What is it – with regards to language acquisition?
Innatism is the view that the mind is born with already-formed ideas, knowledge, and beliefs. It means that the mind is not a ‘blank state’ at birth.
Key aspects of innatism
- Innate ideas: the believe that certain fundamental ideas or concepts, like mathematics, language or logic are already existing in the mind from birth.
- Natural knowledge structures: The idea that humans are born with innate cognitive structures or predispositions that allow them to learn and understand specific aspects of reality.
- Language Acquisition: It suggests that certain aspects of language are not learned solely through environmental interaction but are part of our biological endowment.
A few key concepts in innatism and language acquisition are:
– Universal grammar (UG)
Proposed by Noam Chomsky, the idea is that all humans are born with a universal set of grammatical principles shared across all languages. These principles provide a blueprint of framework for learning specific languages based on the linguistic input a child receives from their environment. It suggest that while specific languages vary the underlying grammatical structures are universal and innate.
− Language Acquisition Device (LAD):
The LAD allows humans to learn language quickly and efficiently during childhood by processing linguistic input and mapping into the innate grammatical structures. This concepts highlights that children are biologically predisposed to acquire language without requiring explicit instruction.
− Poverty of the stimulus:
This refers to the observation that the linguistic input available to children is often incomplete, ambiguous, or inconsistent. Despite this, children are able to acquire sophisticated grammatical systems. According to innatists, this suggests that children cannot rely solely on environmental exposure to learn language, implying the presence of innate mechanisms guiding language learning.
− Critical period hypothesis
According to this view, if children are not exposed to language during this period, their ability to acquire language later in life will be significantly diminished or even impossible.
How might this be visible in a classroom (teacher activity)
- Language Pattern Recognition Games
* Activity: Provide students with sentences in their target language and ask them to identify patterns (e.g., verb conjugations, word order, or syntax).
* Example: Give students simple sentences like “The cat chased the mouse” and “The dog barked loudly“. Have students find patterns in the structure (subject-verb-object order).
* Why It Works: This mimics how children recognize patterns in linguistic input to make sense of grammar rules. - Sentence Creation with Word Cards
* Activity:Use word cards (printed with nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.) to allow students to create their own sentences.
* Instructions: Mix and match the cards to form simple and grammatically correct sentences. Ask students to share their sentences with the class.
* Why it works: Encourages exploration of grammar structures by applying innate grammatical rules in a hands-on, playful way. - Grammar Puzzle Game
* Activity:Create sentence puzzles by mixing up word order. Students work in groups to rearrange words to form correct and meaningful sentences.
* Instructions: Write scrambled sentences on paper or a whiteboard. Have students reorder them to make grammatical sense.
* Example: Scramble “the / car / a / red / is / the / parked / driveway” → Correct answer: “The red car is parked in the driveway.“
* Why it works: Encourages students to explore grammar intuitively by reconstructing patterns. - Grammar Rule Exploration (Guess the Rule)
* Activity: Present students with sentences using a specific grammar pattern and ask them to discover the underlying rule.
* Instructions: Give students 4–5 sentences. Have them analyze and identify the rule.
* Example: Sentences:
o “I study every day.”
o “He plays football on weekends.”
o “They travel to London in the summer.”
Ask:
o What tense are these sentences using?
o What’s the common grammatical pattern?
– Why It Works: Encourages active discovery and mimics how children infer grammar rules from patterns in language input.
What is the Critical Period Hypothesis?
This is a theory in linguistics and psychology that suggests there is a specific window of time during which humans are biologically predisposed to acquire language most easily and effectively. After this period, the ability to learn language, especially to achieve native-like fluency, becomes significantly harder or even impossible.
What are Krashen’s five hypothesis?
This second language acquisition theory explains how people learn second languages. These hypotheses outline the process of language learning and distinguish between natural language acquisition and formal learning. The five hypotheses this is based on are:
− The acquisition-learning hypothesis
Definition: There are two separate systems for learning a language:
- Acquisition: The subconscious, natural process of learning language through exposure and interaction, much like how children learn their first language.
- Learning: The conscious process of learning grammar and rules, often through formal instruction.
Key Idea: Acquisition leads to fluency, while learning leads to knowledge about language (grammar, vocabulary, etc.).
− The monitor hypothesis
Definition: This hypothesis suggests that a learner uses learned grammar (formal learning) to monitor or correct language output, but only when three conditions are met:
- The learner has enough time to self-monitor.
- The learner focuses on form or correctness.
- The learner knows the rule.
Key Idea: The “monitor” acts as a check mechanism to refine and correct language use, but it doesn’t guide spontaneous language production.
− The natural order hypothesis
Definition: Language learners acquire grammatical structures in a predictable order, regardless of the learner’s first language or exposure method.
Key idea: Learning follows a natural sequence (like children often acquire present progressive forms like “is running” before perfect forms like “has run”), and this sequence cannot be easily changed through direct teaching.
− The input hypothesis
Definition: Language is acquired when learners are exposed to language input that is comprehensible and slightly above their current proficiency level, referred to as “i+1”.
“I” = the learner’s current language level.
