Considerations in Language Acquisition
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the intricacies of language acquisition, highlighting four key considerations: neurological, cognitive, affective, and linguistic. It discusses brain lateralization and plasticity's role, cognitive development stages by Jean-Piaget, and the impact of emotions on language learning. The script also examines the differences in language learning strategies between children and adults, the benefits of bilingualism, and the 'natural order hypothesis' for grammatical morpheme acquisition, emphasizing the complexity and variability in second language acquisition.
Takeaways
- π§ Language acquisition involves neurological considerations, with the brain's left hemisphere typically handling analytical functions and the right hemisphere managing emotional and social needs.
- π Brain plasticity, or the ability to rewire neural connections, is crucial for language development from infancy through adulthood and is most flexible before puberty.
- π§Ά Lateralization, the process of assigning brain functions to one side of the brain, is a gradual process that begins in early childhood and is completed around puberty, affecting language learning.
- π Lateralization theory, supported by Nobel Prize winners, suggests that different brain hemispheres contribute to behavior, personality, creativity, and cognitive modes, influencing language acquisition.
- π€ Cognitive considerations in language acquisition are significant, with human cognition developing rapidly during the first 16 years of life, affecting how language is learned and processed.
- 𧩠Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development provide a framework for understanding how children's intellectual growth impacts language learning at different ages.
- π‘ Equilibration, as described by Piaget, refers to the organization of knowledge and the process of moving from doubt to resolution, which is relevant to how learners adapt to new language concepts.
- π Effective considerations highlight the emotional aspects of language learning, such as empathy, self-esteem, and anxiety, which can significantly impact the language acquisition process.
- πΆ Children are less inhibited in language learning due to a less developed sense of self and ego, making them more open to language acquisition without fear of mistakes.
- π Linguistic considerations show that children learning two languages simultaneously use similar strategies, becoming coordinate bilinguals with separate meaning systems for each language.
- π Research on the order of acquisition in language learning suggests that there may be a natural order for acquiring grammatical morphemes, although individual variation can alter this sequence.
Q & A
What are the four main considerations in language acquisition discussed in the video?
-The four main considerations in language acquisition discussed in the video are neurological considerations, cognitive considerations, effective considerations, and linguistic considerations.
What is the role of brain plasticity in language acquisition?
-Brain plasticity, or the ability of the brain to modify its connections or rewire itself, is crucial for language acquisition. It allows the brain to develop from infancy through adulthood and recover from brain injury, facilitating the learning of both first and second languages.
How does lateralization relate to second language acquisition?
-Lateralization is the process where certain brain functions are assigned to one side of the brain. It plays a role in second language acquisition as it involves the brain's organization of language functions, which can affect how easily a second language is learned, especially before and after puberty.
What is the critical period hypothesis in language acquisition?
-The critical period hypothesis suggests that there is an optimal period in a person's life, typically before puberty, during which language acquisition is easier and more effective. After this period, the brain's plasticity decreases, making language learning more challenging.
How do cognitive considerations impact language acquisition?
-Cognitive considerations involve the intellectual development of a child, which goes through various stages as outlined by Jean-Pierre. These stages influence language acquisition as cognitive abilities develop, impacting the learner's capacity for abstraction, formal thinking, and problem-solving.
What is the significance of equilibration in cognitive development according to Piaget?
-Equilibration, as described by Piaget, is the process of organizing knowledge in a step-wise fashion. It involves moving from states of doubt and uncertainty to stages of resolution and certainty, and back again. This concept is significant in cognitive development as it explains how individuals adapt and learn from new experiences, including language learning.
How do emotional factors influence language acquisition?
-Emotional factors, such as self-esteem, extroversion, inhibition, and anxiety, play a significant role in language acquisition. These factors can affect a learner's motivation, willingness to participate, and the ability to overcome the fear of making mistakes, all of which are crucial for language learning.
What is the concept of 'language ego' in second language learning?
