Krashen 5 Hypotheses

Joan Wink

15 Jan 201511:26

Summary

TLDRThe speaker discusses Stephen Krashen's five hypotheses of language acquisition, emphasizing the difference between learning and acquiring a language. Learning involves memorization and grammar rules, while acquisition is a natural process through meaningful input. The hypotheses include comprehensible input, the monitor hypothesis, natural order, and low affective filter. The importance of comprehensible input plus one is highlighted, where the learner receives slightly advanced information in a supportive environment. The speaker uses examples from both adult learners and children to demonstrate these principles, emphasizing the importance of creating a low-stress environment for effective language acquisition.

Takeaways

📚 **Two Approaches to Language Acquisition:** There's a difference between learning a language (grammar, rules, memorization) and acquiring a language (natural usage and understanding). The latter is more effective for real-world communication.
🗣️ **Learning vs. Acquiring:** Learning involves memorizing rules and taking tests, which often doesn't translate into practical speaking skills. Acquiring happens naturally through meaningful interactions and comprehensible input.
👂 **Comprehensible Input:** Providing comprehensible input—language that is slightly above the learner's current level, also known as 'input +1'—is crucial for language acquisition.
🛠️ **Monitor Hypothesis:** We all have an internal monitor that checks our language use. While useful for writing and editing, it can inhibit speaking if relied on too much during conversation.
🔄 **Natural Order Hypothesis:** Language acquisition follows a predictable natural order. Basic elements like nouns and simple structures are acquired first, while more complex grammatical rules are learned later.
😌 **Affective Filter Hypothesis:** A low affective filter—meaning low anxiety and high confidence—is essential for effective language learning. If learners feel stressed or afraid, they are less likely to acquire the language.
👶 **Silent Period:** Similar to how babies learn their first language, language learners go through a 'silent period' where they listen and understand before they start speaking.
🔄 **Real-Life Example:** The speaker's husband acquired Spanish naturally through daily interactions on a ranch, but struggled when he tried to learn it formally through traditional grammar-focused classes.
👨‍👩‍👧 **Parental Language Acquisition:** The process of speaking to a baby with meaningful and gentle input, without expecting immediate response, parallels how language should be taught to learners.
🎯 **Practical Teaching Tips:** Teachers should focus on providing comprehensible input and creating a low-stress environment to facilitate natural language acquisition, rather than overemphasizing grammar rules and rote memorization.

Q & A

What are Stephen Krashen's five hypotheses on language acquisition?
-Krashen's five hypotheses are: 1) The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis, 2) The Monitor Hypothesis, 3) The Natural Order Hypothesis, 4) The Input Hypothesis (Comprehensible Input +1), and 5) The Affective Filter Hypothesis.
What is the difference between learning a language and acquiring a language?
-Learning a language involves formal instruction, memorization of rules, and grammar-focused methods, while acquiring a language happens naturally through exposure and meaningful communication, without focusing on rules.
Can you provide an example that illustrates the difference between learning and acquiring a language?
-An example from the transcript is the speaker's husband who acquired Spanish by working on a ranch where everyone spoke Spanish. However, when he later took formal Spanish lessons, he began to focus on grammar rules and stopped speaking fluently, illustrating the distinction between acquisition and learning.
What is the Comprehensible Input +1 Hypothesis?
-The Comprehensible Input +1 Hypothesis states that learners acquire language when they receive input that is slightly above their current level of understanding, but still comprehensible. The 'plus one' refers to this small step beyond their current proficiency.
What role does the 'monitor' play in language acquisition according to Krashen?
-The Monitor Hypothesis suggests that individuals use an internal 'monitor' to edit and correct their language use. While this can be helpful for written language, over-reliance on it can inhibit speaking by causing self-consciousness about grammatical correctness.
What is the Natural Order Hypothesis?
-The Natural Order Hypothesis states that language learners acquire linguistic structures in a predictable order. For example, nouns and simple sentence structures are typically acquired first, while more complex grammatical elements, like verb conjugations or plural forms, are acquired later.
How does the Affective Filter Hypothesis affect language acquisition?
-The Affective Filter Hypothesis posits that emotional factors, like fear, anxiety, or self-confidence, can impact language acquisition. A low affective filter—when students feel comfortable and unafraid—enhances language acquisition, while a high filter (stress or fear) can block it.
Why is it important to lower the affective filter for language learners?
-Lowering the affective filter is important because students who are relaxed and confident are more likely to absorb and retain the language. If they feel anxious or intimidated, they may struggle to process the input and their language acquisition will be hindered.
What is the significance of the 'silent period' in language acquisition?
-The 'silent period' refers to the early stage of language acquisition when learners are primarily focused on listening and understanding, without yet speaking the new language. During this time, they are absorbing input and building comprehension, which is a crucial phase for natural acquisition.
How can teachers use Krashen’s theories to support language learners in the classroom?
-Teachers can apply Krashen’s theories by providing comprehensible input just above the student’s current level, reducing anxiety (lowering the affective filter), allowing for a silent period, and minimizing the emphasis on grammatical accuracy (monitoring) to encourage natural language acquisition.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Learning vs. Acquiring a Language

