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INTRODUCTION

Language is a very important part of life. Communication between people not

only enables us to understand one-another, but aids in developing relationships and
allows us to communicate our problems, suggestions and plans. Language is a
construct human work in every day to express a wide range of emotions, ideas,
concepts, and actions. I’m sure you can all agree that language is a crucial part of
everyday life. But how did we acquire language?

  Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to

perceive, produce and use words to understand and communicate .First language
acquisition refers to the way children learn their native language. Second language
acquisition refers to the learning of another language or languages besides the
native language. Language acquisition theories have basically centered around
“nurture” and “nature” distinction or on “empiricism” and “nativism”. The empiricism
holds that all knowledge comes from experience, ultimately from our interaction with
the environment through our reasoning or senses. Empiricism, in this sense, can be
contrasted to nativism, which holds that at least some knowledge is not acquired
through interaction with the environment, but is genetically transmitted and innate. To
put it another way, some theoreticians have based their theories on environmental
factors while others believed that it is the innate factors that determine the
acquisition of language. It is, however, important to note that neither nurturists
(environmentalists) disagree thoroughly with the nativist ideas nor do nativists with
the nurturist ideas.

There are eight theorist having different views of language acquisition: the theory of
Plato, Noam Chomsky, John Locke, B. F. Skinner, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, John
H. Schumann, and Stephen D. Krashen. Numerous theories try to explain the
process of language acquisition. These theories fall into one of two camps. The
environmentalist (or connectionist) and the nativist .

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PLATO
(Athenian Philosopher)
A famous writer and Philosopher
Born: 428 BC Athens, Ancient Greece

Died: 348 BC at the age of 80, Ancient Greece

Best known as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled

influenced in Western thought.

The son of Ariston his father and Perictione his mother.

Student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle.

Son of wealthy Athens family.

Notable works: “The Republic” “Phaedo” “Epigrams” “Lysis”

“Eurhydemus” “Gorgias” “Meno” “Cratylus” “Ion” “Theaetetus”
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Plato’s Theory of Language Acquisition

Plato believed that some knowledge including language, was

innate. His idea is called Plato’s Problem, in which he asked

how humans were able to accomplish so much with so little

time given to them. Language was an innate human element,

and that is why most people can talk early on in life.

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Avram Noam Chomsky

(Father of Modern Linguistics)

Born: December 7, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Age: 91

The creator of Universal Grammar theory.

A Professor in Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

An American linguist, Philosopher, Logician, and Political Commentator..

Notable works:

Feb. 1957: “Syntax Structure”

1966: “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax”

1966: “Cartesian Linguistics: A Chapter in the History of Linguistic Thought

1966: “Topics in the Theory of Generative Grammar”

1968: The Sound Pattern of English

1972: Language and Mind

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Chomsky’s Theory of Language Acquisition

Noam Chomsky postulated that the mechanism of language acquisition is derived

from the innate processes. Innate is something which is already there in mind since

birth, which he refers to as the “Universal Grammar”, Chomsky postulate that all

human languages are built upon a common structural basis. T

The "Innateness Hypothesis" of child language acquisition, proposed by Noam

Chomsky, states that the human species is pre-wired to acquire language, and that

the kind of language is also determined. Essentially, we’re born with the ability to

learn languages as a result of a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). This is a

theoretical component of the mind that allows anyone to acquire language.

Chomsky rejected the idea that human mind is a clean slate at birth and is filled in

experience. He suggested that there are components of mind which are innately

determined about languages and other systems of knowledge.

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John Locke
(An English Philosopher and Physician)

Born: August 29, 1632 in Wrington, Somerset, England.

Died : October 28, 1704 at the age of 72. He was buried in the Churchyard of the
Village of High Laver, Essex.

Education: University of Oxford, Westminster School.

He graduated with bachelor of medicine in 1674.

Considered as one of the greatest and most influential Enlightenment thinkers in

history.

Greatest English Philosopher and a leading figure in the fields of epistemology,

metaphysics, and political philosophy.

He was an inspirer of both the European Enlightenment and the Constitution of the
United States.

Major works:

An essay Concerning Human Understanding

Two Treatises of Government

Letters on Toleration
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John Locke’s Theory of language Acquisition

John Locke examined how people acquire ideas in An

Essay Concerning Human Understanding. He replaces the

theory of innate knowledge with his own signature concept, the

tabula rasa (blank slate) theory he asserted that at birth the

human mind is a blank slate or tabula rasa and empty of ideas.

