Stephen Krashen's 5 Hypotheses of Second Language Acquisition

Summary

In this presentation, Dr. Stephen Krashen's influential theory of second language acquisition is explored, including his five main hypotheses: Acquisition-Learning, Monitor, Natural Order, Input, and Affective Filter. Krashen emphasizes the importance of meaningful interaction and authentic communication in language learning, and counters critics by highlighting the benefits of bilingual education. His research challenges misconceptions and advocates for active engagement by educators in promoting the value of bilingualism.

Takeaways

• 👨‍🏫 Stephen Krashen is a renowned linguist and educational researcher, known for his influential work in second language acquisition.
• 📚 Krashen has published extensively, with over 350 papers and books, introducing key concepts in the field.
• 🗣️ He actively opposed policies hostile to bilingualism, advocating for the benefits of bilingual education.
• 📈 Research indicates that bilingual education programs help English learners acquire English faster than all-English programs.
• 🧠 Krashen's theory of second language acquisition includes five main hypotheses: acquisition-learning, monitor, natural order, input, and the effective filter.
• 🌐 The acquisition-learning hypothesis posits two systems of language performance: acquired (subconscious) and learned (conscious).
• 📚 The natural order hypothesis suggests that language acquisition follows a predictable sequence, similar across learners.
• 🔄 The monitor hypothesis explains how formal language learning can correct speech, but should be used minimally.
• 📈 The input hypothesis states that learners acquire language by receiving input slightly beyond their current competence level.
• 😌 The effective filter hypothesis links affective factors like motivation and anxiety to language acquisition success.

Q & A

Who is Stephen Krashen and what is his connection to the University of Southern California?

Stephen Krashen is a linguist, educational researcher, and activist. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California, where he has contributed significantly to the field of second language acquisition.

What is Krashen's stance on bilingual education and how has he responded to policies critical of it?

Krashen is a supporter of bilingual education and has responded to policies critical of it through research, public speaking, and by writing letters to newspaper editors, arguing that bilingual education aids students in learning English more effectively.

What is the main criticism against Krashen's views on bilingual education?

Critics have characterized Krashen as being wedded to the interests of a multi-million dollar bilingual education industry, and some refer to him as the 'father of bilingual education.'

What are the five main hypotheses of Krashen's theory of second language acquisition?

The five main hypotheses are the Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis, the Monitor Hypothesis, the Natural Order Hypothesis, the Input Hypothesis, and the Affective Filter Hypothesis.

What is the difference between the acquired system and the learned system according to Krashen?

The acquired system, or acquisition, is the subconscious process similar to first language acquisition and involves meaningful interaction in the target language. The learned system, or learning, is the result of formal instruction and involves conscious knowledge about the language.

How does the Natural Order Hypothesis relate to the acquisition of grammatical structures?

The Natural Order Hypothesis suggests that the acquisition of grammatical structures follows a predictable order, which is independent of the learner's age, L1 background, or type of exposure.

What are the four stages of second language acquisition according to Krashen?

The four stages are the pre-production stage (silent period), early production stage, speech emergence stage, and intermediate fluency stage.

What is the Monitor Hypothesis and how does it influence language acquisition?

The Monitor Hypothesis explains the relationship between acquisition and learning, suggesting that learners use their conscious knowledge of language rules to correct deviations from normal speech and to give speech a more polished appearance, but this should be a minor aspect of language acquisition.

What does the Input Hypothesis suggest about the role of input in second language acquisition?

The Input Hypothesis suggests that learners improve and progress when they receive input that is slightly beyond their current linguistic competence, known as 'i + 1' input.

What are the affective variables mentioned in the Affective Filter Hypothesis and how do they impact language acquisition?

The Affective Filter Hypothesis states that variables such as motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety play a role in language acquisition. High motivation, self-confidence, and low anxiety (low affective filter) facilitate acquisition, while low motivation, low self-esteem, and high anxiety (high affective filter) can impede it.

What is Krashen's view on the role of formal instruction in second language acquisition?

Krashen believes that while formal instruction (learning) has its place, it is less important than acquisition in the process of second language acquisition.

How does Krashen suggest teachers should approach teaching second languages in the classroom?

Krashen suggests that teachers should focus on creating natural, authentic, and meaningful communication opportunities for students, ensuring that each learner receives input appropriate for their current stage of linguistic competence.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition

Stephen Krashen, a professor emeritus at the University of Southern California, is renowned for his influential work in second language acquisition. He has published extensively and has been an advocate for bilingual education, particularly in his home state of California. Krashen's response to policies hostile to bilingualism included research, public speaking, and writing to newspaper editors. His theory of second language acquisition, which includes five main hypotheses, is widely accepted. The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis is central to his theory, suggesting two separate systems of language performance: acquired (subconscious) and learned (conscious). Krashen emphasizes the importance of meaningful interaction in language acquisition, similar to first language acquisition.

