Module 1- unit 2 (page 31-40)Slide 23Language Learning theories
The following topics will be reviewed in this unit 2:
1. The Definition of L and how does it works and
the 6 following LL theories
1. Behaviorist Theory
2. Innatist (Mentalist)theory
3. Monitor theory
4. Socio- linguistics theory
5. The Acculturation(exchange culture)
6. The Intergroup Model
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3.0 Introduction
3.1 What’s Language?
A person view about a language depends on:
Who is s/he? How he perceive this L? there are
many definition:
Corder (1973) notes following about language
that:
1. Some people see it as an instrument-(device)
(like alarm clock)
2. Other see it as a human being (like people) or
empire.(have birth, growth and decline)
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He added:
3. Language has a time of blossoming and
flowering.(as trees)
4. Other thought of it as if it has physical
quality(beauty, ugly, vulgar (bad), debased
(decrees) decadent
5. Some say it is as an event
6.When discussion takes place language (crop
up)
7. Something we know..
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“ It something like skilled behavior can improve
thro’ practice (read, write speak well or badly”.
***Croder (1973) notes: our view of a language
is not which is right, but which one is useful for
LL.
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3.2 Language and Individual
1. Individual is not born with a language
2. Individual acquire Language skills, although,
s/he nobody develops it in a same degree,
but they speak, listen, read and write when
they have opportunity(chance)
3. Linguists try to explain what goes in, when
speaking and how to perform tasks.
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3.2(continue)
• Corder(1973) says:
The descriptive framework and methods inside
individual need some compatibility with the
study of other aspects of of(social structure,
social behavior, human culture that linguists
need when analyzing a language.
Exercise 2- p: 33 true/false
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3.3 Language Learning Theories
The following are some theories about LL:
Theory No. 1
3.3.1 Behavior theory
Its’ fathers are:(Pavlov and Skinner)1986 use some
animals behaviors in their experiments and reached
at: “ L is a mechanical process of habit formation,
which proceeded by frequent reinforcements of a
stimulus- response sequence”
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That means: all learning involves:
• imitate- practice- reinforcement- habit
formation and generalization. (Spade &
lightbown 2002)
• Language learnt as psychomotor skills (walk
jump, dance, etc.)
• But, the Motto of behavourism is (verbal
behaviour- done by activity in LL ( Demizeren
1989:157)
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Continue
- Social Environment is important not only as
linguistics stimulus to form association bw
(words – objects- events) but, it needed as a
feedback on Language performance.
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Spade & Lightbown claim that:
• L1 habits that learners
established interfere
with the formation of new habits of L2.
• Contrastive analysis hypotheses(CAH) supports
and accounts for the role L1(mother L) on L2,
but, it failed to predict errors that Language
learners observed to make and what is predict
never occurs.
• Researchers realized that learner make same
errors.
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Summary of some behaviorists
percepts:
1. Social environment important in L L.
2. The teachers has a lot of roles to play in the LL
activities.
3. Errors must be corrected immediately
5. Frequent repetition is crucial.
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3.3.2 Theory 2
• Innatist (mentalist)Theory
• Noam Chomsky(USA) is the
developer of it.
• It comes as a result of the
weakness of (BH) theory.
• The major principle of innatist
theory is:
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The principle of innatist theory:
• “everybody learn a language not bcz they
‘re subject to similar condition”, but, bcz
they possess an inborn capacity that
permit them to acquire a language as a
normal maturational.
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Principle 2
• Chomasky said: “ the child learners
has innate properties of language
why?
• Bcz, s/he masters their mothers’
tongue in a very short time (in spite
its highly abstract nature of rules.
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He insisted that every human
• In any society- has his\her own language
devices(structure)
• Therefore, language acquisition device (LAD) is
the L innate faculty that is responsible for
language acquisition(without any need for
social environment)…
• later: it called Universal Grammar(UG), is
described as “Specialized module of the
brain”(pre- programed to possess L”
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• Why UG is important for a child?
It permit the child to acquire the language
during the a particular develop. Period
called (critical period) for L acquisition.
* The child subconsciously list these rules
in his /her linguistics formation, he/she
can take the rules from his/her brain.
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What are the natural environment that
surrounded a child in his/her society?
• His or her father and mother
• language is not just a matter of biological
make up.
But,
• it should involve learning by doing activities
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The followings are the mentalist
Tenets(beliefs):
• 1.The L teacher is not needed.
• 2.Errors are permitted, bcz they serve as
reflection of learners’ LLP. (Acquisition process
• 3. The role of social environment is
undermined.
• 4. Language is innate (natural).
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3.3.3 Theory No. (3): Monitor Theory
Krashen’ theory (1982):
Spada and Lightbrown (2002) assume that this
theory share Chomskyan’s universal grammar(UG’s
assumptions)
BUT,
- Its has its own scope
- Specially on the L2 assumption.
- One of the assumption is that:
.
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Human learn L with instructions or
feedback on errors
• Later Krashen developed five hypotheses in
this theory (monitor) as follows:
1) Acquisition learning hypothesis
2) The monitor hypothesis
3) The input hypothesis
4) The natural order hypothesis
5) The effective filter hypothesis
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Fundamental hypnosis of Monitor
Theory is:
• That: there is a different bw acquisition and
learning
The suggestion of Monitor Theory:
That in the case of impromptu speech
(in the time of speaking) that
originate in the system , what has
been learnt may be used to edit (self
correct) speech of L2 learners.
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To be sure L2 learners follow the
stages like L1 learners:
• Krashen invent the five mentioned hypotheses
that illustrate as follows:
• Hypothsis 1
• 1. The Acquisition learning Hypothesis:
it suggests ways to develop L ability
1. L Acquisition is subconscious process
2. It be should learn at school
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• Error correction help Learners (if someone
correct you it will change the conscious abou
rules.
