Defining First Language Acquisition,

Second Language Learning, Language

Immersion, and 2nd Language
Acquisition
First Language Acquisition

Language acquisition is the process whereby children acquire their first languages. All humans (without
exceptional physical or mental disabilities) have an innate capability to acquire language. Children may
acquire one or more first languages. For example, children who grow up in an environment in which
only English is spoken and heard will acquire only English as their first language. However, children who
grow up in an environment in which both German and English are spoken and heard equally will acquire
both German and English as their first languages. Acquisition occurs passively and unconsciously through
implicit learning. In other words, children do not need explicit instruction to learn their first languages
but rather seem to just “pick up” language in the same way they learn to roll over, crawl, and walk.
Language acquisition in children just seems to happen.

Acquisition (as opposed to learning) depends on children receiving linguistic input during the critical
period. The critical period is defined as the window of time, up to about the age of twelve or puberty, in
which humans can acquire first languages. Children must receive adequate linguistic input including
phonology (speech sounds), semantics (vocabulary and meaning), grammar (syntax or word order and
morphology or grammatical markers), and pragmatics (use and context) and prosody (intonation,
rhythm, stress) before the end of the critical period in order to acquire their first languages. If linguistic
input is not adequate, children will never fully acquire language (as is the case of Genie, an abused and
neglected girl who was discovered by authorities in 1970). Language acquisition cannot normally occur
after the critical period because the brain becomes “hardwired” to the first language.

Second Language Learning

Language learning, in contrast to language acquisition, is the process whereby humans past the critical
period learn second languages. All humans have the ability to learn additional languages although, just
as with other areas of study like math or science, some people are better at learning second languages
than others. Older children and adults may learn one or more second languages. For example, a woman
who acquired French as a child and learned English as an adult would have one first language (French)
and one second language (English). Similarly, a man who acquired Japanese as a child and learned
English and Spanish as an adult would also have one first language (Japanese) but two second languages
(English and Spanish).

As opposed to acquisition, learning occurs actively and consciously through explicit instruction and
education. In other words, older children and adults past the critical period need explicit teaching to
learn their second languages. Language learning requires explicit instruction in speaking and hearing
additional languages. For example, while children who acquire English as their first language just seem
unconsciously and without instruction to “know” that most adjectives precede nouns in English, those
same children as adults must be taught that most adjectives follow nouns in Spanish. The brains of first
language English speakers have become “hardwired” to innately accept only an adjective-noun pattern;
in order to successfully learn Spanish as a second language, those English speakers must consciously
learn the different pattern of noun-adjective. Or rather, second language learners must “retrain” the
brain to accept language systems outside the confines of the first language.

Language Immersion

Language immersion is a second language learning method in which language learners immerse
themselves in the target (second) language. For example, Spanish language learners might plan
a Spanish immersion experience through an extended vacation to a Spanish-speaking country and
communicate only with the Spanish language. Parents who want their children to learn French as a
second language might enroll their children into a school with a language immersion program that
teaches all subjects (math, science, social studies) in the French language. The goal of language
immersion is to create a linguistic environment that mimics the environment of first language
acquisition. The idea behind language immersion is that, if all incoming (auditory) communication is in
the target language, then students will eventually be compelled to use the target language for all
outgoing (spoken) communication. The outcome of language immersion is language learning, not
language acquisition.

Second Language Acquisition

The theory behind language learning programs (with Rosetta Stone as the most well-known) is that
adults past the critical period can acquire language. Although some older children and adults can
seemingly acquire languages in addition to their first, most people must learn second languages. Such
language learning programs fail to take into account that people learn second languages differently from
the acquisition of first languages, by ignoring the differences between language acquisition and language
learning. While all children before the critical period can innately acquire their first languages, most
adults past the critical period must learn second languages through explicit education and instruction.

In addition to the problems with the claim of second language acquisition, many language learning
programs also mistakenly claim to teach second languages through language immersion. For example,
Rosetta Stone proclaims that its language learning programs help people learn second languages
naturally by providing a “completely immersive environment” that recreates on the computer the
childhood experience of “speaking instinctively by experiencing the world.” Instant Immersion similarly
claims to “immerse learners in authentic dialogue and traditions” through its language learning
programs. However, authentic language immersion cannot happen through a computer program.
Instead, real language learning through language immersion can only occur when language learners
physically and mentally immerse themselves in a linguistic environment with adequate linguistic input
from the target language. Computer software cannot replicate actual linguistic interactions.
The Roles of Language Learning Programs

Although second language learners cannot acquire languages through language learning programs, such
learners can learn second languages through such programs. For example, the Learn English Now!
program available through Transparent Language promises not only to teach vocabulary and
pronunciation through simulated English language conversations but also to reference English grammar.
The Everywhere German Audio Course similarly provides explicit German language instruction including
grammar and vocabulary lessons. Language learning programs are legitimate means for learning second
languages so long as the language instruction is explicit especially in the area of grammar education.
However, once language learners learn second languages, language immersion programs like Rosetta
Stone can help to review and reinforce language learning. For example, first-year Spanish students might
use the Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish Online Language Learning program over the summer to
practice the Spanish language before second-year classes begin in the fall.

