Second Language Theories and Perspectives

Second Language Theories and Perspectives

1. The Innatist Perspective - According to Chomsky, innate knowledge of Universal Grammar allows children to acquire the language of their environment during a critical period of their development.

2. The competition model: First and second language acquisition that takes into account not only language form but also language meaning and language use (MACWHINNEY, 1981)

3. Input Processing: It is essential that learners pay attention to the language features, and analyze the functions of the features of language (VANPATTEN, 2004)

4. Processability Theory: Consists of the processing and the development of the language features in the language learning process: variational features (PIENEMANN, 1999, 2003) (MEISEIL, CLAHSEN AND PIENEMANN, 1981)

5. Language and the brain: "Recent brain imaging studies show activation in different locations in both hemispheres of the brain during language processing."Language and the brain: "Recent brain imaging studies show activation in different locations in both hemispheres of the brain during language processing."

6. The interaction hypothesis: Conversational interaction is an essential condition for second language acquisition (HATCH, 1978; LONG, 1983, 1996). Learners need: Opportunities to interact with other speakers; Working together to reach understanding.

7. The noticing hypothesis: Proposed by Richard Schmidt (1990, 2001) who understands that comprehensible input does not lead to growth in language knowledge unless the learner becomes aware of a particular language feature.

8. Usage-based learning: Ellis (2002): "The frequency with which learners encounter specific linguistic features in the input and the frequency with which language features occur together". Learners create connections between language features, and the context in which they occur.

9. The Behaviourist Perspective - In this perspective is believed that humans learn by imitating, practicing, reinforcing, and forming habits.

10. The role of practice: Implementation of 3 principles for practicing L2 in a foreign language classroom (ORTEGA, 2007). In this view practice should be: Interactive, Meaningful, Task-essential forms.

11. The sociocultural perspective: Vygotsky's theory assumes that cognitive develpment, including language development, arises as a result of social interactions (p. 118). Internalizing occurs when an individual interacts with an interlocutor within his or her zone of proximal development (ZPD).

12. Learning by talking: Extending Vygotskyan theory to second language acquisition, Lantolf (2000), Donato (1994) researches shows how second language learners acquire language when they collaborate and interact with other speakers. Producing language (output) makes learners pay more attention to the language features they use.

13. The cognitive perspective - Our mind has the capacity for storing, integrating and, retrieving information. Second Language Acquisition occurs through the building up of knowledge that can become automatic when speaking and understanding.