CHAPTER 3

HISTORICAL AND
CONTEMPORARY VIEWS OF
LANGUAGE LEARNING AND
INFLUENCES OF THEORIES
ON LANGUAGE TEACHING
Historical and Contemporary
Views of Language Learning
THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION ARE
CONSIDERED CENTRAL TO THE INFORMATION
THAT SPEECH- LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS MUST
LEARN FOR SEVERAL REASONS:
FIRST, A DESCRIPTIVELY ADEQUATE THEORY OF
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT WILL PROVIDE AN
OUTLINE OF WHAT IS LEARNED BY A CHILD WHEN
THEY ACQUIRE LANGUAGE.

SECONDLY, THEORIES OF LANGUAGE

DEVELOPMENT HAVE EXPLANATORY ADEQUACY
WILL ACCOUNT FOR NOT ONLY THE FACTS OF
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT , BUT ALSO THE
MECHANISMS OF LANGUAGE LEARNING- THAT IS , “
HOW” LANGUAGE IS LEARNED (BOHANNON &
BONVILLAN, 2005, CHOMSKY, 1965)
Different Paradigms and their different
perspective will be described as they
relate to two questions.

• WHAT DO CHILDREN ACQUIRE WHEN

THEY ACQUIRE LANGUAGE?

• WHICH PROCESSES ACCOUNT FOR HOW

CHILDREN ACQUIRE LANGUAGE