language
A View On Language Learning
Language is a term which has been defined in various ways by various linguists. Bloch and Trager (1942:5) defines language as a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group co-operates; they see language as a social function.
However, we also have what is called sign language which is not necessarily vocal. The important thing to note is that language is a medium of communication br it sign language, body language or ‘bee language’.
Language has also been emphasized by experts from different fields of knowledge as a possession of man which distinguishes him from other animals.
Language is seen to be innate, in that the human child has an inborn capacity to acquired language. Every child is capable of acquiring language he is exposed to before the age of five be it the mother tongue or the language of environment.
Language is also arbitrary in that there is no one-to-one relationship between speech sound and what they represent or stand for. Put in another way arbitrariness of language means that there is no inherent connection between a word and its meaning (or what it signifies).
Language is conventional in the sense that it has a tacit agreement which exists among speakers of a language that certain words will be used to refer to certain concepts, objects or ideas. It also refers to an agreement on certain grammatical operations that may be constructed in particular ways. For example, there is a conventions in English which states that a noun or pronoun functioning as head in noun phrase may be preceded by an article and adjective(s).
Language is viewed to be symbolic in nature. This is referred to a situation in which there is a relationship between symbols (signs) and meanings. This makes the human language to be symbolic as words or signs are related to actions objects, concepts or ideas which have meanings.
Language is systematic meaning that language is structured. The arrangement of words in each language (word order) varies. For example, the structure of a noun phrase in Yoruba differ from that of English as shown below:
Yoruba: Noun adjective article
Obinrin arugbo naa.
English: Article adjective noun
The old woman
The above example shows that every language has its own structure or system.
Language also transmits culture. It is pertinent to note that language is transmitted from one generation to another through exposure to linguistic events. This invariably implies that language is always acquired as a result of exposure to a cultural background or setting in which language is used as a means of communication. By implication it is the concepts, ideas and objects in a cultural environment that language expresses. Thus language is seen as a vehicle of transmitting culture.
Language Learning
Language learning is focused on developing the ability to communicate in a second language, with special emphasis on languages for which there are few or no written or recorded resources.
There is a fact that every child is naturally endowed or has the innateness to acquire language, it is believed that by the age of five a child is able to understand and make a large pattern of sentences he has not heard before. However, language experts believe there is a difference between the processes involved in first language acquisition (L1) and second language learning (L2) between children and adults.
It is believed that language acquision is inborn in a child. But once a language has been learned it is not easy for an individual to acquire another language. The process of acquiring first language comes naturally to a child, he is able to respond to his immediate environment or surrounding and it is said that at the age of ten, the plasticity of the brain responsible for the acquisition of language hardens. The result is for the L2 to be learned after the age of ten which brings some problems.
Language learning can also be defined as a process that is brought about in a setting where subject-matter is selected and graded, and activities are organized to promote the use of the language. The rules of the language are also internalized through the process of learning in the instructional setting. But perhaps the rules are not as ingrained (deeply rooted) as in the process of acquisition in the natural setting outside of the classroom, because of the constraints of time which limit exposure to the language.
There are five key hypotheses about second language acquisition.
1. The Acquisition-Learning Distinction
Adults have two different ways to develop. Competence in a language, which are language acquisition and language learning.
Language acquisition is a subconscious process not unlike the way a child learns language. Language acquirers are not consciously aware of the grammatical rules of the language, but rather develop a “feel” for correctness. “In non-technical language, acquisition is ‘picking-up’ a language.
Language-learning on the other hand, refers to the “conscious knowledge of a second language, knowing the rules, being aware of them, and being able to talk about them.” Thus language learning can be compared to learning about a language. The acquisition-learning distinction hypothesis claims that adults do not lose the ability to acquire languages the way children do. Just as research shows that error correction has little effect on children learning a first language, so too error correction has little effect on language acquisition.
2. The Natural Order Hypothesis
The natural order hypothesis states that “the acquisition of grammatical structures proceeds in a predictable order. “For a given language, some grammatical structures tend to be acquired early , others late, regardless of the first language of a speaker. However, this does not mean that grammar should be taught in this natural order of acquisition.
3. The Monitor Hypothesis
The language that one has subconsciously acquired “initiates our utterances in a second language and is responsible for our fluency,“ whereas the language that we have consciously learned acts as an editor in situations where the learner has enough tome to edit, it focused on form, and knows the rule, such as on a grammar test in a language classroom or when carefully writing a composition. This conscious editor is called the monitor.
4. The Input Hypothesis
The input hypothesis answer the question of how a language acquirer develops competency over time. It states that a language acquirer who is at “ level I” must receive comprehensible input that is at “level I + 1.” “We acquires in order words, only when we understand language that contains structures that is ‘a little beyond’ where we are now. “This understanding is possible due to using the context of the language we are hearing or reading and our knowledge of the world.
5. The Affective Filter Hypothesis
Motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety all affect language acquisition, in effect to raising or lowering the “strickness” or “penetration” of any comprehensible input that is received.
