Language Acquisition - 1336 Words

Refer the theories of language acquisition (Behaviorist theories, nativist theories and interactionist theories) and write an evaluation of them.Consider the stages of language acquisition in the evaluation of these theories. Human language development is a huge debate between Nature Vs Nurture within theorists of various fields in psychology.There are three major schools of thought that will be mainly focused on; behaviourist, nativist (rationalist) and interactionist(cognitive and social). The cognitive approach and social context of language development is known as interactionist approach as the language depends upon the child having interaction with its physical and social world. The†¦show more content†¦In behaviorist theory it is believed that infants do learn the language through imitation, rewards and practice through other role models. (Cooter Reutzel, 2004) Nativist theory/ Rationalist Approach: Rationalism is the opposing view of behaviorism. Just like birds do fly and fishes swim, the capability to learn and use language is also genetically innate. Chomsky is one of the leading rationalist linguist. Noam Chomsky’s theory of language acquisition. (1957; 1965) He suggests that language acquisition is an innate faculty. Chomsky’s approach incorporates that children use an inherited hypothetical blueprint known as Language acquisition Device (LAD) (1968). Chomsky believes that people are born with a set of rules about language, which is called â€Å"Universal Grammar†. When a child begins to listen to his parents speaking, H/ she will unconsciously recognize which kind of language the child is dealing with, and setting the grammar to the correct language is known as â€Å"Setting the Parameters† Chomsky’s theory attempts to explain the competence acquired in language. Evidence shows the existence of LAD, which comes from the speed of language learned. Without LAD it will not be as easy to acquire a language, although itShow MoreRelatedLanguage Acquisition Of Language Development Essay2014 Words   |  9 PagesLanguage is perceived as the way human s communicate through the use of spoken words, it involves particular system and styles in which we interact with one another (Oxford 2009). Children’s acquisition of language has long been considered one of the uniquely defining characteristics of human behaviour. Even today, it is widely thought that children acquire their native language from the imitation of their parents, caregivers or the people in their daily environment. In this essay I will go throughRead MoreThe Theories Of Language Acquisition1707 Words   |  7 PagesLanguage Developmental research is fascinated with how young children are able to acquire language. This fascination has led to the development of numerous theories of language acquisition. Two major theories of language acquisition include the behaviorist theory and the innatist theory. Both contrasting theories are influential to developmental research and inspire much research in an attempt to support or disprove each theory. Behaviorist Theory of Language Acquisition The behaviorist theoryRead MoreLanguage Acquisition7926 Words   |  32 PagesÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…......Â…Â…..Â… 3 Main body 1. Language acquisition Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….Â….Â….......Â… 4 2. The stages of language acquisition Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…....Â…......Â….. 5 2.1. The prelinguistic stage Â…Â…Â….Â….........Â…...........Â… 7 2.2. Babbling Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…........Â…...........Â…Â… 7 2.3. One-word utterances Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…..Â…....Â…...........Â… 9 2.4. Two-word utterances Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…..............Â…..Â….... 10 2.5. Telegraphic speech Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…........Â…...Â…Â… 13 2.6. 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Their ages are: Rhys: Age 8, Archie: Age 6, Poppy: Age 4 The development of language in children changes as a child gets older. â€Å" The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is a hypothetical brain mechanism that Noam Chomsky postulated to explain human acquisition of the syntactic structure of language.† I will be investigating the change in language used by a fourRead MoreSecond Language Acquisition2674 Words   |  11 PagesSecond Language Acquisition Assignment: The  subject  assignment  consists  of  answering  this  question:   According  to  Swain,  Ã‚  ... producing  the  target  language  may  be  the  trigger  that  forces  the  learner  to  pay  attention  to  the  means  of  expression  needed  in  order  to  successfully  convey  his  or  her   own   intended   meaning.   (Swain  1985:  249)   In  Swains  view,  learners  need  not  only  input,  but  output:  they  need  to  use  language  in  order to  learn  it.  Ã‚  Krashen,  however,  as  recently  as  2009,  stated  that:  Read MoreLanguage Acquisition Essay1724 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is language? 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Children usually learn the sounds and vocabulary of their native language through imitation