-The 'language ego' refers to the identity a person develops in relation to the language they speak. It is influenced by the interaction of the native language and ego development. This concept helps explain the difficulties adults may have in learning a second language, as their established ego and self-identity can create a defensive mechanism against new language learning.
How do children and adults differ in their approach to second language acquisition?
-Children and adults differ in their approach to second language acquisition in several ways. Children tend to acquire languages more holistically and are less inhibited about making mistakes. Adults, on the other hand, may rely more on their first language as a reference, leading to more interference but also using it as a tool to fill gaps in their second language knowledge.
What is the natural order hypothesis in second language acquisition?
-The natural order hypothesis, proposed by Krashen, suggests that learners acquire the rules of a second language in a predictable order, regardless of the simplicity of the rules or the order in which they are taught. This order is influenced by the learner's cognitive development and linguistic experiences.
How do individual differences among learners affect the acquisition of a second language?
-Individual differences among learners, such as sex, intelligence, social background, rate of learning, and experience with linguistic interaction, can affect the order and pace of second language acquisition. These differences can lead to variations in the strategies and processes learners use to acquire a new language.
Outlines
π§ Neurological Considerations in Language Acquisition
This paragraph discusses the neurological aspects of language acquisition. It highlights how the brain matures and lateralizes certain functions to either the left or right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is associated with intellectual and analytical functions, while the right hemisphere handles emotional and social needs. The concept of brain plasticity, or the brain's ability to rewire itself, is crucial for language acquisition, especially before puberty. After puberty, the brain's plasticity decreases, making language acquisition more challenging. The paragraph also explores different theories regarding the age at which lateralization is complete, with opinions ranging from puberty to as early as age five. It suggests that language teaching methods should consider the brain's lateralization and incorporate activities that engage both hemispheres.
πΆ Cognitive Development and Language Acquisition
The second paragraph focuses on cognitive considerations in language acquisition. It outlines Jean-Pierre's stages of intellectual development in children, ranging from the sensory-motor stage to the formal operational stage. The paragraph emphasizes the critical period around puberty for cognitive development and language acquisition, as it is a time when the individual becomes capable of abstraction and formal thinking. The concept of equilibration, which is the progressive organization of knowledge, is introduced as a key cognitive process. The paragraph also discusses the importance of meaningful learning over rote learning, suggesting that new language information is best acquired when related to existing knowledge and experiences.
π Emotional Factors in Language Acquisition
This paragraph delves into the effective or emotional domain's role in language acquisition. It emphasizes that emotions are integral to human cognition and can significantly influence language learning. The paragraph discusses various emotional factors such as empathy, self-esteem, extroversion, inhibition, imitation, and anxiety, and how they can affect second language acquisition. It also touches on the concept of egocentricity and how it changes as children develop, affecting their language learning. The 'language ego' is introduced as a factor that can either facilitate or inhibit language learning, depending on the individual's comfort with their self-identity and language. The paragraph suggests that younger children are less inhibited in language learning due to their less developed sense of self, while adolescents and adults may face more challenges due to a heightened sense of self-consciousness.
π¨βπ§βπ¦ Age Differences in Language Learning
The fourth paragraph examines the differences in language acquisition between children and adults. It discusses how children learning two languages simultaneously use similar strategies as they are essentially learning two first languages. The paragraph differentiates between coordinate bilinguals, who have two separate meaning systems, and compound bilinguals, who have one meaning system for both languages. It also mentions that bilingual children often engage in code-switching. The paragraph highlights cognitive benefits of early childhood bilingualism and suggests that bilingual children show greater mental flexibility and creativity. It contrasts this with adult second language acquisition, which is more susceptible to interference from the first language. The paragraph concludes by noting that while there are similarities in linguistic processes between first and second language acquisition in children, adults' processes are more influenced by their first language.
