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SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE

IN

ENGLISH 102
Theories and Principles of Language Acquisition and Learning

2nd Sem 2020-2021

MA. THERESA B. VALERIO, Ph D

Associate Professor V

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MODULE 1

Lesson 1: The Nature of Language and Learning

Lesson 2 : Stages Language (L1) Acquisition
Lesson 3: Theories of First Language (L1) Acquisition

Overview :

This module addresses the concepts of language in general including

language learning and related issues pertaining to linguistic concerns.

COMPETENCIES

At the end of the learning episode, the students should be able to:

1.Define language and learning accordingly .

2.Internalize the concept of language profoundly.
3.Determine the stages of language acquisition; and
4.Differentiate the theories of language acquisition.

DISCUSSION
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A language is a system of communication which consists of a set of

sounds and written symbols which are used by the people of a particular
country or region for talking or writing.

A language is a system of communication which consists of a set of

sounds and written symbols which are used by the people of a particular
country or region for talking or writing.

Language is an abstract system of symbol and meanings. This system

includes grammar that relates meaning so that we can communicate with each
other.

As language plays very important role in the development of a person

personality. Not only in personality but by learning more than one language it
can develop person’s cognitive skills, learning more than one language also
important in social development of person.

As language is not the creation of one person or of one period but it is an

institution, on which hundreds of generations and countless individual workers
have worked. (Lal Banga,2015)

Oxford English Dictionary defines language as “Words and the methods

of combining them for the expression of thoughts”

According to Edward Sapir (1921), “Language is a purely human and

non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by
means of voluntarily produced symbols."

According to Bolinger, “Language is species specific.”

According to H.A. Gleason, “Language is one of the most important and

characteristic forms of human behavior.”

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According to B. Bloch, (1942), "A language is a system of arbitrary vocal

symbols by means of which a social group cooperates."

English as a Global Language

People often talk about English as a global language or lingua franca. With
more than 350 million people around the world speaking English as a first language
and more than 430 million speaking it as a second language, there are English
speakers in most countries around the world.
For a very small country in Southeast Asia with over 85 million people, it is
surprising to know that the Philippines has 120 to 175 languages with native
speakers. Though this is not as incredible as Papua New Guinea with over 800
languages and only 5 million people, it is still interesting to note that most of these
languages have native speakers that count by the thousands.
In some other countries, there are lots of languages but with only a handful of
native speakers left. In the Philippines, most of these languages are still widely spoken
and are very much alive. If an international language exists today, it is inarguably
English. Not only is it the default language of international business, it has integrated
itself into many languages through loanwords. Loanwords span from “Internet” to
common phrases like “Ok”.
There are more than 350 million people that claim English as their native
language, and 430 million more people speak it as their second language. English
speakers are found in every corner of the world, so it’s hard to ignore its status as an
international language.
English is a West Germanic language that spans the globe, from the United
States to New Zealand. It’s estimated that there are around 2 billion English speakers
of varying nationalities spread throughout the world. There are many varieties of
English as well, ranging from British to South African English, each with their own
idiosyncrasies.
Just as English has loaned words out to other languages, other languages have
loaned their words out to English as well.
The English language gains words like “ballet” from French, “kindergarten” from
German, “patio” from Spanish, “tsunami” from Japanese, and “moped” from Swedish.
It can be assumed that, as English spreads throughout the world, it will continue to

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gain new vocabulary from other languages. Similarly, other languages will continue to
gain new vocabulary from English.
Language in The Philippines
There are around 120 to 175 languages in the Philippines depending on how
they are classified. The official languages based on the current constitution are English
and Filipino.
There are 13 languages with at least 1 million speakers all over the country.
Some of these languages include Cebuano, Hiligayno, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Kinaray-
a, and Waray Waray. Most of the languages spoken were derived from Malayo-
Polynesian roots. However, there are also some Filipinos who can speak languages
derived from Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese.

A Historical Perspective.
Throughout the 19th and 20th century, the lingua franca in the Philippines was
Spanish as it has been under their colony. In fact, Filipinos were forced to abandon
their language and use Spanish as means of communication, be it in the government
or in schools. When the country fell under the Americans, English became the lingua
franca.

