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Theories of First Language Learning

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Questions

• Why do children learn their first language in a short time?

• Why do children learn their first language in sequences and stages?

• How do children learn the rules of their first language when what is heard is variable?

• Why do children produce language that they have never heard?

Behaviorism in general

• Learning is habit formation

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Behaviorism in language learning

• Language learning is also habit formation

• Successful performance of a behavior (pronunciation, grammatically correct sentences, new words) is rewarded, usually by parents, over and over again until the behavior becomes automatic

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Evaluation of behaviorism 1

• Habit formation takes a long time• The same process must be repeated over

and over again for each grammar feature and word

• Habit formation would result in variation• What each child hears is unique so what she

learns should be unique.• However, we observe sequences and stages

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Evaluation of behaviorism 2

• Habit formation requires uniform language to be successful• Language is not uniform; it is variable

• Children only imitate what they hear• Children, however, produce unique

words and sentences

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Universal Grammar

• Universal Grammar (UG) is an internal innate ability for languages

• UG is a set of principles that are common to all languages• Not a set of grammar rules• For example, UG tells us that all

languages use word order and hearing the language tells children which word order to use

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Evaluation of Universal Grammar 1

• UG makes it simple for children to discover rules• Thus, language learning doesn’t take a

lot of time

• UG is an innate set of principles• Because UG is the same for everyone,

sequences and stages are likely

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Evaluation of Universal Grammar 2

• UG operates like a computer program and tells children what is possible and not possible• Children can still construct rules even

though language is variable

• UG helps children create rules• Rules allow children to be creative and

make words they’ve never heard before

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Evaluation of Universal Grammar 3

• UG is a powerful explanation of how children learn grammar

• UG doesn’t explain how children learn words or how to use language socially

Cognitive Development

• The way the we see and understand the world develops in stages.

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Cognitive Development & Language learning

• Children learn language by making connections between what they hear and objects, events and situations

• Children put the connections that they make in categories and make generalizations

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Cognitive Theory

• Language ability and cognitive development are not separate

• Language learning is part of a child’s cognitive development

• How much language children can understand depends on their cognitive development.

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Evaluation of the Cognitive Theory 1

• Cognitive abilities develop quickly, and so do language abilities

• Cognitive abilities develop in stages, and so do language abilities

• Making categories and generalizations lets children overcome variability

• Making generalizations leads to new language

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Evaluation of the Cognitive Theory 2

• The cognitive theory is a good explanation of how children learn vocabulary

• The cognitive theory is less satisfactory in explaining how children learn grammar• Grammatical features with several meanings

• I’m writing now.• I’m living in Paris, but I usually live in London.• I’m playing tennis tomorrow.

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Functional Theory 1

• Learning occurs by listening to people and speaking with people

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Functional Theory 2

• Listening is a chance to understand what is heard

• Speaking is a chance to • Send a message• Check one’s understanding• Learn how to express messages

grammatically

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Evaluation of the Functional Theory 1

• Not all parents talk a lot; some more than others• All children learn to speak in about the

same time

• Conversations with children are all unique• Because they are unique, it is difficult to

explain sequences and stages

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Evaluation of the Functional Theory 2

• Language is variable• Checks for comprehension by both

parents and children help make rules clear

• The functional theory provides no explanation for why children produce words they’ve never heard

Conclusion 1

• Language is complicated• Difficult for one theory to explain

how we learn all aspects of language• Each of the theories explains some

aspects of language

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Conclusion 2

• Behaviorism – sociolinguistic knowledge• Many aspects of being polite are learned

habits.• When to say please and thank you.

• Universal Grammar – grammatical knowledge• An innate computer program perhaps best

explains how we master grammar

Conclusion 3

• Cognitive – Vocabulary• When we look at the world, we tend to

categorize and generalize about what we see and this is the same thing that we do with new words.

• Functional – How to talk • Babies talking with their parents learn

conversation rules.• They learn to talk by talking

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