π Linguistic Processes in Second Language Acquisition
The final paragraph focuses on the linguistic processes involved in second language acquisition. It discusses how children and adults acquire second languages and the strategies they use. The paragraph mentions that children learning two languages simultaneously do not typically mix them up and can be described as coordinate bilinguals. It also touches on the idea that bilingual children may have slightly delayed language acquisition but show cognitive benefits. The paragraph reviews research on the order of acquisition of grammatical morphemes, suggesting that there is a predictable order in which learners acquire language rules. However, it also notes that this order can vary among learners due to factors such as sex, intelligence, social background, and linguistic interaction experience. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the individual variation in second language acquisition and the complex interplay of factors that influence the process.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Neurological considerations
π‘Brain plasticity
π‘Lateralization
π‘Cognitive considerations
π‘Piaget's stages of cognitive development
π‘Equilibration
π‘Affective considerations
π‘Language ego
π‘Linguistic considerations
π‘Bilingualism
π‘Code-switching
Highlights
Neurological research suggests that brain functions are lateralized, with the left hemisphere controlling analytical functions and the right hemisphere handling emotional and social needs.
Thomas Koval proposed a relationship between brain lateralization and second language acquisition, noting that brain plasticity before puberty facilitates language learning.
Brain plasticity is essential for development and recovery from brain injury, allowing the brain to modify its connections.
Lateralization begins around age two and is completed around puberty, with language functions being assigned during this period.
Theories on the timing of lateralization vary, with some arguing it completes around puberty and others suggesting it occurs earlier.
Cognitive development is rapid during the first 16 years of life, with Jean-Pierre outlining various stages of intellectual development.
Piaget's theory of equilibration explains how cognition develops through a process of moving from doubt to resolution.
Ossable distinguishes between broad and meaningful learning, suggesting that most learning is meaningful and related to existing knowledge.
Emotions play a significant role in language acquisition, with the effective domain including factors like self-esteem and anxiety.
The language ego concept explains the identity a person develops in relation to the language they speak and can affect second language learning.
Children are less inhibited in language learning due to a less developed sense of self and are less aware of the potential for mistakes.
Adults may face challenges in second language learning due to a more established identity and greater inhibitions.
Research on second language acquisition in children and adults often focuses on the interfering effects of the first language.
Children learning two languages simultaneously acquire them using similar strategies, often becoming coordinate bilinguals.
Bilingualism in children is associated with cognitive benefits such as improved concept formation and mental flexibility.
Adult second language learners may manifest more interference from the first language, but this can also serve as a facilitating factor.
Research on the order of acquisition of grammatical morphemes suggests a common sequence for first language learners.
Inter-learner variation and first language influence can affect the order of acquisition in second language learning.
Transcripts
[Music]
have you ever wondered how you were able
to acquire a language
this video tackles important
considerations in language acquisition
there are four considerations in
language acquisition they are
neurological considerations cognitive
considerations effective considerations
and linguistic considerations we will
first tackle the neurological
considerations
there is evidence in neurological
research that as the human brain matures
certain functions are assigned are
lateralized to the right hemisphere
intellectual logical and analytical
functions appear to be largely located
in the left hemisphere of the brain
while the right hemisphere controls
functions related to emotional and
social needs
Thomas Koval in 1969 as cited in brown
1994 put forward a relationship between
lateralization and second language
acquisition
the plasticity of the brain before
puberty enables first and second
language acquisition to take place
easily after puberty the brain loses its
plasticity and lateralization is
accomplished what is brain plasticity
neuroblasticity or brain plasticity is
the ability of the brain to modify its
connections or rewire itself without
this ability any brain not just the
human brain would be unable to develop
from infancy through adulthood or
recover from brain injury
and what is lateralization
it is a slow process that begins around
the age of two and is completed around
puberty during this time the child is
neurologically assigning functions
little by little to one side of the
brain or the other included in this
function is language
[Music]