05:01

🌐 The Natural Order and Stages of Language Acquisition

The Natural Order Hypothesis, part of Krashen's theory, indicates that the acquisition of grammatical structures follows a predictable sequence, regardless of age or first language background. This hypothesis also suggests that second languages are acquired through four stages akin to first language acquisition: pre-production (silent period), early production, speech emergence, and intermediate fluency. Despite advocating against formal instruction, Krashen acknowledges the necessity of learning, emphasizing the need for authentic, meaningful opportunities for language use.

10:02

🔍 The Monitor Hypothesis and Its Impact on Language Use

The Monitor Hypothesis explains how learning influences acquisition. It suggests that learners use their conscious knowledge of language rules to edit their speech, a process known as 'monitoring.' This editing is most effective when learners have ample time, such as during process writing or when teachers provide extended wait time. Krashen notes individual variation in monitor use, with extroverts tending to underuse and introverts or perfectionists overusing the monitor. The optimal use of the monitor is seen in learners who appropriately correct deviations for more polished speech.

15:04

📈 The Input Hypothesis and Affective Factors in Language Learning

The Input Hypothesis is Krashen's explanation of how second language acquisition occurs. It posits that learners progress when they receive input slightly beyond their current linguistic competence (i+1). Krashen emphasizes the importance of natural, authentic communication to ensure each learner receives appropriate input. The Effective Filter Hypothesis addresses the role of affective variables like motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety in language acquisition. A low affective filter, associated with high motivation and low anxiety, is conducive to language learning, whereas a high filter can impede acquisition.

Keywords

💡Second Language Acquisition

Second Language Acquisition refers to the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their native language. In the video, Stephen Krashen's theory is central to understanding how individuals acquire a second language through natural communication rather than formal instruction. It encompasses key concepts like the acquisition-learning distinction and the input hypothesis.

💡Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis

This hypothesis distinguishes between 'acquisition,' which is a subconscious process similar to how children learn their first language, and 'learning,' which involves formal instruction and conscious knowledge of a language. Krashen argues that acquisition is more important for fluency in a second language, as seen in his critique of traditional grammar-focused education.

💡Monitor Hypothesis

The Monitor Hypothesis explains how learned knowledge (formal instruction) can help 'monitor' or edit language output, but only under certain conditions like having enough time and focusing on form. Krashen suggests the monitor should have a minor role, and different learners may overuse, underuse, or optimally use this monitoring ability.

💡Natural Order Hypothesis

This hypothesis posits that language learners acquire grammatical structures in a predictable 'natural order,' regardless of their first language or exposure to the second language. The script outlines how certain morphemes, like the 'ing' ending in English, are typically acquired earlier, while others, like possessive 's,' are learned later.

💡Input Hypothesis

The Input Hypothesis emphasizes that learners acquire language when they are exposed to 'comprehensible input'—language that is just beyond their current level of understanding (i+1). The video illustrates this with the idea that meaningful, authentic communication provides the necessary input for language acquisition to occur.

💡Affective Filter Hypothesis

This hypothesis suggests that emotional factors like motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety impact second language acquisition. A 'low affective filter' means learners are open to receiving and processing language input, while a 'high affective filter' can block acquisition due to anxiety or low self-esteem. The video highlights the importance of creating a supportive environment for language learners.

💡Bilingual Education

Bilingual education refers to teaching students in both their native language and a second language. Krashen defends bilingual education, citing studies that show students in bilingual programs typically acquire English faster than those in English-only programs. His letter to a newspaper editor in the script advocates for this approach.

💡Comprehensible Input

Comprehensible input is language that learners can understand, even if it contains elements they have not yet fully mastered. According to the Input Hypothesis, exposure to this type of input helps learners progress in their language acquisition. The video stresses that authentic and meaningful communication is key to ensuring learners receive appropriate input.

💡Silent Period

The silent period is the initial stage of language acquisition where learners may not speak much but are actively absorbing the language. This concept is tied to Krashen’s idea that learners need time to build their language skills through exposure to comprehensible input before they begin producing language themselves.

💡Language Acquisition Stages

Krashen outlines four stages of language acquisition: pre-production (silent period), early production (one-word answers), speech emergence (short sentences with errors), and intermediate fluency (more complex sentences with fewer errors). These stages parallel the natural development of language skills, which Krashen argues should guide language instruction.

Highlights

Stephen Krashen is a renowned linguist and educational researcher.

Krashen has published over 350 papers and books on second language acquisition.

He introduced influential concepts in second language acquisition studies.

Krashen actively engaged in public debates against anti-bilingualism policies in California.

He submitted over 1,000 letters to newspaper editors advocating for bilingual education.

Krashen's letter to Stuart News defended bilingual education's effectiveness.

His research shows bilingual education aids English acquisition faster than all-English programs.

