Language Acquisition vs.

Language Learning
by Judie Haynes
Should grammar be taught to young elementary age English language learners? Learn what the difference is between language acquisition and language learning. One of the questions I am most frequently asked is about teaching grammar rules to very young English language learners. Those of you who follow the "Ask Judie" bulletin board already know my answer to that question. I would not teach grammar out of conte t to young students. !I am asked for grammar lessons for "st and #nd graders$% &esearch has shown that "out of conte t" grammar drills do not work with students of any age. Teachers of English language learners should really be develo'ing the oral communication( reading( vocabulary( and writing skills of their young students. The grammar will take care of itself. &ead 'redictible books. Teach thematic units. Any mention of a grammar rule should be within the conte t of those te ts. Language acquisition vs. language learning
There is an im'ortant distinction made by linguists between language acquisition and language learning. )hildren acquire language through a subconscious 'rocess during which they are unaware of grammatical rules. This is similar to the way they acquire their first language. They get a feel for what is and what isn*t correct. In order to acquire language( the learner needs a source of natural communication. The em'hasis is on the te t of the communication and not on the form. +oung students who are in the 'rocess of acquiring English get 'lenty of ,on the -ob. 'ractice. They readily acquire the language to communicate with classmates. /anguage learning( on the other hand( is not communicative. It is the result of direct instruction in the rules of language. And it certainly is not an age0a''ro'riate activity for your young learners. In language learning( students have conscious knowledge of the new language and can talk about that knowledge. They can fill in the blanks on a grammar 'age. &esearch has shown( however( that knowing grammar rules does not necessarily result in good s'eaking or writing.r A student who has memori1ed the rules of the language may be able to succeed on a standardi1ed test of English language but may not be able to s'eak or write correctly.

Language learning is where you sit down and learn all the grammar, vocab e.t.c that goes with the language such as in a lesson in school While language acquisition is if you leanr a language without sitting down a formally learning. But learning it by talking to people such as how you learn to talk English or another native language

The Acquisition-Learning distinction is the most fundamental of all the hypotheses in Krashen's theory and the most widely known among linguists and language practitioners.

According to Krashen there are two independent systems of second language performance: 'the acquired system' and 'the learned system'. The 'acquired system' or 'acquisition' is the product of a subconscious process ery similar to the process children undergo when they acquire their first language. !t requires meaningful interaction in the target language " natural communication " in which speakers are concentrated not in the form of their utterances# but in the communicati e act. The 'learned system' or 'learning' is the product of formal instruction and it comprises a conscious process which results in conscious knowledge 'about' the language# for e$ample knowledge of grammar rules. According to Krashen 'learning' is less important than 'acquisition'.
/anguage acquisition is the ability of the brain in its cognitive develo'ment 2 'rocess to conce'tualise conce'ts(structures and semantics in a language ( while learning is the active 'artici'ation and effort to learn a language. /anguage teachers devise methods as com'onents of language acquisition( while learners use them to learn. /anguage acquisition is a natural 'rocess for any native to acquire his native vernacular language./anguage learning is a structured system for anyone to learn a language. &ead more3 htt'344wiki.answers.com4546hat7is7the7difference7between7language7acquisition7and 7language7learning8i 11"m+9:k#;i

LANGUAGE AC U!S!"!#N Language acquisition refers to the process of natural assimilation, involving intuition and subconscious learning. It is the product of real interactions between people in environments of the target language and culture, where the learner is an active player. It is similar to the way children learn their native tongue, a process that produces functional skill in the spoken language without theoretical knowledge. It develops familiarity with the phonetic characteristics of the language as well as its structure and vocabulary, and is responsible for oral understanding, the capability for creative communication and for the identification of cultural values. In acquisition inspired methodology, teaching and learning are viewed as activities that happen on a personal and psychological level. !he acquisition approach praises the communicative act and develops self confidence in the learner. " classic e#ample of second language acquisition are the adolescents and young adults that live abroad for a year in an e#change program, often attaining near native fluency, while knowing little about the language. !hey have a good pronunciation without a notion of phonology, don$t know what the perfect tense is, modal or phrasal verbs are, but they intuitively recogni%e and know how to use all the structures. LANGUAGE LEA$N!NG !he concept of language learning is linked to the traditional approach to the study of languages and today is still generally practiced in high schools worldwide. "ttention is focused on the

language in its written form and the ob&ective is for the student to understand the structure and rules of the language, whose parts are dissected and analy%ed. !he task requires intellectual effort and deductive reasoning. !he form is of greater importance than communication. !eaching and learning are technical and based on a syllabus. 'ne studies the theory in the absence of the practice. 'ne values the correct and represses the incorrect. Error correction is constant leaving little room for spontaneity. !he teacher is an authority figure and the participation of the student is predominantly passive. !he student will be taught how to form interrogative and negative sentences, will memori%e irregular verbs, study modal verbs, etc., but hardly ever masters the use of these structures in conversation. Language learning inspired methods are progressive and cumulative, normally tied to a preset syllabus that includes memori%ation of vocabulary. It seeks to transmit to the student knowledge about the language, its functioning and grammatical structures, its contrasts with the student$s native language, knowledge that hopefully will produce the practical skills of understanding and speaking the language. (owever, the effort of accumulating knowledge about the language with all its irregularity becomes frustrating because of the lack of familiarity with the language. Innumerable graduates in Bra%il with arts degrees in English are classic e#amples of language learning. !hey are certified teachers with knowledge about the language and its literature but able to communicate in English only with poor pronunciation, limited vocabulary and lacking awareness of the target culture.