the lateralization theory developed a
Nobel Prize winners Rogers Perry and
Robert hornstein helps us to understand
our Behavior our personality our
creativity and our ability to use the
proper mode of thinking while performing
particular tasks
certain arguments are put forth in the
issue as to when lateralization takes
place Eric Lambert contends that it's
complete around puberty
while Norman cheshwin believes is that a
much earlier age than that and Stephen
krashen says is that around the age of
five
Koval in 1984 cautioned against assuming
with crashes but lateralization is
complete by age five otherwise one must
be careful to distinguish between
emergence of lateralization at Birth but
quite evident of five and completion
only evident and about puberty
if lateralization is not completed until
puberty then one can still construct
Arguments for a critical period based on
lateralization
cognitively lateralization enables the
person to reach the capability of
abstraction of formal thinking and of
direct perception which start from
puberty on this shows that adults
possess Superior cognitive capacity due
to left hemisphere dominance
research findings say that although
research is inconclusive about left and
right hemispheric participation in
language acquisition a number of
empirical and observational studies and
Decay that adults might benefit from a
healthy dose of right brain oriented
activities in the foreign language
classroom
implications for teaching
some approaches to language teaching
such as Total Physical response the
natural approach Advocate a last
analytical approach and a more
psychomotor integrated approach
promoting the social atmosphere and the
classroom what are some typical right
brain oriented activities that you have
seen or would use in the language
classroom
well you can bring in the charts graphs
and thematic maps and the like when
presenting text for reading or
organizing literary elements such as the
plot characters
Etc
maps and graphs make use of the students
strong right brain visual spatial skills
or have some time for group activities
where students can interact with their
peers right brain students enjoy the
company of others
we will now tackle the cognitive
considerations in language acquisition
human cognition develops rapidly
throughout the first 16 years of life
and lasts rapidly thereafter
some cognitive changes are critical
others are more gradual and difficult to
detect
jean-pierge outlined the course of
intellectual development in a child
through various stages one sensory motor
stage from birth to two
too
pre-operational stage from ages 2 to 7.
3. operational stage ages 7 to 16.
4. concrete operational stage ages 7 to
11.
five formal operational stage ages 11 to
16.
a critical stage for a consideration of
the effects of age and second language
acquisition appears to occur in vijay's
outline at puberty that is age 11 in his
model in this stage a person becomes
capable of abstraction a formal thinking
which transcends concrete experience and
direct perception the lateralization
hypothesis may prove another key to
cognitive differences between child and
adult language acquisition as child
matures into adulthood the left
hemispheric which controls the
analytical and intellectual functions
becomes more dominant than the right
hemisphere which controls the emotional
functions
another construct that should be
considered in examining the cognitive
domain is the Piaget notion of
equilibration
equilibration is a progressive
organization of knowledge and a
step-wise fashion and related to the
concept of equilibrium
that is cognition develops as a process
of moving from the states of doubt and
uncertainty or this equilibrium to
stages of resolution and certainty or
equilibrium and then back to further
doubt that is in time also resolved the
final consideration in the cognitive
domain is the distinction that ossable
makes between Broad and meaningful
learning noting the people of all ages
have little need for Road mechanistic
learning that is not related to existing
knowledge and experience rather most
items are acquired by meaningful
learning by anchoring and relating new
items and experiences to knowledge that
exists in the cognitive framework
it is myth to contend that children are
good road Learners making good use of
meaningless repetition and mimicking
now we have the effective considerations
human beings are emotional creatures at
the heart of all thought and meaning and
action is emotion
as intellectual as we would like to
think we are influenced by our emotions
it is only logical then to look at the
effective or emotional domain for some
of the most significant answers to the
problems of contrasting the differences
between first and second language
acquisition
research on the effect of domain and
second language acquisition has been
mounting steadily for a number of
decades Studies have been inspired by a
number of factors
linguistic theory is now asking the
cheapest possible questions about human
language with some applied linguists
examining the inner being of the person
to discover it in the effective side of
human behavior there lies an explanation
to the mysteries of language acquisition
foreign
the effective domain includes
manufacturers empathy
self-esteem
extroversion inhibition
imitation
anxiety attitudes the list could go on