“+1”= the next step in language development just beyond their current level.
Key idea: understanding input that is just a little more advanced than the current level promotes language growth.
− The affective filter hypothesis
Definition: Emotional factors like motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety influence a learners ability to acquire language.
Key idea:
- When learner’s affective filter is low (e.g. they are motivated, confident and relaxed) they are more likely to acquire language successfully.
- When a learner’s affective filter is high (e.g. due to stress, anxiety, or lack of motivation), it blocks the learning process.
These hypotheses are foundational to Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition and emphasize the interaction of cognitive, social, and emotional factors in the language learning process.
what implications does this hypothesis have when learning a second language?
By applying Krashen’s hypotheses to second language teaching, educators can create learning experiences that align with natural, subconscious language processes while supporting students’ emotional needs and motivation. These ideas advocate for a balanced approach that combines meaningful interaction, exposure, grammar instruction, and emotional support to optimize second language learning.
- Influential researchers: Chomsky and Krashen.
Noam Chomsky and Stephen Krashen are two influential figures in the study of linguistics and second language acquisition.
Noam Chomsky
Key Contribution: Theory of Universal Grammar & Innatism
Who is he?
Noam Chomsky is a linguist, cognitive scientist, and philosopher best known for his revolutionary theories about the biological basis of language learning.
Key Concepts
- Universal Grammar (UG):
a. Chomsky proposed that humans are born with an innate ability to acquire language, which is structured by a set of universal grammatical principles shared across all languages.
b. This innate biological mechanism is known as the Language Acquisition Device (LAD). - Innatism:
a. Chomsky’s theory suggests that children are biologically pre-programmed to learn language.
b. Environmental input triggers the innate mechanisms for grammar learning. - Criticism of Behaviorist Models:
a. Chomsky rejected the idea that language learning is a product of imitation, reinforcement, or conditioning (as proposed by behaviorists like B.F. Skinner). Instead, he argued that innate mechanisms guide language learning.
Key Idea:
Key Idea: Chomsky’s Innatist Theory emphasizes that the ability to learn language is biologically hardwired, with grammar being innate.
Stephen Krashen
Key Contribution: Second Language Acquisition Theory
Who is he?
Stephen Krashen is a linguist and educator known for his influential Second Language Acquisition Theory, which focuses on the process of learning a second language (L2).
Krashen’s 5 Hypotheses
- Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis:
Differentiates between natural, subconscious language acquisition (through exposure) and formal language learning (through instruction). - Monitor Hypothesis:
Learners use their conscious knowledge of grammar as a “monitor” to correct language output under certain conditions (e.g., time, focus, and knowledge of rules). - Natural Order Hypothesis:
Learners acquire grammatical structures in a predictable order, regardless of teaching methods. - Input Hypothesis:
Language is acquired through exposure to comprehensible input that is just beyond a learner’s current level of proficiency (“i + 1”). - Affective Filter Hypothesis:
Emotional factors (e.g., motivation, anxiety, and confidence) affect the ability to learn a second language. A low affective filter (e.g., students are relaxed and motivated) allows language learning to happen more effectively.
Summary
- Chomsky focuses on the biological and innate mechanisms behind language learning, emphasizing Universal Grammar and the idea that humans are born with the ability to learn language.
- Krashen focuses on second language learning, emphasizing comprehensible input, emotional factors, and natural processes that affect how individuals acquire a second language.
While Chomsky laid the foundation with his theory of innate biological mechanisms for grammar, Krashen extended the conversation by focusing on how these ideas apply to the learning of second languages, especially with attention to the role of exposure and emotional well-being. Both theories have had a profound influence on linguistics, cognitive science, and language education.
Criticisms of the theory
- Critics argue that experience and environmental interaction play a more significant role in language acquisition than innatism allows. These views emphasize learning through social interaction, reinforcement, and observation rather than innate mechanisms.
- While UG is a compelling theoretical idea, there is no direct evidence of a universal grammatical blueprint or a physical “LAD” mechanism.
- Modern cognitive theories, such as connectionist models and statistical learning, suggest that language can emerge from patterns in input and environmental interaction alone without requiring innate structures.
In short, while innatism highlights biology’s role in language learning, critics argue that environmental factors, social interaction, and learning patterns can explain much of how humans acquire language.
Sources:
Innateness and Language (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). (2008, 16 januari).
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/innateness-language/?utm
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, 7 september). Innateness hypothesis. Wikipedia.
Nordquist, R. (2019b, juli 3). The Theory of Poverty of the Stimulus in Language Development.
ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/poverty-of-the-stimulus-pos-1691521?utm
Almaden, S. A. (2024, 27 september). Stephen Krashen’s Five Hypotheses of Second Language
Acquisition. Beelinguapp Blog. https://beelinguapp.com/nl/blog/stephen-krashens-five-hypotheses-of-second-language-acquisition
Krashen, Krashen, Lightbrown, & Spada. (1982). ESL Prep
Manual pages 76 – 77. In ESL Prep Manual (pp. 76–77). https://www.txel.org/media/bvblndin/di_krashen-s-five-hypotheses.pdf