Conclusion

First language acquisition differs from second language learning in that children acquire first languages
innately and passively while adults learn second languages actively through explicit education and
instruction. Older children and adults past the critical period can successfully learn second languages
through language immersion. However, many language learning programs that promise language
acquisition through immersion fail to take into account the differences between first language
acquisition and second language learning as well as the necessary linguistic environment for authentic
language immersion. Nonetheless, language immersion programs can reinforce the learning that
language learners gained through explicit second language education and instruction.
Difference between a First Language & a Second Language
Language is the most significant aspect which makes us different from all other species. Accordingly,
language acquisition is the most impressive aspect of human development both in psychological and
cognitive perspective. However, all the normal human beings acquire the language they first encounter
as children. Then they might learn multiple languages but those languages will always be different from
the first language they acquired by being exposed to. So, it is evident that there are a lot of differences
between the first language and the second language of a person.

Let’s explore the differences:

A first language is the mother tongue or native language of a person while a second language is a
language a person learns in order to communicate with the native speaker of that language.

The first language is like an instinct which is triggered by birth and developed with the experience of
being exposed to it. A second language is a personal choice of a person.

There is no other alternative to a first language. A person cannot decide his/her first language. It comes
to him/her as an inheritance/legacy/birthright. On the other hand, a second language is always fixed by
the person. There are many alternatives to a second language. A person/community can choose a
second language among other languages.

The acquiring process of the first language is very rapid while the learning process of the second
language can vary from language to language and from person to person, but can never be as rapid as
the first language acquisition.

The first language is ‘acquired’ and the second language is ‘learned’. The difference between these two
words describes the qualities of the two languages. ‘Acquire’ means “to come into possession or
ownership of” which indicates that the first language is like a dynamic and abstract property which
comes into possession of a person. On the other hand, ‘learn’ means “to gain knowledge or skill by
study, instruction, or experience” which indicates that there is nothing passive in second language
learning.

A first language is completely acquired with 100% proficiency within 6 years from the birth. However, a
second language can never be learned as efficiently as a first language; though good competence can be
achieved in the second language, the process is slow.
The first language acquisition is always natural and there is no need for instruction in acquiring it. But a
second language learning is not natural and it needs continuous guidance and instruction.

The first language acquisition begins with telegraphic speech. The term 'telegraphic speech' deriving
from the word ‘telegram’ was coined by Roger Brown, an American psycholinguist, in 1963. It refers to
the two-word a child can utter when s/he is 18 to 24 months of age. Examples of telegraphic speech:
Mom see, Dad go, No ball, Daddy walk, Mommy milk, etc. On the other hand, the second language
acquisition begins with a full sentence. A child cannot start learning the second language without being
fully efficient in the first language.

The first language is a natural part of a person’s everyday life. But the second language is a new aspect
of the person’s life if s/he chooses it to be.

The first language does not require any conscious effort; the acquisition process of the first language is
subconscious. The second language requires constant conscious effort so that the learners can
internalize the structures of the second language.

Some factors of difference for the first language and the second language.
Age:

It is the most important factor that makes a second language totally different from the first language.
Children of the age of 6 who have already acquired full proficiency in their first language are most
capable of learning a second language. Adults usually find it difficult to learn a new language when they
become too accustomed to their first/native language.

Personality:

A child’s personality does not usually make that much of difference in the acquisition of the first
language. But it makes a huge difference in the learning process of the second language. In the second
language learning process, the learners with an introvert personality usually make slow progress than
the learners with an extrovert personality.

Culture:

The first language is one of the most important factors of a person’s culture. But a second language is
not that important in anyone’s culture. However, the second language has some effects on the culture
of a person but not significant enough to be counted as an element of that culture.
Motivation:

It is an important factor for the second language learning. A learner with good motivation to learn a
second language is likely to learn that language faster. But the acquisition of the first language does not
require any motivation because it is a natural phenomenon. The first language is acquired
subconsciously and there is no need for motivation to acquire it.

Mother Tongue:

The first language is the mother tongue of a person. The second language learning depends a lot on the
structures of the first language. If the structure of the first language is similar to the second language, it
will be easy and fast for the learners to internalize it. For instance, an English native speaker will find
Dutch easier to learn than Hindi as a second language.

A first language and a second language both have their effects on each other. However, as we have
learned that the first language is natural and has a solid base in a person’s intellectual and psychological
development, the first language is not affected by the second language as much as the second language
is affected by the first language. Finally, we can say that the relationship and the differences between a
first and a second language are complex but constant.