Textbooks used in schools were all translated to English and even in

government transactions, English became widely used. A few years after Philippines
gained independence, Tagalog was declared as its official language under the
leadership of then President Manuel L. Quezon. However, despite the fact that the
Philippines has been through several colonizers, many places have retained the use of
their native language as influenced by the Malayo-Polynesian family of languages.

The Official Language

The selection of Tagalog as the official language in 1939 had become somewhat
controversial as it was only widely spoken in the country’s capital. Down south, there
were other languages spoken with more native speakers. This paved the way for the
official language to be changed to Filipino in 1973 alongside English under the
presidency of Ferdinand Marcos.
This was further enhanced in the development of the 1987 Constitution. The
term “Filipino” means that it is based on the existing language and other languages.
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This is why some words spoken by Cebuanos and Ilokanos for instance have already
been adopted as official Filipino words.
How More than a Hundred Languages Survived
Despite the fact that Philippines has gone through several colonizers and it has
changed its Constitution a few times especially in regards to the use of official
language, still many languages have native speakers. Those who were highly
influenced by Spanish settlers in Zamboanga still retained the use of Chavacano
(derived from Spanish) as the lingua franca.
Several tribes in the Philippines like the Mangyan, T’boli and Ivatan still use
their language and not influenced by any other languages. Those who were influenced
by the Moslems in the southern part of the country still practice their rich language. In
fact, even if many conquerors tried to influence them, they held on to their roots.
However, it is important to note that some can also speak Arabic beyond just liturgical
use.
Trade and commerce in the past have also become the reason why there are
still a lot of Filipinos who can speak foreign languages such as Bahasa Melayu and
Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese and even Japanese.
It is indeed great to know that despite such diversity, the country still remain
united and its people have a clear understanding of each other.
Language and culture
Language and culture are intertwined. A particular language usually points out
to a specific group of people. When you interact with another language, it means that
you are also interacting with the culture that speaks the language. You cannot
understand one's culture without accessing its language directly.

Language and culture go hand in hand, whether it is folklore of a certain nation

or simple day-to-day talk. Logically, there is a certain kind of relationship between
language and culture. After all, both of these often define a person, their views,
traditions, habits, and pretty much almost everything about their daily life.

Transmission
Language is primarily learned through oral communication rather than written.
Children grasp the basic concepts of structure and grammar before they even go to
school. Their primary sources at this age are parents. Once they go to pre-school, kids
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are taught the basics of their first language. But when they go to school, they are
taught more complicated structures and concepts about their first or second language.
However, the foundation is still laid out even before school.

Similarly to language, culture is sort of inherited from the child’s surroundings.

Not only is the family responsible for it, but also the country with its customs,
traditions, and citizens. The child absorbs the information he or she sees and hears,
even on an unconscious level.
Once the child has grown up a little, another source of cultural and linguistic
learning is the written one. Depending on what books and in which language the child
reads, his or her mindset will be corresponding. Bilingual people often recall learning
both languages not only due to the fact that they used them in their daily lives but also
because they processed the information they got from written materials. These are also
considered a powerful tool in learning a language, right after the oral speech.
Assimilation And Social Interactions
Before so many languages were present on our planet, there were several main
primary languages spoken by large groups of people. With time the people evolved as
well as their cultures and the language they spoke. This is usually attributed to the
fact that they felt they needed to adapt to new circumstances and assimilate.
Various dialects have also developed because of the influences certain cultures
had on others. One of the oldest examples of this can be that of Ancient Greece and
Rome. When the Romans captured Greece, they were greatly influenced by Greek
culture, language, and most importantly — religion.
The Romans had adopted the Greek pantheon of gods and with this some of
their culture. Another example is that of France and England when the Englishmen
started speaking French and the English language (which was then much more similar
to German) adopted a huge part of vocabulary from French. Nowadays, English has
approximately 30% of words originating from French.
One of the reasons why certain tribes I changed their language was because
they wanted to be better than others. In other cases, they needed to be accepted on
new land, so one of the obvious steps was to adopt the customs and traditions of the
locals.
Diversity

