Chapter 2 First Language Acquisition

Preliminaries: Do children learn their L1 only through imitation? Give examples to support your point. Why a young child is more sensitive for words like apple, dog, doll than words like atomic bomb, clone, embassy?

(1) Theories in L1A 1. behaviorist learning theory (popular in the 1950s and 60s) 2. the nativist approach 3. the cognitive approach 4. the functional approach

1)behaviorist learning theory (popular in the 1950s and 60s) 1. B.F. Skinner 2. Viewpoint: LL is a kind of behavior similar to other human behavior. Language is learnt in much the same way as anything else is learnt. stimulus organism response lg input the learner imitation e.g. This is a pencil This is a pencil.

3. four steps for a child to acquire his/her L1: imitationreinforcementrepetitionhabituatio n positive negative good habit bad habit

positive reinforcement: praise or reward negative reinforcement: corrections good habit: correct performance bad habit: errors

4. criticisms of behaviorist learning theory overemphasize the external factors ignore the internal factor, i.e. the role of learner himself overemphasize the role of imitation case study: 5. relations with FLT (Audiolingual Method) pattern drills

2) The nativist approach 1. viewpoint: Childrens ability to learn a language is innate. 2. innate hypothesis: 3. Language Acquisition Device (LAD) characteristics of LAD: Universal grammar (UG): Chomskys term for the abstract principles that comprise a childs innate knowledge of language and that guide LA

5. Behaviorist learning theory (A) vs. The nativist approach (B) A holds the view that LL is similar to the learning of other things; B holds the view that LL is different from the learning of other things; Were born with a kind of faculty which is unique to LL. A attaches great importance to the role of language input; B holds that input is needed, but only to trigger the operation of the LAD

6.Weakness of the nativist approach: hard to find out the nature of LAD difficult to observe LAD 7. Contributions of the nativist approach: It regards childrens language as a reasonable system rather than something full of errors.

3) The cognitive approach 1. viewpoint: Childrens language development relies on their understanding of the world or cognition. 2. its difference from the nativist approach 3. Case study

4) The functional approach 1. to probe LA not from the angle of language structure, but from the angle of language communication. 2. viewpoint: Children can learn a language successfully for the reason that they realize language could help do things. case study:

3. seven language functions (by Halliday) a. instrumental function b. regulatory function c. interactional function d. personal function e. heuristic function f. imaginative function g. representative function 4. Communicative approach in LT

(2) L1A vs FLL 1) physiological aspect 2) cognitive aspect 3) affective aspect 4) sociocultural aspect 5) learning condition

additional comparisons between L1A and FLL: differences: subconsciously manner consciously meaning focus structure

natural envi.. formal learning speed universal success achievement universal failure

similarities follow the same route similar learning strategies e.g. overgeneralization ( *goed; *comed; *foots; *sheeps) Assignment: Ques. 3, 6, 7, 8