Critics accuse Krashen of promoting bilingual education for personal gain.

Krashen's theory consists of five main hypotheses on second language acquisition.

The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis differentiates between subconscious acquisition and conscious learning.

Krashen emphasizes the importance of meaningful interaction in language acquisition.

The Natural Order Hypothesis suggests a predictable sequence in language structure acquisition.

Krashen describes four stages of second language acquisition similar to first language acquisition.

The Monitor Hypothesis explains how formal learning can correct language acquisition.

Krashen notes individual variation in the use of the 'monitor' among language learners.

The Input Hypothesis states that learners acquire language through input slightly beyond their current competence.

The Affective Filter Hypothesis links motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety to language acquisition success.

Krashen encourages teachers and researchers to actively combat misconceptions about bilingual education.

For more information, Krashen's ideas are available in published papers online.

Transcripts

stephen krashen is a professor emeritus

at the university of southern california

he is a linguist educational researcher

and activist dr. krashen has published

more than 350 papers and books and is

credited with introducing various

influential concepts and terms in the

study of second language acquisition in

this PowerPoint presentation we will

study his widely known and well accepted

theory of second language acquisition as

education policy in krashen's home state

of California became increasingly

hostile to bilingualism he responded

with research critical of the new

policies public speaking engagement and

with letters written to newspaper

editors by 2006 it was estimated that

crashing had submitted well over 1,000

letters to editors this number includes

a letter that he wrote to the editor of

our own Stuart news on Tuesday January

3rd 2006 which I'll read to you now the

headline was bilingual education aids

students with English and the letter

reads your December 4th thumbs-down

blames quote bilingual education and

poorly educated parents unquote for the

reported decline in literacy among

Hispanics in the United States

whatever the cause it is not bilingual

education study after study has

demonstrated that English learners in

bilingual education programs typically

acquire English faster than those in all

English programs in fact in the last

year three major studies have appeared

in scientific journals confirming this

bilingual education uses the child's

first language in a way that accelerates

English language development and he

signed his letter stephen krashen

professor emeritus University of

Southern California Los Angeles now of

course just there are defenders of

immigrants in multicultural and

bilingual education there are critics

they have characterized crashing as

wedded to the moneyed interest of a

multi-million dollar bilingual education

industry some of them speak of crashing

as the father of bilingual education and

he might not mind that title crashing is

being criticized due to his influence on

the field of language minority education

second language acquisition and his

efforts to educate the public on matters

related to English language learners in

schools

crashing wants us fellow teachers and

researchers to be more active in

combating the public's misconceptions

about bilingual education he feels that

it is our responsibility to present our

side of the story to reporters because

there is a great deal of anecdotal

evidence in support of bilingual

education krashen's theory of second

language acquisition consists of five

main hypotheses the acquisition learning

hypothesis the monitor hypothesis the

natural order hypothesis the input

hypothesis and the effective filter

hypothesis the acquisition learning

distinction is the most fundamental of

all the hypotheses in krashen's theory

and the most widely known among

linguists and language practitioners

according to crashing there are two

independent systems of second language

performance the acquired system and the

learned system the acquired system or

acquisition is the product of a

subconscious process very similar to the

process children undergo when they

acquire their first language it requires

meaningful interaction in the target

language natural communication in which

speakers concentrate not in the form of

their utterances in other words not on

their grammar or pronunciation but on

the communicative act itself in other

words did you understand what I just

meant

the learned system or learning is the

product of formal instruction and it

comprises a conscious process which

results in conscious knowledge about the

language for example knowledge of

grammar rules this is precisely how I

felt when I was learning Korean while I

lived in South Korea my Korean teacher

wanted to practice her English

we were all at the beginning level of

Korean not only did we learn a lot of

grammar rules but we talked about that

kind of stuff a lot we never had

roleplay conversations we never had to

speak to her in Korean and she never

spoke to us in Korean there was never

really any pressure to really speak the

language and to help her understand us

so I came away knowing a lot about the

linguistics of the language but I never

really felt that I could use it is

crashing completely against learning a

language of course not

we'd all be out of jobs and students

would feel jilted because most of them

do have a need for instruction what

crashing is telling us though is that

learning is less important than

acquisition when we are studying Spanish

or when our Els are studying English we

must provide real authentic meaningful

opportunities for them to really use

second language

the natural order hypothesis describes

two phenomena that are interrelated

first the natural order hypothesis is

based on research findings in the 1970s

which suggested that the acquisition of

grammatical structures follows a natural

order which is predictable for a given

language some grammatical structures

tend to be acquired early while others

are acquired late this order seemed to

be independent of the learners age the

l1 background and the type of exposure

in other words were they learning it as

a foreign language in a different

country where it's not spoken or were

they learning it as a second language

inside of the country where it is spoken

