Language Acquisition Theories

Language Acquisition Theories

1. First Language Acquisition

   • Behaviourist
     • It proposes that children learn through operant conditioning.
       • They learn when they make certain sounds.
   • Innatist
     • Chomsky (2002) says that a child borns with the ability of acquiring a language.
   • Interactionist
     • Exposure to the language and interaction with humans.

2. Second Language Acquisition

   • Behaviourist in SLA
     • Audio Lingual Method
       • Dialogue, drills and repetition.
       • Errors should be corrected in order to avoid bad habits
   • Innatist in SLA
     • English learners are seen to creatively construct the rules for the second language in a way they did for the first one
   • Interactionist in SLA
     • This is the way both native and non-native speakers of the language interact
       • They gesticulate and create cognates

3. Sociocultural Theory

   • It is a variety of cognitive constructivism.
   • It emphasizes the collaborative nature of learning
   • Knowledge is constructed by the learner rather than passively absorbed

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