Topic :first language acquisition

Present by:

Umair jameel

Fa19-bpy-001
 First language acquisition
First language acquisition refers to the way children
learn their native language

It’s a subconscious process

It dose not require any education.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN S
LANGUAGE

Their language development shows a high degree of

similarity among children all over the world.
• PREDICTABILITY
• LEARNING THROUGH IMITATION
• CREATIVITY
 Before first word

 The earliest vocalizations

 –Involuntary crying
 –Cooing and gurgling
 – showing satisfaction or happiness
 Babbling

 “Babbling” –Babies use sounds to reflect the

characteristics of the different language they are
learning.
 “one-word” stage

 First Words Around 12 months

 one or two recognizable words .
 Single-word sentences.
 “Two-word” stage

 By the age of 2
 at least 50 different words
 “telegraphic” sentences (no function words and
grammatical morphemes) e.g., “Mommy juice”,
“baby fall down”
 reflecting the order of the language. e.g., “kiss
baby”, “baby kiss”
 creatively combining words. e.g., “more outside”,
“all gone cookie”
 At the age of four
 By the age of 4
– Most children are able to:
 ask questions
 give commands
 report real events
 create stories about imaginary ones with correct
word order and grammatical markers most of the
time.
 THEORETICAL APPROACHES
TO ACQUISITION
BEHAVIORISM: SAY WHAT I SAY

 Skinner: language behavior is the production of

correct responses to stimuli through
reinforcement.
 Language learning is the result
of
 imitation
(word-for-word repetition)
 practice

(repetitive manipulation of form)

 feedback on success

(positive reinforcement) habit formation.

 Children’s imitations are not
random

 Their imitation is selective and

based on what they
are currently learning.
 INNATISM: IT’S ALL IN
YOUR MIND

 Chomsky (1959) argues that behaviorism cannot

provide sufficient explanations for children’s
language acquisition for the following reasons:
 Children come to know their language .
 False start
 –Children are by no means systematically
corrected or instructed on language by parents.
 INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVES:
LEARNING FROM INSIDE AND OUT

 INTERACTIONISM: Bruner
 Language acquisition is an example of children’s
ability to learn from experience;
What
children need to know is essentially available in
the language they are exposed to.
 the innate
learning ability of
children

LANGUAGE
DEVELOPME
NT

the
environment in
which they
develop
 ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION

 Competence:
ability to do something
 Performance:

manifestation of competence
 Conclusion
 The innate ability to construct a mental grammar
diminishes after puberty, thus, children's ability
to learn languages diminishes after that period.
The critical period evidence, therefore, supports
Chomsky's view that all humans are born with an
innate ability to acquire a communication system.