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The linguistic varieties of a language can be categorized into geographical,

social, and functional. Geographical differences happen when a form of the language is
used in certain parts of a community. For example, the language spoken in the
Eastern part of a country may differ from the one spoken in the West.
Social differences are influenced by gender, age, and occupation. For example, a
professor will talk differently from a politician or an office worker. Functional
differences stem from the function and situation that the language is used in.
But regardless of these dissimilarities, culture unifies people speaking variations
of one language or even speaking several languages. This is also true for a language
unifying people from varying cultural backgrounds.
To sum up, language and culture are definitely an integral part of our life. There
are many differences we share due to our different identities and individualities, but
there also many similarities that we have thanks to the connections between our
cultures and languages we speak.

Lesson 2
Stages of Language Acquisition

First language acquisition refers to the way children learn their native
language. Second language acquisition refers to the learning of another language or
languages besides the native language.

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For children learning their native language, linguistic competence develops in

stages, from babbling to one word to two word, then telegraphic speech. Babbling is
now considered the earliest form of language acquisition because infants will produce
sounds based on what language input they receive.
One word sentences (holophrastic speech) are generally monosyllabic in
consonant-vowel clusters. During two word stage, there are no syntactic or
morphological markers, no inflections for plural or past tense, and pronouns are rare,
but the intonation contour extends over the whole utterance.
Telegraphic speech lacks function words and only carries the open class content
words, so that the sentences sound like a telegram.
Phonology and Children’s pronunciation
A child's error in pronunciation is not random, but rule-governed. Typical
phonological rules include: consonant cluster simplification (spoon becomes poon),
devoicing of final consonants (dog becomes dok), voicing of initial consonants (truck
becomes druck), and consonant harmony (doggy becomes goggy, or big becomes gig.)

Morphology and Children

An overgeneralization of constructed rules is shown when children treat
irregular verbs and nouns as regular. Instead of went as the past tense of go, children
use goed because the regular verbs add an -ed ending to form the past tense.
Similarly, children use gooses as the plural of goose instead of geese, because regular
nouns add an -s in the plural.
The "Innateness Hypothesis" of child language acquisition, proposed by Noam
Chomsky, states that the human species is pre-wired to acquire language, and that the
kind of language is also determined.
Many factors have led to this hypothesis such as the ease and rapidity of
language acquisition despite impoverished input as well as the uniformity of
languages. All children will learn a language, and children will also learn more than
one language if they are exposed to it. Children follow the same general stages when
learning a language, although the linguistic input is widely varied.
The poverty of the stimulus states that children seem to learn or know the
aspects of grammar for which they receive no information. In addition, children do not
produce sentences that could not be sentences in some human language.

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The principles of Universal Grammar underlie the specific grammars of all

languages and determine the class of languages that can be acquired unconsciously
without instruction. It is the genetically determined faculty of the left hemisphere, and
there is little doubt that the brain is specially equipped for acquisition of human
language.

What are the Stages of Language Acquisition among Children ?

In the majority of cases, children's language development follows a

predictable sequence. Naturally, there's much variation in ages when children
reach specific language milestones. Every child's linguistic development is
based on a gradual acquisition of particular abilities.

1.Babbling Stages of babbling: The babbling stage begins at

 0-2 Months : Crying approximately 6 months of
and cooing. age and continues until
 3-4 Months : Simple a child is about one year old.
speech sounds (goo). One key development
 5 Months : Single-syllable leading to babbling occurs
speech sounds (ba, da, during the
ma).
prelinguistic stage; around 4
 6-7 Months :
months of age, larynx starts
Reduplicated babbling –
repeating the same to drop, creating pharyngeal
syllable (ba-ba, na-na). cavity.
 8-8 Months :
Variegated babbling –
mixing different sounds
(ba de da).