However, we also have what is called sign language which is not necessarily vocal. The important thing to note is that language is a medium of communication br it sign language, body language or ‘bee language’.
Language has also been emphasized by experts from different fields of knowledge as a possession of man which distinguishes him from other animals.
Language is seen to be innate, in that the human child has an inborn capacity to acquired language. Every child is capable of acquiring language he is exposed to before the age of five be it the mother tongue or the language of environment.
Language is also arbitrary in that there is no one-to-one relationship between speech sound and what they represent or stand for. Put in another way arbitrariness of language means that there is no inherent connection between a word and its meaning (or what it signifies).
Language is conventional in the sense that it has a tacit agreement which exists among speakers of a language that certain words will be used to refer to certain concepts, objects or ideas. It also refers to an agreement on certain grammatical operations that may be constructed in particular ways. For example, there is a conventions in English which states that a noun or pronoun functioning as head in noun phrase may be preceded by an article and adjective(s).
Language is viewed to be symbolic in nature. This is referred to a situation in which there is a relationship between symbols (signs) and meanings. This makes the human language to be symbolic as words or signs are related to actions objects, concepts or ideas which have meanings.
Language is systematic meaning that language is structured. The arrangement of words in each language (word order) varies. For example, the structure of a noun phrase in Yoruba differ from that of English as shown below:
Yoruba: Noun adjective article
Obinrin arugbo naa.
English: Article adjective noun
The old woman
The above example shows that every language has its own structure or system.
Language also transmits culture. It is pertinent to note that language is transmitted from one generation to another through exposure to linguistic events. This invariably implies that language is always acquired as a result of exposure to a cultural background or setting in which language is used as a means of communication. By implication it is the concepts, ideas and objects in a cultural environment that language expresses. Thus language is seen as a vehicle of transmitting culture.
Language Learning
Language learning is focused on developing the ability to communicate in a second language, with special emphasis on languages for which there are few or no written or recorded resources.
There is a fact that every child is naturally endowed or has the innateness to acquire language, it is believed that by the age of five a child is able to understand and make a large pattern of sentences he has not heard before. However, language experts believe there is a difference between the processes involved in first language acquisition (L1) and second language learning (L2) between children and adults.
It is believed that language acquision is inborn in a child. But once a language has been learned it is not easy for an individual to acquire another language. The process of acquiring first language comes naturally to a child, he is able to respond to his immediate environment or surrounding and it is said that at the age of ten, the plasticity of the brain responsible for the acquisition of language hardens. The result is for the L2 to be learned after the age of ten which brings some problems.
Language learning can also be defined as a process that is brought about in a setting where subject-matter is selected and graded, and activities are organized to promote the use of the language. The rules of the language are also internalized through the process of learning in the instructional setting. But perhaps the rules are not as ingrained (deeply rooted) as in the process of acquisition in the natural setting outside of the classroom, because of the constraints of time which limit exposure to the language.
There are five key hypotheses about second language acquisition.
1. The Acquisition-Learning Distinction
Adults have two different ways to develop. Competence in a language, which are language acquisition and language learning.
Language acquisition is a subconscious process not unlike the way a child learns language. Language acquirers are not consciously aware of the grammatical rules of the language, but rather develop a “feel” for correctness. “In non-technical language, acquisition is ‘picking-up’ a language.
Language-learning on the other hand, refers to the “conscious knowledge of a second language, knowing the rules, being aware of them, and being able to talk about them.” Thus language learning can be compared to learning about a language. The acquisition-learning distinction hypothesis claims that adults do not lose the ability to acquire languages the way children do. Just as research shows that error correction has little effect on children learning a first language, so too error correction has little effect on language acquisition.
2. The Natural Order Hypothesis
The natural order hypothesis states that “the acquisition of grammatical structures proceeds in a predictable order. “For a given language, some grammatical structures tend to be acquired early , others late, regardless of the first language of a speaker. However, this does not mean that grammar should be taught in this natural order of acquisition.
3. The Monitor Hypothesis
The language that one has subconsciously acquired “initiates our utterances in a second language and is responsible for our fluency,“ whereas the language that we have consciously learned acts as an editor in situations where the learner has enough tome to edit, it focused on form, and knows the rule, such as on a grammar test in a language classroom or when carefully writing a composition. This conscious editor is called the monitor.
4. The Input Hypothesis
The input hypothesis answer the question of how a language acquirer develops competency over time. It states that a language acquirer who is at “ level I” must receive comprehensible input that is at “level I + 1.” “We acquires in order words, only when we understand language that contains structures that is ‘a little beyond’ where we are now. “This understanding is possible due to using the context of the language we are hearing or reading and our knowledge of the world.
5. The Affective Filter Hypothesis
Motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety all affect language acquisition, in effect to raising or lowering the “strickness” or “penetration” of any comprehensible input that is received.
0 comments