Subject: Theories of Language Description

Topic: Overview of final course

Submitted to: Ma’am Sumaira Hina

Submitted by:

 Zark jehan
 Farzana Malik
 Humara Aakfah Riyadh

Mphil Applied Linguistics

 Overview of subject from mid to final
Topics of mid:
Four theories of language description
 Piaget theory of cognitive development
 Skinner theory of operant conditioning
 Ferdinand de Saussure theory of structuralism
 Chomsky theory of mentalist

Topics of final:

 Vygotsky socio cultural theory

 S.T Coleridge’s word theory of language.
 Stephen krashen’s theory of language acquisition
 Method and approach
 Chapter 9: how do children learn language?
Language is means through is organized, refined and expressed. Process, store and use of
information and attend to perceive, learn, remember believe and feel all these things are related
to mind. And if language did not affect behavior, it could have no meaning. Collaboration of
individual and environment generates meaningful process of acquisition/learning language.
When a child comes with pre-wired ability, he brings no separate language learning capability.
He has to rely upon the society to his nears and dears speaking around him and imitate them. But
the process of learning is systematically arranged, rely upon the gradually development of brain
in society polished his concepts and gives powerful meanings to his concepts.
Vygotsky’s socio cultural theory:

According to vygostky, human use tools that develop from

a culture such as speech and writing to mediate their social environment development occur as a
direct result of contact with the environment. Language and thought develop independently but
with environment.

Four basic principles:

 Children construct their knowledge

 Learning can lead development
 Development can not be separated its social contacts
 Language plays a central role in development

S.T Coleridge’s word view:

Words are living powers, not merely articulated in the air.

 Style: archaic language rich in sound devices

 Main interest: the creative power of imagination
 Content: thinks from ordinary life
 Aim: to give these ordinary things the charm of novelty

Language as the principal vehicle for the interaction of knowing mind and shared concrete
reality. As Coleridge sees it language expresses the contents and activity of consciousness

Piaget theory of cognitive development:

The theory deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans gradually come to unique, construct
and see it .

Stages: Universal stages of cognitive development are

 Sensory motor stage ( Birth-2 years)

 Development stage (2 years-7 years)
 Concrete operational (7 years-12 years)
 Formal stage (13 years to onward)
Skinner Theory of operant conditioning:

Skinner used imperial development of learning. This theory hits psychology approach of learner. All
behavior is learnt from the environment and learner’s behavior should be predict and content through
psychological science. The idea that behavior is determined by its consequences be they reinforcements
or punishments which make it or less that the behavior will occur again.

Skinner’s Operational Theory

Negative
Positive Behavior
Reinforcement/Punishment
Reinforcement

Consequence

Likely to repeat behavior Unlikely to repeat behavior

Ferdinand de Saussure theory of structuralism:

Linguistic us its origin. It is a method of interpretation and analysis of aspects of human cognition
behavior, culture and experience based on conceptual system. All languages is made of signs, each sign
consists of two parts.

 Signifier
 Signified

Things that give meaning-word/image

Signifier
Anything that conveys meaning 𝑆𝑖𝑔𝑛 = Signified

What is evoked in the mind-mental concept

Chomsky theory of mentalist:

 It concerns mental ability for perception, understanding, learning and intelligence. It opposed to skinner
behavioral theory. Language is free from the control of independently identifiable external stimuli or
internal states. Humans have an innate capacity to learn the rules of language. Language acquisition
device (LAD) facilitates language development and learning the rules of language.

Comparison among these theories

S# Cognitive Theory
Founded by A Swiss
1 Linguist Ferdinand de
psychologist Jean Piaget.
Focus on cognitive
2 development rather than
learning.
3 Quantitative approach.
Concerns with progressive
reorganization of mental
process.
4  Sensory motor
 Preoperational
 Concrete operational
 Formal operational
Genetically inherited
5 mental structure for
learning.
Operant Conditioning
Theory
Founded by B.F Skinner in
1950.
Focus on learning by
imitation.
Qualitative approach.
Concerns with the
relationship b/w stimuli and
responses.
Cause effect
Social setup polished the
human behavior.
Structural Theory
Founded by Swiss
Saussure.
Focus on the relationship
b/w the various social
concepts that make up
society.
Quantitative and
qualitative approach is co
exist.
Concerns with two levels.
 Langue (social)
 Parole (individual)
An individual is not a
source of meaning,
meaning is generated by
social formation.
Innate Theory
Founded by American
linguistic Noam
Chomsky in 1959.
Focus on acquiring by in
native ability.
Quantitative approach.
Concerns with pre
programmed to language
acquisition.
Every child first speak
noun phase then move to
verb phase.

Competence (rules of
Signs are important to give
grammar) and
Stimulus, reinforcement and meaning to words
Schemas skills are building performance (individual
6 repetition are essential  Indexical signs
blocks of knowledge. performance in language
elements of language.  Symbolical signs
learning) are essential
 Iconic signs
aspects.
 Inductive approach.
Concrete approach
7
formal approach
Cognitive ability is
8 improved through social
intersection.
Stimulation and role play
method.
Learner responds to stimuli
environment without his/her
mental state (shaping)
Multidisciplinary
approach.
Individual and society are
two sides of the same coin.
Babies are empty vessels
which language had to be
put into.
Inductive and deductive
approach.
Pre wired response is
important mind posses
the language and it has
well designed structure
and system.

Method and approach

Method: How to present

 Mode of presentation, based on classified human theory

 It depends upon on the nature of content
 Grammar translation method
 Direct method
 Indirect method
 Audio lingual method
 Designer methods
1. The silent way
2. Total physical response
3. Suggestopedia
4. Community language learning
Approach:

An approach is a way of looking at teaching and learning.

Examples of teaching approaches

Teacher-Centered Learner-Centered
Subject-Mattered Center Learner-Centered
Teacher Dominated Interactive
“Banking Approach Constructivist
Disciplinal Integrated
Individualistic Collaborative
Indirect, Guided Direct

Chapter 9 (How do children learn language)

Language is a mean through which thought is

organized, refined and expressed. Language helps in the formation of concepts, analysis of complex ideas
and to focus attention on ideas which would otherwise be difficult to comprehended. Language is one
attribute apart from all other creatures and binds humans together across all geographic barriers. A wordb
can cause to sink into the deepest despair or lift to inspired action. Language can be the tool for great
achievement in any discipline. Good understanding of the capabilities and needs of the individual child
and a sound knowledge and belief in the goals of language acts programmed a vital factor in successful
individualization of instruction.