He believed that we are born with an empty mind, having no

knowledge whatsoever –we are all blank slates at birth and that

we can only know things exist if we first experience them

,people learn and acquire ideas from external forces or the

environment. And as we go through life, our experiences write

knowledge on that slate.

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Burrhus Frederic Skinner

(American Behaviorist Inventor)

Born on March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.

Died of Leukemia on August 18, 1990 at the age 86 in
Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Education: Hamilton College, Harvard University.
Occupation: Psychologist
Known for his work on Operant Conditioning and Schedules of
Reinforcement.
Main Theorist:
Positive & Negative Reinforcement, Operant Behavior, Escape
learning, Avoidance Learning and Behavior Modification.
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B.F. Skinner Theory of language Acquisition

Behaviorist B.F. Skinner believed that children learn language through operant

conditioning in other words children received “rewards” for using language in a

functional manner. For example, a child learns to say the word “drink” when she is

thirsty; she receives something to drink, which reinforces her use of the word for

getting a drink, and thus she will continue to do so. Skinner also suggested that

children learn language through imitation of others, prompting, and shaping.

According to Skinner. the child imitates the language of its parents and the persons

who are around him. An adult who recognizes a word spoken by a child will praise

the child and/or give it what is asking for. Therefore successful utterances are

reinforced during the process of rewarding (response/smile/food/etc.). The main

principle of operant conditioning is reinforcement and the child learns language

through positive reinforcement.

The theory of skinner states that children acquire language by imitating the language

structures they hear around them. Parents automatically reinforce and correct their

children’s language, which forms the basis for a child’s knowledge of language.
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Jean William Fritz Piaget

(Swiss Psychologist and genetic epistemologist)

Born on August 9,1896 in Neuchatel, Switzerland.

Died: September 16, 1980 at the age of 84 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Parents: Eldest son of Arthur Piaget and Rebecca Jackson.

Education: Received Ph.D. from University of Neuchatel in 1918.

PhD at the age of 22.

One of the most influential researchers in the area of developmental

psychology.

Famously known for his theory of cognitive development.

Published more than 50 books and 500 papers as well as 37 volumes in

the series “Etudes d’Epistemologie Genetique” (Studies in Genetic
Epistemology).
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Piaget’s Theory of language Acquisition

Piaget was a biologist and a psychologist, his ideas have been influential in the field
of first and second language acquisition studies.

Jean Piaget’s theory of language development suggests that children use both
assimilation and accommodation to learn language. Assimilation is the process of
changing one’s environment to place information into an already –existing schema
(or idea). Accommodation is the process of changing one’s schema to adapt to the
new environment. Piaget believed children need to first develop mentally before
language acquisition can occur. According to him, children first create mental
structures within the mind (schemas) and from these schemas, language
development happens.

Piaget believed that children progress through specific phases of development

during which they acquire predictable skills and behavior.

1.The sensorimotor stage from ages 0 to 2 (understanding the environment) from

age 0-2 ,a child interacts with his world through movement and explores his
surrounding through the five senses.

2.The preoperational stage from ages 2 to 7 (understanding the symbols) , the child
enters the fantasy stage, or magical thinking stage. It is during this time that children
learn symbols in language, when egocentrism dominates, and motor skills are
required.

3. The concrete operational stage from ages 7 to 11 (mental tasks and language
use) , children learn to use logical thinking and perform concrete mental operations
with the use of aids. Children begin to master abstract thought until the final stage.

4 . The formal operational stage from the age 11 onwards (dealing with abstraction) a
child is able to think abstractly, use reason to solve theoretical problems, and
consider hypothetical scenarios. During this period, the child moves sociocentrism- a
focus on the larger social world rather than focusing solely on the self.
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Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky

(Mozart of Psychology)

The Soviet Russian Seminal Psychologist.

Born:November 5, 1896
Birthplace: Orsha, Russia.
Died: June 11, 1934 at the age of 37
Cause of Death: Tuberculosis
He attended Moscow State University, where he
graduated with a degree in law in 1917.
Studied law, medicine, history and philosophy.
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Vygotsky’s Theory of language Acquisition

Lev Vygotsky’s theory of language development focused on social learning and the

zone of proximal development (ZPD). The zone of proximal development commonly

referred to as ZPD is defined as the area what a learner can do by himself and that

which can be attained with the help of a more knowledgeable other. Vgyotsky

suggest that there are two parts of learner developmental level. First level, is actual

development, this is the upper limit of task one can perform independently. The

second level is the level of potential development. This is the upper limit of tasks that

one can perform with the assistance of a more knowledgeable other. The more

knowledgeable other or MKO, shares knowledge with the learner to bridge the gap

between what is known and what is not known.

