Theoretical perspectives on language learning and acquisition

1. Behaviorist Theory

1.1. “Behaviorism gave birth to stimulus-response theory which strives to explain L2 learning as the acquisition of a set of structures through the process of habit formation.” (p.163)

1.2. “Behaviorists explain the success on acquiring L1 and learning L2 through a process of imitation and habit formation.” (p. 164)

1.3. Two types of conditioning:

1.3.1. “Classical conditioning happens when learning occurs involuntarily when there is a conditioned response to a neutral stimulus after having been paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus. In other words, classical conditioning can be likened to a reflex reaction.” (p. 164)

1.3.2. “Operant conditioning, where a favorable response that is given from a stimulus will be rewarded (reinforcement), can aptly justify L2 learning.” (p. 164)

2. Innatist Theory

2.1. “Innatists claim that when a language is successfully acquired or learned, it is because humans have built-in mental or cognitive processes to represent the L1 and L2 in the brain.” (p. 164)

2.2. Two ways to develop competence in language:

2.2.1. Language acquisition: “a process similar to the way children develop their ability in L1; it is done subconsciously in the same way language acquisition happens.” (p. 164)

2.2.2. Language learning: “where the process of learning L2 is done consciously. The L2 learners learn and know about the language rules, are aware of these rules, and are able to talk about them.” (p. 164)

2.3. The main domain of Innatism:

2.3.1. Language Acquisition Device (LAD): “an innate template or blueprint for language”. (p. 162)

2.3.2. Universal Grammar (UG): “explains the commonality of how children acquire language by learning rules in L1 which are presumed to be universal”. (p.162)

3. Interactionist Theory

3.1. “The Interactionists believe that group-related tasks account for the successful acquirers of L1 or learners of L2.” (p. 164)

3.2. “The Interactionist Theory relates the language development of acquirers or learners to social interaction.” (p. 165)

3.3. Ziglari (2008) divides social interaction into interpersonal and intrapersonal:

3.3.1. “Interpersonal interaction occurs when the acquirers or learners are communicating face-to-face via an oral medium or written medium.” (p. 165)

3.3.2. “Intrapersonal interaction happens inside the acquirers or learners as they try to construct meaning as a response to a phenomenon.” (p. 165)

3.4. “Interaction refers to exchanges of information in which there are some utterances that are not understood and it is through the process of error corrections that the attention of the acquirers or learners is drawn to the particular language structures.”

4. Some of my teachers really liked to ask us to do some debates, oral activities related to our experiences and even acting. It was really great to practice and learn with each other. These were my favorite activities because we were able to improvise and communicate by ourselves, taking risks. I'd really enjoyed not only talking to others, but also writing and talking to myself at home

5. Even though my language school wanted us to learn following the “L1 process”, it was something done consciously because we chose to be there to learn a new language, and it was a formal situation. We did have those repetition moments, but another stage of each unit was about learning and understanding the language rules. Besides, the material followed an organized order.

6. I studied at a language school with a methodology that aimed to imitate the L1 acquisition process. At the beginning of each unit, we were supposed to repeat everything we were listening to. With the teacher's help and the context, we could understand how to use those words and expressions. It was closest to classical conditioning, though sometimes operant conditioning was also part of the process: we used to receive rewards in some activities, depending on the teacher. Also, the student with the highest grade also received recognition for their effort in the beginning of the other semester, so it was like a competition.