Language itself as a means of communication as well as a carrier for thoughts, ideas and art is one of the factors that determine us as human beings. It distinguishes humans from animals and gives us the opportunity to pass along knowledge and memories. At the same time language is one of the most complex things our human brain has to master. It consists of a general concept of language, specific words and rules to use them. Moreover, language – in most cases – has to make sense in a specific context, otherwise it cannot be understood. Furthermore, the articulation of sounds and their reception is another highly complex process.
As speaking and listening is so complicated it has to be learned from the early childhood on by every single person. At a certain age children begin to feel the need to communicate their wishes and insights they already gathered from this totally new world – at least from their point of view. This is what we call first language acquisition. Another area of language learning is the one of second language acquisition. This term describes the learning of a new language that is different from the mother tongue, i.e. the language that was learned in first language acquisition. It is also used when a person learns his third or fourth language to distinguish between the language learned as a native tongue and the one(s) learned as (a) foreign language(s).
In both areas people somehow learn to communicate in a new way. Babies switch from pointing or crying to speaking and children or adults switch from using one language to using another. Here the question arises how they do it. Do they just learn some vocabulary by heart? Do they imitate other people's utterances and hope that they convey the meaning they hoped for? Today we know, that learning a language means using various learning strategies. These strategies are the topic of this paper. They are going to be presented to the reader first within the scope of second language acquisition. Later on I want to give some thoughts to whether the learning strategies described before may apply to first language acquisition as well. Finally some data on children's utterances shall be used to consolidate the previous considerations on learning strategies in first language acquisition.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Learning Strategies
2.1. Formulaic Speech
2.2. From Formulaic Speech to Creative Speech
2.3. Creative Speech
2.3.1. Establishing Rules
2.3.1.1. Hypothesis Formation
2.3.1.2. Hypothesis Testing
2.3.2. Automatizing Process
3. Learning Strategies and First Language Acquisition
3.1. Theories of Language Acquisition
3.1.1. Behaviourism
3.1.2. Nativism
3.1.3. Cognitivism
3.2. Formulaic Speech
3.3. Creative Speech
3.3.1. Hypothesis Formation
3.3.2. Hypothesis testing
4. Concerning Research Data
4.1. Items to look for
4.1.1. Formulaic speech
4.1.2. Creative Speech
4.2. Data Representing Learning Strategies
4.2.1. Pattern imitation
4.2.2. Overgeneralization
4.2.3. Extralingual inferencing
4.2.4. Metalingual hypothesis testing
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
6.1. Electronic Resources
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This paper examines the application of language learning strategies — typically studied in the context of second language acquisition — within the process of first language acquisition (FLA), utilizing empirical child discourse data to validate these theoretical considerations.
- Comparison of formulaic speech versus creative speech frameworks.
- Analysis of major language acquisition theories: Behaviourism, Nativism, and Cognitivism.
- Investigation of specific learning strategies: pattern imitation, overgeneralization, and inferencing.
- Application of hypothesis formation and testing models to children's linguistic development.
- Empirical review of CHILDES database transcripts to find evidence of learning strategies.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2.3. Extralingual inferencing
As said before, extralingual inferencing can take place when an object is presented together with the word that describes it. Here we see an example (Howe; faye1.cha) where a mother explains the names of toy animals to her child.
Although Faye does not repeat the names of the animals she seems to have understood what is going on. She gives the toys to her mother one by one, addressing her by saying “look“ as if she wanted to know the names of the curious objects in front of her. We have no evidence here that Faye acquired these words but it is very likely that the examined situation at least represents the beginning of learning them.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the complexity of language acquisition and sets the research goal to compare learning strategies between first and second language acquisition.
2. Learning Strategies: Defines declarative and procedural knowledge, distinguishing between formulaic and creative speech as fundamental components of L2 development.
3. Learning Strategies and First Language Acquisition: Reviews theoretical perspectives on FLA and explores how L2 learning strategies might apply to children learning their mother tongue.
4. Concerning Research Data: Provides an empirical analysis of transcripts from the CHILDES database to identify evidence of specific learning strategies in children.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes findings, confirming that while some strategies are observable, others remain theoretical assumptions due to the internal nature of cognitive processes.
6. Bibliography: Lists academic sources and electronic resources utilized for the research and analysis.
Keywords
Language Acquisition, First Language Acquisition, Second Language Acquisition, Learning Strategies, Formulaic Speech, Creative Speech, Behaviourism, Nativism, Cognitivism, Hypothesis Formation, Hypothesis Testing, Pattern Imitation, Overgeneralization, Inferencing, CHILDES.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on identifying whether specific language learning strategies, known from second language acquisition, also play a significant role in first language acquisition.
What are the primary theoretical frameworks discussed?
The research is framed by the theories of behaviourism, nativism, and cognitivism as they relate to how children acquire linguistic structures.
What is the main objective regarding the language acquisition theories?
The objective is to evaluate which of these theories best explains the linguistic phenomena observed in children and whether they account for the observed learning strategies.
Which scientific method does the author employ?
The author uses a comparative theoretical framework combined with an empirical analysis of qualitative data retrieved from the CHILDES (Child Language Data Exchange System) database.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers the definitions of formulaic and creative speech, the classification of learning strategies like hypothesis testing and simplification, and an empirical search for these strategies in child discourse transcripts.
Which keywords best characterize this academic study?
Key terms include Language Acquisition, Learning Strategies, Hypothesis Formation, CHILDES, Behaviourism, Nativism, and Overgeneralization.
How does the author define the difference between "routines" and "patterns"?
Routines are described as totally unanalysable expressions, whereas patterns are partially analysed formulae that contain empty slots for the learner to fill with other known words.
What does the example of "Timmy" demonstrate regarding overgeneralization?
The "Timmy" case illustrates overgeneralization when a child applies the past tense "-ed" morpheme to irregular verbs, creating incorrect forms like "*goed," which signals the active formation of internal grammatical hypotheses.
- Citation du texte
- Matthias Gebhardt (Auteur), 2006, Learning Strategies in First and Second Language Acquisition, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/66292