some of these may seem at first rather
far removed from language learning but
when we consider the pervasive nature of
language any effective Factor can
conceivably be relevant to second
language learning thank you
a keys in point is a role of
egocentricity in human development
very young children are highly
egocentric the world revolves around
them and they see all events as focusing
on themselves as children grow older
they become more aware of themselves
more self-conscious as they seek both to
Define and to understand their
self-identity
in pre-adolescence children develop an
acute consciousness of themselves as
separate and identifiable entities but
once in their still wavering insecurity
they need protecting they therefore
develop inhibitions about this
self-identity fearing to expose too much
self-doubt
at puberty these inhibitions are
heightened in the trauma of undergoing
critical physical cognitive and
emotional changes
adolescence must acquire a totally new
physical cognitive and emotional
identity
their egos are affected not only in how
they understand themselves but also and
how they reach out Beyond themselves how
they relate to others socially and how
they use the communicative process to
bring on effective equilibrium several
decades ago Alexander giora a researcher
in the study of Personality variables in
second language learning proposed what
he called the language ego to account
for the identity a person develops in
reference to the language he or she
speaks for any monolingual person the
language ego involves the interaction of
the native language and ego development
the language ego make answer to the
difficulties that adults have in
learning a second language the child's
ego is dynamic and growing and flexible
through the age of puberty thus a new
language at this stage does not pose a
substantial threat or inhibition to the
ego an adaptation is made relatively
easily as long as there are no undue
confusing social cultural factors such
as for example a damaging attitude
toward a language or language crew at a
young age
at this point the simultaneous physical
emotional and cognitive changes of
puberty give rise to a defensive
mechanism in which the language ego
becomes protective and defensive the
language ego which has now become part
and parcel of self-identity is
threatened and thus a context develops
in which you must be willing to make a
fool of yourself in the trial and error
struggle of speaking and understanding a
foreign language
younger children are less frightened
because they are less aware of language
forms and the possibility of making
mistakes in those forms mistakes that
one really must make in an attempt to
communicate spontaneously and does not
concern them greatly
it is no wonder then that the
acquisition of a new language ego is an
enormous undertaking not only for young
adolescents but also for an adult who is
prone comfortable and secure in his or
her own identity and he possesses
inhibitions that serve as a wall of
Defense of protection around the ego
research findings it is common to find
research that compares children and
adults acquiring second languages with
the assumption that the two categories
are easily defined but not enough
research examines differences between
younger that is six to seven year old
and older that is 10 to 11 year old
children
teaching implications
[Music]
you were teaching two groups of children
a 67 year old crew and a 10 to 11 year
old crew how would your approach and
classroom activities differ
finally let us tackle linguistic
considerations
we have so far looked at Learners
themselves and considered a number of
different issues in age and acquisition
now we turn into some issues that Center
on the subject matter itself language
a growing number of researches are now
available to shed some light on the
linguistic processes of second language
learning and how those processes differ
between children and adults it is clear
that children learning two languages
simultaneously acquire them by the use
of similar strategies they are in
essence learning two first languages and
the key to success is in distinguishing
separate contexts for the two languages
people who learn a second language in
such separate contexts can often be
described as coordinate bilinguals they
have two meaning systems as opposed to
compound bilinguals who have one meaning
system from which both languages operate
children generally do not have problems
with mixing up languages regardless of
the separateness of contacts for use of
languages moreover bilinguals are not
two monolinguals in the same head that
is according to cook in 1995. most my
linguals however engage in code
switching that is the act of in certain
words phrases or even longer stretches
of one language into the other
especially when communicating with
another bilingual
in some cases the acquisition of both
languages in bilingual children is
slightly lower than the normal schedule
for first language acquisition however
irrespectable stockpile of research
Reynolds in 1991 shows a considerable
cognitive benefit of Early Childhood
bilingualism supporting Lambert's 1972
contention that bilingual children are
more facile at concept formation and of
a greater mental flexibility
bilingualism in children is positively
related to cancer formation
