Second Language Acquisition Theories

Second Language Acquisition Theories

1. Cognitivism

   • Cognitivism claims that language learning is not completely different from other activities that involve the process of learning, thus, it is the result of the creation of networks and associations that take place in the human brain (Myles, 2002).
     • Connectionism
       • It attributes more importance to the environment than any other aspect when it comes to learning.
         • it supposes that through the systematic exposure to different linguistic contexts, learners may develop the ability to create a network of connections between relevant elements. This is quite related to vocabulary teaching, considering the fact that learners need to expand the word knowledge of lexical items in different contexts.
     • Information processing
       • The Information Processing Model proposed by Barry McLaughlin in 1983 suggests that “learning starts from controlled processes, which gradually become automatic over time” (Cook, 2008b, p. 221). A very clear-cut example of this is the experience of driving.
         • Under this perspective, Lightbown and Spada (2006) also point out the idea that learners go through stepping stones before achieving fluency in their speech, shifting from declarative to procedural knowledge.
     • Competition model
       • the Competition Model, which was proposed by Brian MacWhinney and Elizabeth Bates in 1982, presupposes that language has four main components: word order, vocabulary, word forms, and intonation. Considering that the amount of space the mind has is limited, these four aspects compete with each other for the same space.
         • The results of this competition favor one or other of these aspects in different languages.

2. Socio cultural Perspective

   • The Sociocultural theory, originally conceived by Lev S. Vygotsky, assumes that language development emerges as a result of social interactions.
     • Under this perspective, the social and the individual factors are comparable in terms of relevance because language is an integration of both components. Specifically, Vygotsky argues that “people gain control of and reorganize their cognitive processes during mediation as knowledge is internalized during social activity”
       • Internalization
         • This idea assumes that the source of consciousness comes from the outside world, and it is achieved through social interaction. During this process, cultural artifacts assume a psychological function by reorganizing the relationship of the individuals to their social environment, and generally carries it into future performance (Lantolf & Thorne, 2007).
           • imitation is also relevant since it establishes the setting for human collaboration