2.One- word One word stage The one word or By this point in time,
stage or holophrastic holophrastic stage occurs children can produce a small
stage between approximately 11 number of isolated, single
months of age and 1.5 years of words and many sound
age.
3. Two- word stage The two-word stage often occurs Within a few months of
from 18-24 months, consisting of producing one word
utterances generally two nouns utterances children will
or a noun and a verb. begin to produce two-word
phrases.
Some examples of this
include baby chair meaning

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'The baby is sitting on the

chair' or doggie bark,
meaning 'The dog is
barking'.
4.Telegraphic or The telegraphic stage is the final It uses a range of words that
early multiword stage stage in language acquisition, fit together to only just make
when the baby is 24-30 months sense, for instance, when a
old. baby says "Mummy get
milk". During this stage a
child's vocabulary expands
from 50 words to up to
13,000 words
5.Later multiword Later Multiword Stage: From 30 Children will typically begin
stage months and beyond. to communicate in more
substantial sentences that
make both grammatical and
functional sense.

Lesson 3 : Theories of First Language (L1) Acquisition

Language acquisition is a product of active, repetitive, and complex

learning. Peer learning is an important part of language development, especially
in mixed-age groups
The learning theory of language acquisition suggests that children learn a
language much like they learn to tie their shoes or how to count; through
repetition and reinforcement. When babies first learn to babble, parents and
guardians smile, coo, and hug them for this behavior.

There are three theories of language acquisition

Theory 1 : The Behaviorist theory by B.F Skinner( Behaviorism )

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Who is B.F Skinner?

Burrhus Frederic Skinner,bron 1904 and died on 1990. He is an
American psychologist, inventor, social philosopher.

The behaviorist theory believes that infants learn oral language from
other human role models through a process involving imitation, rewards, and
practice. When a child attempts oral language or imitates the sounds or speech
patterns they are usually praised and given affection for their efforts.

Infants would say “ mama”. The infant’s learn the word “ mama” and the
reward is _________________________________________ .
( Answer it by yourself)

Skinner argued that children learn language based on behaviorist

reinforcement principles by associating words with meanings. Correct
utterances are positively reinforced when the child realizes the communicative
value of words and phrases.

According to the behaviorist theory of language acquisition, children

learn language as they do any other behavior: they mimic the language patterns
of those around them, responding to the rewards and punishments that follow
from correct and incorrect usage, respectively.

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Observe children in your neighborhood, how do they learn utterances

from their environment particulary from the social media and from the people
around themselves ?_________________________________________________________
( state your answers here )

Theory 2. Nativist Theory by Noam Chomsky

Who is Noam Chomsky?

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Noam Chomsky is known as the

father of modern linguistics. Born
December 7, 1928) is an American
linguist, philosopher, cognitive
scientist, historian, social critic, and
political activist.

Nativist theories of language acquisition hold that children learn through

their natural ability to organize the laws of language, but cannot fully utilize
this talent without the presence of other humans. This does not mean,
however, that the child requires formal teaching of any sort.

Chomsky claims that children are born with a hard-wired language

acquisition device (LAD) in their brains. They are born with the major principles
of language in place, but with many parameters to set (such as whether
sentences in the language(s) they are to acquire must have explicit subjects).
According to nativist theory, when the young child is exposed to a
language, their LAD makes it possible for them to set the parameters and
deduce the grammatical principles, because the principles are innate.
The nativist perspective is a biologically based theory, which argues that
humans are pre-programmed with the innate ability to develop language. In
other words, any infant was born with the ability to develop language.

Chomsky base his theory on the idea that all languages contain similar
structures and rules (a universal grammar), and the fact that children
everywhere acquire language the same way, and without much effort, seems to
indicate that we're born wired with the basics already present in our brains.

THEORY # 3. Interactionist Theory by Jerome Bruner and Vygotsky

Bruner argues that an adult and an infant have conversations despite the
child being unable to speak. The interaction between the two, such as games
and non-verbal communication, build the structure of language long before the
child is able to communicate verbally.

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According to Vygotsky, most of the interaction by a child during early

childhood is completely need-based; however it’s internalization by the child
gives it meaning, thus, forming the roots of linguistic development.

From birth, children are surrounded by others who talk to them or with
them. This communication plays a part in how the baby learns to speak his or
her native language. Some argue that “nature” is entirely responsible for how a
baby learns a language, while others argue that “nurture” is responsible for
how a baby picks up his or her mother tongue.

