Skip to main content

TESL 0100 Unit 4: Language Acquisition



Language Acquisition

            “We all acquire language in exactly the same way.” This is an outrageous claim by Stephen Krashen [1]on his Language Acquisition interview.  Indeed it is but I agree that it is true. As a child, we learn by listening and mimicking, based on our daily conversation.  We acquire language by watching and listening to someone speaks and subconsciously collecting words and understanding what is being said. When you watch children play using little people toys, what do they do?  They role play based on what happens around them.  They play going to the doctor, church, shopping, eating, cooking and everything that they can act based on daily activities. That’s when you can see language acquisition happen. 

            “Immigrant children don’t speak right away when they arrive.  It takes several months of silence as they naturally acquire language.  They naturally pile up language input, they observe, they listen consciously and acquire language speech. When they start to speak, it’s not the beginning of their language acquisition; it’s the result of the comprehensible input they gathered through several months of silence.” This is apparent evidence as to how we acquire language as we listen and understand our surrounding and indeed it takes time and conscious effort to second language learner.    

            “So how do we help people acquire language? If acquisition is more important than learning, then that’s what we need to do in our classroom.” This is another theory expressed by Stephen Krashen on his interview. Do we have to skip language learning and focus only on acquisition? “Acquisition gives us our fluency and learning gives us the accuracy.  Adult learners need 95% acquisition in class. It gives both fluency and accuracy. Language acquisition does not happen by learning grammar rules or by memorizing vocabulary list.  Language is acquired when we understand it.  Students expect grammar, vocabulary list and exercises in class. We teach students how to acquire language so that they become autonomous and improve on their own.  The major goal of language class is not to bring grammatical fluency but the maximum level of grammatical accuracy.  If we give a great deal of comprehensible input, a rich source of comprehensible input that will produce both fluency and accuracy, all the rules that the students are ready to acquire will be there in the input.  We give people messages that is interesting and comprehensible, grammar to a large extent will take care of it” as Stephen Krashen expressed.    

He also talked about motivation that counts in language acquisition. “Students who are motivated do better in language acquisition. Those who have better self esteem; better self image succeeds in time. The goal of a language class is to put you in a position so you can go to the outside world and get more comprehensible input. The goal of the beginning language class is not to make you perfect but to make you an intermediate so you can then get more comprehensible input from the outside world. We acquire language in one way, when we get comprehensible input in a low anxiety situation. The lower the anxiety; the better language acquisition there will be. To really precede optimum learning, anxiety must be zero. For language acquisition, the pressure has to be off. The learner has to assume he has to be successful. If anxiety is high, self esteem is low, and the classroom feels where his weaknesses will be revealed, acquisition will not occur.” We must provide a safe environment for students to learn without pressure to achieve their utmost input.  


[1] Stephen Krashen on Language Acquisition  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak3UrGCj71s

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Teach Grammar?

It is a surprise that Joseph Webbe’s attitude to grammar as early as 1622 mentioned the holistic approach to learning language as he quoted, “No man can run speedily to the mark of language that is shackled… with grammar precepts. By exercise of reading, writing, and speaking… all things belonging to Grammar, will without labour, and whether we will or no, thrust themselves upon us.” Surprisingly, English grammar is still taught in other countries using the “Rule of Law” transmission view as I experienced. Though I believe it is essential but lacks the speaking part to complete the holistic process of learning. ( Thornbury: How to Teach Grammar ; Chapter 2, pg. 17) Learning a second-language must be experiential (the knowledge-how argument). Speaking and writing practices are essential to express grammar learning. It is saddening that learners of a second-language are limiting themselves in speaking outside the classroom and practise the use of language at home. Learning must not b
Post a Comment
Read more

TESL 0100 - Unit 4: How Language are Learned Opinion to Statements

How Language are Learned 1.       Languages are learned mainly through imitation. §   Indeed, languages are learned mainly through imitation.   The Principle of Automaticity explains how children learn foreign languages when they are living in the cultural and linguistic environment of the language.    It is also a fact that we all learned our first language through imitation.   Our parents thought us how to speak by asking us to imitate them. We all started as imitators before we subconsciously learned all words by listening and being in the environment of that language. Second language learners are also the same.   In my country, most kids learn English by watching English cartoons; mimic them through singing and understanding the conversation by answering questions through the audio-video activities. Imitation I should say is the first step and the best way to learn a language.       2.       Parents usually correct young children when they make grammatical err
Post a Comment
Read more

TESL 110: Unit 1- Why Teach Grammar?

  Grammar is the basic foundation of proper communication.  It becomes a major challenge to converse or write without this foundation. Grammar helps learners to be more proficient and confident in using their language in all aspects of communication, speaking, and writing and more so to enjoy listening and reading.                   Teachers do struggle too, “And that’s because, as I and other language experts have pointed out, they themselves were never taught much, if any, grammar. And appropriate teaching support and materials are lacking.” quoted from the 'grammar-still-matters'.                Though it is my professional responsibility to learn grammar for teaching purposes, it is beyond my present skill to be called an expert. It takes years to master grammar and knowing it all at the top of your head will require years of being in an environment where grammar is tested on a daily basis. This is impossible to do when you are basically teaching the fundamentals. I don’t
Post a Comment
Read more