Second Language Acquisition

Second Language Acquisition

1. Input Hypothesis

   • Stephen Krashen (1985)
   • Belief that everyone learns language the same way
   • Comprehensible input is the understanding of basic messages
   • Example: Teaching a lesson with visuals and hand signals is more effective than immersing students in a language completely.

2. BICS v CALP

   • Jim Cummins (1987)
   • BICS: Basic interpersonal communicative skills; language typically acquired by young children, small aspect of language for conversational use
     • The way people speak conversationally in social situations.
   • CALP: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency; referring to formal academic learning and the skills associated with it (synthesizing, comparing, classifying, etic.
     • The application of language in an academic setting. Having students to eventually be able to write an essay or complete a project.

3. Universal Grammar

   • All human grammar rests on innate building blocks. All languages have basic verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc., the uses change in the different languages
     • English does not give various verbs and nouns gender, while languages such as spanish and French do.
   • Noam Chomsky

4. The Critical Period Hypothesis

   • Eric Lennegerg (1967)
   • A second language is best learned between the ages of 2 and puberty. The ability to learn language is negatively affected by the completion of process of lateralization
     • Example: Teaching children Spanish in 2nd grade.

5. The Monitor Hypothesis

   • Krashen & Terrell (1983)
   • They stated that acquisition is key for language development. Formal rules are not emphasized very much and monitors help ELLs to reflect on the formal rules of language writing.
     • Example: Having an ESL teacher to review ELL student work before turning it in to ensure that formal writing rules are followed and to help explain them if needed.