natively the average order of

acquisition of grammatical morphemes for

English as a second language for both

children and adults is as follows first

the ing ending used in the present and

past progressive tenses for example I am

reading that's the present progressive

and the past progressive is he was

listening number 2 the S ending used in

the plural forms of nouns like boys and

peaches number 3 the be verb I am is are

was were been number 4 the irregular

simple past tense of the verb such as he

caught a fish we won the game or I

forgot your name number 5 the articles a

and the number 6 the IDI ending of the

regular simple past tense of the verb

she walked they learned you studied

number 7 the S ending used in the simple

present verb tense for the singular

nouns or pronouns for example he swims

she eats it watches and finally number

eight the apostrophe s ending for the

possessive form of a noun for example

Mon Wells book now did you notice the

contradictions for planning curriculum

are immediately evident having just

discredited grammar study in the

acquisition learning hypothesis crashing

suddenly proposes that second language

learners should follow the natural order

of acquisition for grammatical morphemes

the teacher is first instructed to

create a natural environment for the

learner

but then in trying to create a

curriculum he is instructed to base it

on grammar correction however does point

out that the implication of the natural

order hypothesis is not that a language

program syllabus should be used on the

order found in the studies in fact he

rejects grammatical sequencing when the

goal is language acquisition

the second phenomenon of the natural

order hypothesis is krashen's claim that

second languages are acquired through

four stages in the same way that first

languages are acquired a the

pre-production stage also known as the

silent period this would be for students

who are at the very very beginning and

they don't know a single word of English

be the early production stage this is

when your LLS are able to answer with

one word letter see the speech emergence

stage now in this stage they're finally

entering into the intermediate level

which is what most schools would call

this and they're able to answer you in

short sentences or write short sentences

lots of grammar errors the verb might

not be conjugated properly to match the

subject but they're giving you a little

bit more to work with

and then finally letter D the

intermediate fluency stage so still they

are at the intermediate stage but they

are much more fluent they're speaking in

compound sentences complex sentences and

with fewer pronunciation and grammar

errors

the monitor hypothesis explains the

relationship between acquisition and

learning and defines the influence of

learning on acquisition 'soon annum for

monitor is editor Els we'll use the

monitor when they have sufficient time

that means when a teacher practices a

method called process writing the

student has lots of times for reading

and rereading what he wrote to correct

it or when a student is required to

speak the teacher can give extended wait

time before she begins again or before

she calls on another student a second

language learner will also use the

monitor when he or she focuses on form

or thinks about correctness or when he

or she knows the rule according to

crashing the role of the monitor is or

should be minor being used only to

correct deviations from normal speech

and to give speech a more polished

appearance

crushin also suggests that there is

individual variation among language

learners with regard to monitor use he

distinguishes those learners that use

the monitor all the time over users

those learners who have not learned or

who prefer not to use their conscious

knowledge those are under users and

those users are those learners that use

the monitor appropriately those are

optimal users usually X extroverts are

under users while introverts and

perfectionist or over users this brings

up the question that language teachers

are constantly debating who's the better

student the one who takes risks and

talks a lot in the foreign or second

language but makes lots of mistakes or

the one who says almost nothing but when

she does speak it comes out perfectly

who would you give the a to

the input hypothesis is krashen's

attempt to explain how the learner

acquires a second language in other

words this hypothesis is krashen's

explanation of how second language

acquisition takes place so the input

hypothesis is only concerned with

acquisition not learning according to

this hypothesis the learner improves and

progresses along the natural order when

he or she receives second language input

that is one step beyond his or her

current stage of linguistic competence

for example if a learner is at the early

production stage most schools would

consider this upper beginner or lower

intermediate then acquisition takes

place when he or she is exposed to

comprehensible input that belongs to the

speech emergence level this is I plus 1

now of course unfortunately not all of

the learners in your classroom will be

at the same level of linguistic

competence at the same time this is why

crashing suggests that natural authentic

and meaningful communication is the key

ensuring that each learner will receive

some I plus 1 input that is appropriate

for his or her current stage of

linguistic competence

finally the fifth hypothesis the

effective filter hypothesis it embodies

krashen's view that a number of

affective variables play a role in

second language acquisition these

variables include motivation

self-confidence and anxiety crushin

claims that learners with high

motivation high self-confidence a good

self-image a low level of anxiety are

better equipped for success and second

language acquisition using the

terminology these students have a low

affective filter on the other hand low

motivation low self-esteem debilitating

anxiety about speaking in a foreign

language can combine to raise the

affective filter and form a mental block

that prevents comprehensible input from

being used for acquisition in other

words these students would have a high

effective filter and language

acquisition will be impeded

for more information you can go to these

two websites they are not personal

websites they are papers that he has

published and they are online now and

they will give to you in krashen's own

words his ideas about second language

acquisition and morse most specifically

these five hypotheses of second language

acquisition