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Hypothesis 2
• 3.3.3.2 The Natural Order Theory:
• It claims:
“Parts of L are acquired in a predictable order”
- you predict what parts of L should LL learn first.
- Relate L environment to background
- 1st and 2nd languahes are similar.
- All
- Depends on individual exposure to the L.
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• This natural hypothesis will not work if the
individual has any deficiency as deafness
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Hypothesis 3
• 3.3.3.3 the Monitor Hypothesis
It interests on how acquision and learning are
used.
- Language is believed that it is easily produced
by :
using our linguistics competence.
- Conscious learning functions as(monitor&
editor
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Functions of our conscious monitor
are:
1. Correct
2. Inspects(search)
3. Scan internally human subconscious that
need competence.
4. Before a sentence uttered our monitor edit
and scan it for error.
Q. What makes this monitor work successfully:
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The answer:
• the acquirer must:
1. know the rule.
2. Think about corrections, and focus on form.
3. Have the time.
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3.3.3.4 the input hypothesis
Its functions:
1. Explain how language acquisition.
2. Reflect the view that L2 learning occur like
L1: as a result of exposure to meaningful and
varied linguistics input wc helps to build
competence.(Spadda, lightbown:2002)
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3.3.3.5 Affective Filter hypothesis
• It suggests that successful happens if learners
are motivated to learn L2.
• Intrinsic or extrinsic
• Intrinsic means: a learner is natural motivated
to learn the L.
• Extrinsic: means the learner is motivated by
social factors(jobs, social climbing)
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Krashen’s hypotheses are criticized
that:
• They are: 1. vague
2. difficult to be
investigated emprically
• But : Mointor theory as believed:
1. Has significant impact on L1 and L2 learning
and teaching.
2. His attempts to distinguished between
“acquisition” and learning “ is
laudable(respectable
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Theory 4
• 3.3.4 Socio- cultural Theory
• of
LL(Vygostky
(1987)
Spada
and
Lightbown(2002) assume that:
• Linguists who work on socio- cultural
perspective of L2 belief that:
1. There is a dialectical (argue) relation b
w (Culture ) (mind)
2. Learning is first social then individual
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The argument that:
• Thro’ dialogue or comm. Learners construct
knowl.
• Ten this knowl is internalize
Emphasis of this theory is:
On social, cultural and biological elements
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Theory(Model) 5
3.3.5 The Acculturation (akult-tration)
1. (the degree of social distance(how you become
a member of a target group
2. It sees that learners is adapted to a new culture.
3. It used to explain the acquisition of the
additional language by immigrants in natural
majority language context.
4. The theory case study is 33 year old Cosata
Rican Alberto
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He failed to
• acculturate to target language community
and thus developed a pidginized(pgnizd) from
E. Schumann explains the finding as follows:
1. L2 acquisition is an aspect of acculturation.
2. The degree wc the learner acculturates to
target L group will control the degree to wc
he acquires ti the 2nd L
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Sum of Acculturation
It is the aspects of:
1. Social distance(is he become a member)
2. Psychological distance(how he feels
3. Acculturation is used to compare and
examine learners’ perception of their LL
within a home stay to studying in a foreign
country, bcz: there will expose to:
- The culture
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- Language and Social structure.
• The limitations are summarized here:
• 1.doesnt explain the internal mechanism of
how to acquire L2
• It is a psychological not cognitive model.
• The model doesn’t consider LL have a
complex
• Not consider social ID that must understood
with reference to larger and inequitable social
structure(that replace in daily interaction
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• It focus on group differences bw LL’s group
and the group of target language.(P:37)
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Theory (Model 6)
• 3.3.6 The Intergroup Model
It emphasis:
1. Ethnicity
2. Issues of social inequality
it observed that learners define
themselves in ethnic term with their
own group
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- They also, make insecure social
comparison with the out group
This theory was criticized that:
1. It takes into account the relation bw learner’s
group(the in- group) and target L group(outgroup.
2. Unlike acculturation group, bcz it sees the
relation bw groups is changing slowly thro’
static. But, inter- group emphasis dynamic
nature of interaction bw the groups with diff.
ethnic linguistics identities.
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It criticized that:
• It has no research evidence to support his
claims (barkhuizen 2006:575)
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Conclusion of the whole units
1. Different ppl have different ideas about
language depends on who they are. Why
they are writing
2. No individual is born with any L.
3. We automatically acquire the L in the
environment they find themselves when they
were born
4. It discussed the different L theories.
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Sum up of the unit
1. Any one know that what L depends on who
we are.
2. We all u se L and there are many L
3. Some ppl speak about how a language works.
4. About the birth , growth and decline of a L
5. Language here is descibed as if it has physical
qaualities.
6. Some thought of a language as an evevt
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Continue:
7. the acculturation model sees learners
adapting to new culture.
8. Barkuizen notes that the theory emerged new
case study of 33 years old Costa Riccan named
Alberto, who failed to acculturate to the Target L
community, but only developed pidginized.
9. The intergroup model emphasis ethnicity and
issue of social inequallity as social factor/
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10. Ulike acculturation the intergroup emphasize
the dynamic nature of the interaction bw
groups.
11. The 1st coherent theory of LL was
behaviourist theory based on the work of Pavlov
and Skinner(Huchinson 1986)
HOMEWORK
define: 1. innate, monitor and socio cultural
theory of L.
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Homework:
• 2. the motto of behaviourism is that L is verbal
behaviour: how will you explain the language
behaviour of a child whose parents are Yourba
and has problem of interference.
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