In this section, the speaker introduces Steve Krashen's 1981 language acquisition hypotheses, emphasizing the difference between 'learning' and 'acquiring' a language. Learning involves conscious study, such as memorizing grammar rules, often resulting in little practical use of the language, as seen in the speaker's own experience with French. Acquiring, on the other hand, occurs naturally through meaningful interactions, like the example of the speaker's husband, who learned Spanish on a ranch by immersion. However, when he later studied it formally, he lost the fluidity of his acquired knowledge. The distinction between learning and acquisition is key when working with children learning new languages.

05:01

🔍 Comprehensible Input and the Monitor Hypothesis

This paragraph explains two of Krashen's hypotheses: comprehensible input and the monitor hypothesis. Comprehensible input refers to providing learners with language they can understand, slightly beyond their current level of proficiency ('input plus one'). This keeps them engaged and ensures progress. The monitor hypothesis introduces the concept of a mental monitor that edits or controls speech production, especially in formal learning environments. However, overreliance on the monitor can inhibit natural speech, as seen when the speaker's husband began overthinking verb tenses in Spanish after studying them in school.

10:03

🌱 The Natural Order Hypothesis

Here, the speaker discusses Krashen's natural order hypothesis, which suggests that language learners acquire grammatical structures in a predictable order. For example, basic nouns are usually acquired first, while more complex grammatical features, like plural 's' in English or prepositions in Spanish, come later. The speaker highlights that no matter how much drilling learners do, certain language features only emerge naturally with time, reinforcing the idea that language acquisition follows a set, natural progression.

🧠 The Affective Filter Hypothesis

This paragraph introduces Krashen's affective filter hypothesis, which states that emotional factors like fear or anxiety can block language acquisition. If a student's affective filter is high—meaning they feel anxious or afraid—they are less likely to learn effectively. The speaker emphasizes the importance of creating a low-stress, supportive learning environment to lower the affective filter and promote better language acquisition. The speaker reminds future educators that understanding Krashen's hypotheses, including comprehensible input and the affective filter, is critical knowledge when working with language learners.

👶 Mama's Meaning and Motivation

The speaker uses the example of how babies acquire language to explain the silent period in language learning. Just as caregivers talk to babies before they can respond, learners of a second language need time to absorb and process language (the 'silent period') before they begin to speak. During this time, learners receive comprehensible input without the pressure to produce language. The speaker relates this process to the way babies gradually start responding to simple commands, such as fetching a red ball, demonstrating that understanding precedes speech in language acquisition.

🗣️ Language Emergence in Children

As children grow, their language skills gradually emerge, starting with simple nouns and expanding into more complex language use. By age two or three, children often speak in a stream of words, many of which may not be fully comprehensible. The speaker notes that this natural language development mirrors how students acquire a second language. While first and second language acquisition are not identical, the process of receiving comprehensible input and gradually producing language is similar. The speaker encourages educators to think about how children learn language naturally when teaching students who are acquiring a second language.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Language Acquisition

Language acquisition refers to the process by which humans learn to use a language. In the video, it is discussed as a natural process that differs from formal 'learning' of a language. The speaker emphasizes that acquiring a language is more effective than learning it, as it involves natural and meaningful interaction, as illustrated by the example of the speaker's husband acquiring Spanish on a ranch.

