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Monday, October 16, 2023

Theories of language learning

 Theories of language learning

(Assisting Material for MA 3rd Sem, IGNTU)

The theories of language learning are also called the theories of language acquisition. These are related to the language acquisition process of a child. The human baby learns the language of his social environment by his own effort in a very short time. The theories of language learning or language acquisition try to find out the way and process through which the human baby learns his native language or mother tongue.

There are four main theories of language acquisition:

(1) Behaviourist theory

(2) cognitive theory

(3) linguistic theory

(4) interactionist theory

Let we see these in short detail-

(1) Behaviourist Theory

The Behaviourist Theory of Language Acquisition says that the mind of human is like a Blank slate, when he borns. He learns everything from his environment.  B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) is renowned psychologist of this stream. He says that language acquisition and development are learned behaviors.

This Theory has the idea of two types of learning conditions- classical conditioning. and operant conditioning.

(a) Classical conditioning

The process of learning through associating events is known as classical conditioning. The physiologist Ivan Pavlov's famous dog experiment, has led to worldwide recognition of classical conditioning. It  states that someone (or something) comes to associate two things together in either a positive or a negative way. The example of the dog salivating when someone who feeds them approaches, even if that someone does not actually have food on them.

Psychologist John B. Watson then seized on Pavlov's theories and used them to argue that language production results from stimuli which produces an association.

(b) Operant conditioning

The process of learning through rewards and punishments is known as operant conditioning.

There is also a third aspect of behaviorism that is called observation and imitation. It beliefs that the human child observes the things and the people surrounded him and imitates them, and he learns the language and other things through this process.

L. Bloomfield leads the behaviourist approach in Linguistics.

(2) Cognitive Theory

This theory is also called ‘The cognitive learning theory of language development’. The renowned psychologist Jean Piaget is the leading scholar of this approach. He is a Swiss developmental psychologist. He argued that language skills develop in 04 stages-

·      Sensorimotor Stage (birth to age two)

·      Preoperational Stage (ages two to seven)

·      Concrete Operational Stage (ages seven to around eleven)

·      Formal Operational Stage (ages twelve onward)

These stages are related to our cognition. The process of language acquisition and learning is gradual and progressive. It also interrelated with age and environmental factors.

 (3) Linguistic Theory

This theory is also called the ‘Linguistic learning theory’. Some people say it  ‘innatist theory of language acquisition’. It is related to Chomsky’s Idea of ‘Language Acquisition Device’ (LAD), which says that every human mind has an innate linguistic ability to learn a language. In childhood a little bit support from surroundings is needed to learn a language through this device.

(4) Interactionist Theory.

This theory is based on the work of Jerome Bruner. It focuses on the relationship between Surroundings and children, when the children learn a language. This theory beliefs that the process of language acquisition also depends on the Interaction between these two. This means the socio-cultural perspectives also affect the process of learning. Bruner argues that even a very young learner can acquire complex knowledge if appropriately organized instruction.

Unlike the stages proposed by Piaget, the interactionist theory is not age-driven.

 

References :

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-language-acquisition-theories-stages-quiz.html

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED512896.pdf

https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/english/language-acquisition/theories-of-language-acquisition/

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2106.14612

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