THE ACQUISITION-LEARNING DISTINCTION

THE ACQUISITION-LEARNING DISTINCTION

1. Is the most fundamental of all the hypotheses about Second Language Acquisition

   • The ability to "pick-up" languages does not disappear at puberty.
     • Adults can access the same natural "language acquisition device" that children use

2. Language acquisition

   • Is a subconscious process
     • We are generally not consciously aware of the rules of the languages we have acquired.
     • Grammatical sentences "sound" right, or "feel" right, and errors feel wrong, even if we do not consciously know what rule was violated.
   • Language acquirers are not usually aware of the fact that they are acquiring language, but are only aware of the fact that they are using the language for communication.
   • Results
     • Acquired competence, is also subconscious.
   • "picking-up" a language
     • Implicit learning, informal learning, and natural learning

3. Language learning

   • Conscious knowledge of a second language, knowing the rules, being aware of them, and being able to talk about them
   • "knowing about" a language, known to most people as "grammar", or "rules"