💡Comprehensible Input

Comprehensible Input is a concept in language acquisition theory that suggests learners acquire a language when they receive input that is slightly beyond their current level of understanding but still understandable. The speaker mentions this as a key hypothesis by Steve Krashen, stating that if teachers provide input that is just beyond the learner's current level, the learner will progress.

💡Acquisition vs. Learning

This concept is central to the video's narrative, contrasting 'acquisition', which is a subconscious process of absorbing language naturally, with 'learning', a more conscious and academic approach often involving memorization. The speaker uses personal anecdotes to illustrate the difference, such as the ineffectiveness of learning French through traditional methods versus the natural acquisition of Spanish by immersion.

💡Monitor Hypothesis

The Monitor Hypothesis is one of Krashen's theories suggesting that there is an 'editor' in our brains that checks our language production for correctness. The speaker explains how this monitor can inhibit language production, especially in formal learning environments where the focus is on correctness over communication.

💡Affective Filter

The Affective Filter refers to the emotional block that can prevent language acquisition when learners are anxious or afraid. The speaker stresses the importance of lowering this 'filter' in the classroom to create a safe environment for language acquisition, drawing a parallel to how caregivers speak gently and lovingly to babies to facilitate language learning.

💡Silent Period

The Silent Period is a phase in second language acquisition where learners understand more than they can produce. The speaker uses the analogy of a baby's language development to explain this concept, noting that babies listen and comprehend for a long time before they start speaking.

💡Natural Order Hypothesis

The Natural Order Hypothesis posits that there is a predictable sequence to language acquisition, with certain structures being acquired before others. The speaker mentions that nouns often come first, followed by more complex grammatical structures, which aligns with the natural progression of language development in children.

💡Meaningful Messages

Meaningful Messages are communications that are relevant and important to the learner, which facilitate language acquisition. The speaker emphasizes the importance of providing such messages to learners, using the example of how the speaker's husband acquired Spanish by understanding and responding to the meaningful communications of others on the ranch.

💡Input +1

Input +1 is a concept related to Comprehensible Input, suggesting that teachers should provide input that is slightly more advanced than the learner's current level. The speaker uses this term to illustrate how teachers can support language acquisition by always aiming to provide just enough challenge to promote learning.

💡Language Emergence

Language Emergence is the stage in child language development where language begins to be produced. The speaker describes how, after a period of comprehension, children start to produce language, beginning with simple nouns and gradually progressing to more complex structures, which mirrors second language acquisition.

💡Noun Stacking

Noun Stacking is a phenomenon observed in child language development where children string together nouns to convey meaning. The speaker uses this as an example of how children naturally begin to use language to communicate, even if their grammar is not yet fully developed.

Highlights

The distinction between learning a language and acquiring a language, with acquisition being more natural and effective for real-world use.

Learning focuses on grammar rules and memorization, but it can inhibit practical use of the language, as shown by the speaker's husband losing fluency when he began formal lessons.

Acquisition occurs when learners are immersed in meaningful and comprehensible input, without a focus on grammatical rules.

The comprehensible input hypothesis suggests that learners should be provided with input that is just beyond their current level, making it understandable but still challenging.

The 'monitor hypothesis' explains that a person’s internal monitor can inhibit language production when too much focus is placed on correctness, rather than natural usage.

The 'natural order hypothesis' asserts that there is a predictable sequence in which language elements are acquired, starting with basic nouns and moving toward more complex grammar.

The 'affective filter hypothesis' states that emotional barriers like fear or anxiety can block language acquisition, highlighting the importance of a low-stress learning environment.

Teachers must lower the 'affective filter' by creating a supportive and positive atmosphere to facilitate language acquisition.

Children undergo a 'silent period' during language acquisition, where they understand language before they can speak it.

The process of language acquisition mirrors the natural way children learn their first language, beginning with understanding and eventually producing speech.

Nouns, particularly those with hard consonants, are among the first words acquired by children, both in first and second language acquisition.

As children’s language skills develop, they begin stacking nouns together before mastering sentence structure, which is a normal part of the acquisition process.

Fluency in language acquisition comes gradually, with the child eventually producing a 'raging river' of words, even if all are not yet fully understandable.

For teachers of language learners, it’s important to reconnect with the natural process of language acquisition by envisioning a child’s development.

Krashen’s five hypotheses (learning vs. acquisition, comprehensible input, monitor, natural order, affective filter) are foundational knowledge for language educators and should guide their teaching approach.