each other,
are shown to be basically identical. According
to such a theory, unification will take place at
various stages as the energy and temperature
increase.
Identical is: (a) different, (b) unified, (c) equal,
and (d) level