The idea behind interactionist theory is that the way a baby learns a
language is both biological and social. Everyone loves to coo at babies, and this
“baby talk” is exposing the child to language, whether we realize it or not.
Interactionists believe that children are born with brains that predispose them
to the ability to pick up languages as well as with a desire to communicate.

The social interactionist theory postulates the development of language

with greater emphasis on the effects of social interaction between the
developing child and linguistically superior adult.

ENHANCEMENT TASKS:
Part 1.

Quiz 1.Answer the following.

What theory is postulated with the following statements. The choices are in the
box. Write the letter of your answer.
A. Nativist theories of language acquisition
B. Behaviorist theory of language acquisition
C. Interactionist Theory of language acquisition

1. A theory which postulates that an infant learns a language

through his social interaction with his parents
2. Everyone loves to coo at babies, and this “baby talk” is exposing the
child to language. This theory explains this case.
3. The theory which explains that an adult and an infant can have
conversations despite the child being unable to speak,’
4. The theory which postulates that humans are pre-programmed
with the innate ability to develop language. In other words, any
infant was born with the ability to develop language.

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5. The theory that explains why infants learn oral language from
other human role models through a process involving imitation.
rewards, and practice

Part II.

6. Which of the following is NOT an example of language acquisition from

a behaviorist perspective?
A. Babies learn language by repeatedly associating the object 'dog' with
the word 'dog.'
B. Babies learn language by imitating adult patterns of speech.
C. Babies are born with an innate ability to learn language.
D. Babies are rewarded for attempts at speech when their caregivers
smile and applaud their efforts.

7. Noam Chomsky argues that babies acquire language:

A.because humans are born with the ability to learn language.
B.when caregivers speak softly to infants.
C.by watching adults interact.
D.by repeated exposure to sounds that have meaning
8. Which theorist hypothesized that children are born with a language
acquisition device?
A) Chomsky
B) Piaget
C) Skinner
D) Vygotsky
9. According to which theory of language development is language constructed
within a particular sociocultural context, depending on cognitive and
environmental factors?
A. Nativist theories of language acquisition
B. Behaviorist theory of language acquisition
C. Interactionist Theory of language acquisition
10. Which of the following does NOT play a significant role in the child's
learning of language?
A) imitation of adult speech
B) learning rules for sound combinations
C) learning rules for sentence structure
D) learning rules for interaction patterns

Part III. Matching Type

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Answers
here:
1. Proponents of Interactionist Theory A. Vygotsky &
Bruner
2. Proponents of Nativist Theory B. English
3. Proponents of Behaviorist Theory C.Noam Chomsky
4.The Lingua Franca of today’s world D.B.F Skinner
5.Throughout the 19th and 20th century, it E. Spanish
is the lingua franca in the Philippines.
6. The other term for one word sentences F. Tagalog
7. This is final stage in language G.holophrastic
acquisition, when the baby is 24-30 speech)
months old.
8.It begins at approximately 6 months of H. telegraphic stage
age and continues until a child is about one
year old
9. The father of modern linguistics I. babbling stage
10. He claims in his theory that children J. Filipino Culture
are born with a hard-wired language
acquisition device (LAD) in their brains.

TASK 2. In your own words, explain the diagram below.

Task 3. Give 5 Definitions of language plus their references.

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Task 4. Based on the table below, give one actual scenario to prove each
theory. The scenario may be based from your observations from your
neighborhood or from your own home.

REFERENCES :

Bloom, Paul (2002), How Children Learn the Meanings of Words, MIT Press
Brown, H. Douglas, (2000) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, 4 th ed. San Francisco State University,
Cook, V. (1991) Second Language Learning and Teaching, London, Edward Arnold, Cook, V. (1993). Linguistics and
Second Language Acquisition. London, Macmillan Ellis, R. The Study of Second Language Acquisition, OUP 1997
Lightbowm, P. M. & N. Spada, How Languages Are Learned, OUP 199
Ellis, Rod (1994), Understanding Second Language Acquisition, OUP Gass, Susan & Larry Selinker (2003): Second
Michael (2005) Constructing a Language, A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition, HUP White, L (2003)
Second Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press Ingram D. F. (1989)
First

END OF MODULE 1

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