"ccording to linguists )i.e. scientists who engage in the scientific study of human language* there is an important distinction between language acquisition and language learning. "s you may well have noticed, children acquire their mother tongue through interaction with their parents and the environment that surrounds them. !heir need to communicate paves the way for language acquisition to take place. "s e#perts suggest, there is an innate capacity in every human being to acquire language. By the time a child is five years old, s+he can e#press ideas clearly and almost perfectly from the point of view of language and grammar. "lthough parents never sit with children to e#plain to them the workings of the language, their utterances show a superb command of intricate rules and patterns that would drive an adult cra%y if s+he tried to memori%e them and use them accurately. !his suggests that it is through e#posure to the language and meaningful communication that a first language is acquired, without the need of systematic studies of any kind. When it comes to second language learning in children, you will notice that this happens almost identically to their first language acquisition. "nd even teachers focus more on the communicative aspect of the language rather than on &ust rules and patterns for the children to repeat and memori%e. In order to acquire language, the learner needs a source of natural communication. !he emphasis is on the te#t of the communication and not on the form. ,oung students who are in the process of acquiring a second language get plenty of -on the &ob- practice. !hey readily acquire the language to communicate with classmates. In short, we see this tendency in which second language teachers are quite aware of the importance of communication in young learners and their inability to memori%e rules consciously )although they will definitely acquire them through a hands on approach &ust as they did with their mother tongue*. .nfortunately, when it comes to adult students, a quick look at the current methodologies and language courses available clearly shows that communication is set aside, neglected or even disregarded. In almost all cases, courses revolve around grammar, patterns,

repetitions, drillings and rote memori%ation without even a human interlocutor to interact with. !he very same courses that promise you language independence and the ability to communicate upon completion of the courses do /'! offer you a single chance to engage in meaningful conversations. (ow many times have you bought or read about -the ultimate language course on 01- in which the learner simply has to sit in front of a computer to listen to and repeat words and phrases time and again. !hat is not communication. !hat is the way you train a parrot2 !he animal will definitely learn and repeat a few phrases and amuse you and your friends, but it will never ever be able to communicate effectively. (ow could you be e#pected to communicate if you are never given the chance to speak with a real person3 Language without real communication is as useless as 4aint 5alentine$s day without lovers or 0hildren$s day without kids. In some other scenarios, in which there is a teacher, the work done in class is mostly grammatically oriented6 tenses, rules, multiple choice e#ercises and so on and so forth. Is this similar to the way in which a child -acquires a language3- 1efinitely not. /o wonder why so many people fail in acquiring a second language naturally. 4imply because whatever they are doing is highly unnatural and devoid of meaning to them. !his is the field of language learning. Language learning as seen today is not communicative. It is the result of direct instruction in the rules of language. "nd it certainly is not an age appropriate activity for your young learners as it is not for adults either. In language learning, students have conscious knowledge of the new language and can talk about that knowledge. !hey can fill in the blanks on a grammar page. 7esearch has shown, however, that knowing grammar rules does not necessarily result in good speaking or writing. " student who has memori%ed the rules of the language may be able to succeed on a standardi%ed test of English language but may not be able to speak or write correctly. "s teachers, it is our duty to make sure that our students -acquire- rather than -learn- the language.
!here has been many discrepancies in defining the 8 terms. In general the previous e#planations are valid. !he second language acquisition would be the acquistion of the language that follows the maternal language ) 9st language*,regardless from the place of birth or the current residence. If you are a 0hinese born in England, English would be your second language acquired. If you are British born in India, learning (indu would be your acquisition of a second language. ,our second language is that one where you use more cognitive skills like reasoning ,perception to learn it than your 9st mother tongue,that you start to learn very early. "t that stage your acquisition is more dependent on intuition and implicit subconscious acquirement. "t a later stage at school you will be developing more and more cognitive skills in improving both your 9st and 8nd language,but your maternal language will usually be better because of the initial acquisition at a very early stage. !his is one of the possible definitions of the 8nd language acquisition. "ccordingly a second language is also a foreign language, but marked by an early childhood learning process due to residence in the country speaking the language for e#ample. Every foreign language is not a second language though. !he foreign language could be defined as the language one didn$t learn at home at early stages, where its acquisition depends more on developing cognitive skills than merely on early childhood intuitive acquisition such as taking language courses, learning a new language as an adult etc. I hope this definition helps you distinguish between the 8 terms 6*