Vygotsky viewed the zone of proximal development as the area where the most

sensitive instruction or guidance should occur. Scaffolding which is directly related to

zone of proximal development in that it is the support mechanism that helps a

learner successfully perform a task within his or her ZPD. The child learns in the

zone of proximal with the help of a more knowleadgeable other. So scaffolding is a

tool for helping students to learn. And when the learner moves toward mastery, the

assistance or support is gradually decreased in order to shift the responsibility for

learning from the MKO to the learner.

According to Vygotsky theory, the child learned through social interaction. Vygotsky

believed that when a student is in the zone of proximal development for a particular

task, providing the appropriate assistance will give the student enough of a “boost” to
achieve the task. Vygotsky’s theory assert that learning is an essentially social

processes in which the support of parents, caregivers, peers and the wider society

and culture plays a crucial role in the development of a higher psychological

functions.
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John H. Schumann
Born: May 23, 1943

Age: 76 years old

Professor of applied linguistics and former director of the Department of

Applied Linguistics and TESL (Teaching English as a Second language)
at UCLA.

He is the author of the book: The Interactional Instinct: The Evolution

and Acquisition of Language.

Founding member on the Field of Second Language Acquisition.

First to conceptualise acculturation in Second language acquisition.

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Schumann’s Theory of Second Language

Acquisition

Schumann’s Acculturation theory was done in 1978. Schumann believed that

acquiring a new a language acquisition is part of a more general process of

acculturation. The main suggestion is that the acquisition of second language is

directly linked to the acculturation process. Acculturation defined as the merging of

cultures, and they must acculturate or come to adapt the new culture’s behaviors,

values, customs, and language. According to schumann’s theory the failure to learn

a new language can be explained by social and psychological distance.

To Schumann, the social distance consist of eight factors, which greatly hamper in

the successful learning of SLA. The first components of the social distance is the

social dominance , the social dominance considers the degree of equality

(subordination or domination) between the host and guest cultures. If the second-

language learning group is politically, culturally, technically or economically dominant

to or subordinate to the target language group, social contact between the two

groups will tend not to sufficient for optimal target language acquisition. If they are

nearly equal in status , then there will be more contact between the two groups and

thus, acquisition of the target language will be enhanced. Second component, is

integration pattern or Assimilation, preservation and adaptation, is there a desire to

integrate or resist the new language. The third is enclosure ,the more the second

language learning groups share social institutions such as schools, churches,

workplaces, clubs and others with the target language group, the more favorable the

conditions will be for second language acquisition. The fourth component is

cohesiveness means that the larger the group of similar language speakers, the

more they interact with each other, and the less likely language-learning is to occur.

The fifth component is size if the size of the learner’s group is large it tends to

facilitate intragroup contact rather than inter-group contact. The sixth of component

is congruence ,the more similar the culture of the two groups, there will be social

contact and thus language acquisition. The seventh component is attitude the more

positive the views of the second language learning group toward the target language

group, the more favorable will be the conditions of second language and the last

component is the intended length of residence, the longer second language learners

plan to remain in second language environment, the more likely it is that they will feel

the necessity of learning the target language. Thus the great social distance between

the host community and the target language speakers and culture deeply affects

their acculturation, and hence their second language acquisition.

Schumann claims that acculturation or the integration of the second language

learner into the target linguistic community , is not a direct cause of second language

acquisition but rather it is the first in a chain of factors which results in natural SLA.

He proposes that “acculturation as a remote cause brings the learner into contact

with those speakers as a proximate cause brings about the negotiation of

appropriate input which then operates as the immediate cause of language

acquisition”.
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Stephen D. Krashen

Born: May 14, 1941

Birth Place: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, U.S.A

Age :78 years old.

An expert in the field of Linguistic.

Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Education at the University of

Southern California.

He is a linguist, educational researcher, and political activist.

Ph.D at UCLA in Linguistics.

Known for his hypotheses related to second language acquisition.