classification creativity and analogical
reasoning a study conducted with
Japanese students studying English in
gifu Japan and native English students
from Ontario Canada where the
participants took the icon level test in
order to compare the cognitive abilities
of bilingual versus monolingual children
the results were in favor of the
bilingual students let us know just
cause the interference between first and
second languages
a good deal of the research and
non-simultaneous second language session
then both children and adults has
focused on the interfering effects of
the first and second languages
for the most part research confirms that
the linguistic and cognitive processes
of second language learning in young
children are in general similar to first
language processes
Urban trip in 197-4 and others concluded
that similar strategies and linguistic
features are present in both first and
second language learning in children for
example Julian bird in 1974 found that
86 percent of more than 500 errors made
by Spanish-speaking children learning
English reflected normal developmental
characteristics that is expected
interlingual strategies not interference
errors from the first language
Hansen and bead Madden 7-5 examined such
linguistic structures as possession
gender word order verb forms questions
and negation in an English-speaking
three-year-old child who learned Urdu
upon moving to Pakistan
in spite of some worked linguistic
contrasts between English and Urdu the
child's acquisition did not appear to
show first language interference and
exact predication showed similar
strategies and rules for both the first
and the second language adult second
language linguistic processes are more
vulnerable to the effect of the first
language on the second especially the
farther apart the two events are whether
adults learn a foreign language in a
classroom or out in the arena the
approach the second language either
vocally or peripherally systematically
and they attempt to formulate linguistic
rules on the basis of whatever
linguistic information is available to
them information from the native
language the second language teachers
classmates and peers
adults more cognitively secure appear to
operate from the solid foundation of the
first language and thus manifest more
interference that it was planted out
earlier that adults too manifest errors
similar to some of the errors children
make the result of creative perception
the second language had an attempt to
discover its rules apart from the rules
of the first language the first language
however may be more readily used to
bridge gaps that the adult learner
cannot fill the generalization within
the second language in this case we do
well to remember that the first language
can be a facilitating factor and not
just an interfering Factor order of
acquisition
researchers have tried to find out if
there is an order of acquisition in
acquiring grammatical morphines the
findings are important but contradictory
and have implications on first and
second language acquisition
more theme studies aimed to investigate
the acquisition of grammatical functions
such as articles or inflectional
features such as the plural as
an important research in this field is
that of Roger Brown a sighted in
McLaughlin 1987.
there is a common invariant sequence of
acquisition for at least 14 function
words in English as a first language
noun and verb inflections
prepositions and articles
findings of these studies pointed out
that there is a definite order in the
acquisition of morphemes in English
first language Learners other morphine
studies were carried out on various
functions and Order of acquisition dos
exist light bound and is PETA in 2006
review studies on the acquisition of
question words what where who why when
and how and they show a great similarity
in first and second language position
based on the morphine studies and second
language acquisition crashing in 1982
put forward the natural order hypothesis
which he developed to account for second
language acquisition
he claimed that we acquire the rules of
language in a predictable order
this acquisition order is not determined
by Simplicity or the order of rules
taught in the class
thus far it seems as if first language
acquisition and second language
acquisition follows similar rules
however other morpheme Studies have
shown that not all first language
Learners follow the order of acquisition
predicted there appears to be inter
learner variation in the order of
acquisition
wells in 1986 cited in Ellis 1994
proposes inter learner variables
affecting the order of acquisition as
sex intelligence social background rate
of learning and experience of linguistic
interaction
furthermore McLaughlin in 1987 claims
that learner's first language has an
effect on acquisitional sequences which
either slows their development or
modifies it additionally considerable
individual variation in how Learners
acquire a second language such as
different learning performance and
communication strategies obscure the
acquisitional sequences for certain
constructions therefore McLaughlin in
1987 argues the prussians claim that an
invariant natural order is always found
is simply not true
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foreign
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