Author of the numerous books including, Three Arguments Against

Whole Language and Why They Are Wrong (1999), Every Person a
Reader: An Alternative to the California Task Force Report on California
Task Force Report on Reading (1997), and Under Attack: The Case
Against Bilingual Education (1997)
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Krashen’s theory of second language Acquisition

Krashen’s theory of second language consists of five main hypotheses. The

acquisition learning hypothesis; the monitor hypothesis; the input hypothesis; the

affective Filter hypothesis and the natural order hypothesis.

The first hypothesis is the Acquisition-Learning distinction it is the most

fundamental of the five hypotheses in Krashen’s and the most widely known among

linguists and language teachers. According to Krashen there are two independent

system of foreign language performance: ‘the acquired system’ and ‘the learned

system’. The acquired system or ‘acquisition’ is the product of a subconscious

process children undergo when they acquire their first language, it requires

meaningful interaction in the target language –natural communication – in whichy+7

speakers are concentrated not in the form of their utterances, but in the

communicative act. The “learned system” or “learning” is the product of formal

instruction and it comprises a conscious knowledge ‘about’ the language. According

to Krashen “learning is less important than “acquisition. The second hypothesis is the

monitor hypothesis this explains the relationship between acquisition and learning

defines the influence of tatter on the former. The monitoring function is the practical

result of the learned grammar. According to Krashen, the acquisition system is the

utterance initiator ,while the learning system performs the role of the ‘monitor’ or the

‘editor’. The input hypothesis , is Krashens attempt to explain how the learner

acquires a second language- how second language acquisition takes place. The

affective filter hypothesis embodies Krashen’s view that a number of ‘affective

variables’ play a facilitative, but non-causal , role in second language acquisition.

These variables include: motivation, self-confidence, anxiety and personal traits.

Krashen claims that learners with high motivation, self-confidence, a good self-

image, a low level of anxiety and extroversion are better equipped for success in a

second language acquisition. The Natural order hypothesis according to krashen

learners acquire parts of language in a predictable order. For any given language,

certain grammatical structures are required early while others are required later in

the process.
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Reflection

Among the eight theorist . The only theory that makes me believe is the

theory of Vygotsky .

The Zone of Proximal Development is a useful concept. To ensure that

students are learning in their Zone of Proximal Development. I believed that when a

child is in the zone of proximal development for a particular task, providing the

appropriate assistance will give the child enough of a “boost” to achieve the task

learning which is the support of parents, caregivers, peers and the wider

society .Children learned to achieve more challenging tasks with the aid of someone

more knowledgeable .

Our learning is not enough we need someone to help us in order to perform a

certain task and by the help and guidance of the more knowledgeable other or

MKO, we can be able to do the task because of the social support given to us.
 Davao Vision Colleges, Inc.

Stone Rock Village, Catalunan Grande, Davao City

In Partial Fulfillment in English 103

Principles and Theories of Language Acquisition

Submitted by:
Cabisay, Roxan Dolorel.
.

Submitted to:
Ms. Lhyndyl A. Lianza, LPT

March 2020
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REFERENCES

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/theory-of-language-learning

https://www.optilingo.com/blog/gen

https://files.eric.ed.gov.com

https://blog.cognifit.com/language-acquisition-theory

www.maison.80.co.nz.com

VYGOTSKY, L.S. 1962. Thought and Language. Cambridge,

Massachusetts: The M.I.T. Press. (edited and translated by Eugenia

Hanfmann and Gertrude Vakar).

Table of Content

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..1
Plato’s
Background…………………………………………………………………………….........2
Plato’s Theory of Language Acquisition…………………………………………………..3
Noam Chomsky’s Background…………………………………………………………….4
Noam Chomsky’s Theory of Language Acquisition……………………………………...5
John Locke’s
Background……………………………………………………………………....................6
John Locke’s Theory of Language Acquisition…………………………………………...7
B.F. Skinner’s
Background…………………………………………………………………………………..8
B.F. Skinner’s Theory of Language
Acquisition……………………………………………………………………………………9
Piaget Background………………………………………………………………………...10
Piaget’s Theory of Language Acquisition………………………………………………..11
Lev Vygotsky’s Background………………………………………………………………12
Lev Vygotsky’s Theory of Language Acquisition………………………………………..13
Schumann’s
Background…………………………………………………………………………………14
Schumann’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition…………………………………15
Krashen’s Background…………………………………………………………………….16
Krashen’s Theory of Second
Language Acquisition……………………………………………………………………...17
Reflection…………………………………………………………………………………...18
References………………………………………………………………………………….19