First Language Acquisition:An
Overview of Key Concepts
Subject Instructor: Mrs Hajer MAMI
2024-2025
Introduction to Language Acquisition
• Definition of Language Acquisition:
The process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive, produce, and use
words to communicate.
Importance of Studying First Language Acquisition:
• Understanding cognitive development.
• Insights into the nature of language itself.
• Implications for education and language teaching.
Overview of Key Stages and Concepts:
• Stages of language development.
• The role of input and interaction.
• Theories of language acquisition.
Language Acquisition: Input and Caregiver Speech
• Input:
• Refers to the language exposure children receive from their environment.
• Rich linguistic input is crucial for language development.
• Variability in input can affect the pace and nature of language acquisition.
• Caregiver Speech (Child-Directed Speech):
• Characteristics:
• Higher pitch, slower tempo, exaggerated intonation.
• Simplified vocabulary and grammatical structures.
• Repetition and expansion of child’s utterances.
• Role in Facilitating Language Learning:
• Engages infants and captures their attention.
• Provides clear examples of language use.
• Encourages interaction and turn-taking.
Theories involved in first language acquisition
First language acquisition has been the subject of extensive research,
leading to the development of several theories that attempt to explain
how children acquire their native language. Here are some of the most
prominent theories
Nativist Theory (Universal Grammar)/
• Proponent: Noam Chomsky (mid-20th century).
• Key Concepts:
• Chomsky proposed that humans are born with an innate ability to acquire
language, which he termed "Universal Grammar."
• This theory suggests that all languages share a common underlying structure,
and children are equipped with a mental framework that allows them to
understand and produce language.
• Children can generate grammatical sentences they have never heard before,
indicating that they possess an inherent understanding of grammatical rules.
Behaviorist Theory
• Proponent: B.F. Skinner/L. Bloomfield (the early to mid-20th century)
• Key Concepts:
• The behaviorist perspective posits that language acquisition occurs through
conditioning and reinforcement.
• Children learn language by imitating the speech of adults and receiving
positive reinforcement for correct usage.
• This theory emphasizes the role of environmental stimuli and responses,
suggesting that language is learned in the same way as other behaviors.
Social Interactionist Theory
• Proponents: Lev Vygotsky, Jerome Bruner (the mid-20th century )
• Key Concepts:
• This theory emphasizes the importance of social interaction in language
development.
• Children learn language through meaningful interactions with caregivers and
peers, who provide the necessary linguistic input and context.
• The concept of the "Zone of Proximal Development" (ZPD) suggests that
children can achieve higher levels of language understanding with the support
of more knowledgeable others.
Cognitive Developmental Theory
• Proponent: Jean Piaget (the mid-20th century)
• Key Concepts:
• Piaget's theory posits that language acquisition is closely linked to cognitive
development.
• Children must develop certain cognitive skills before they can acquire
language. For example, understanding object permanence is crucial for
grasping nouns.
• Language is seen as a reflection of cognitive processes, and as children's
cognitive abilities grow, so does their language proficiency.
Connectionist Theory:
• Proponent: Elizabeth Bates/ Brian MacWhinney (1990’s)
• Key Concepts:
• This theory suggests that language acquisition occurs through the formation of
neural connections in the brain based on exposure to language.
• Children learn language by recognizing patterns in the input they receive,
gradually building a network of associations between words, sounds, and
meanings.
• Connectionist models emphasize the role of statistical learning, where children
pick up on the frequency and co-occurrence of words and structures in their
environment.
The Acquisition Schedule
• Cooing (0-6 months):
• Production of cooing sounds, primarily vowel-like sounds.
• Indicates the beginning of vocal play and experimentation with sounds.
• Babbling (6-12 months):
• Repetitive consonant-vowel combinations (e.g., "ba-ba," "da-da").
• Important for practicing the mechanics of speech.
• Begins to include intonation patterns of the native language.
The Acquisition Schedule
• One-Word Stage (12-18 months):
• Single words used to convey whole ideas (e.g., "milk" for "I want milk").
• Words often represent objects, actions, or people.
• Contextual understanding is crucial for meaning.
• Two-Word Stage (18-24 months):
• Simple combinations (e.g., "want cookie," "big truck").
• Demonstrates an understanding of basic syntactic structures.
• Often follows a "noun + verb" or "noun + noun" pattern.
• Telegraphic Speech (24-30 months):
• Short, concise sentences that convey meaning (e.g., "go car," "more juice").
• Omits less critical words (e.g., articles, prepositions).
• Reflects an understanding of the essential components of sentences.
Acquisition Process: Imitation vs. Correction
• Learning through Imitation:
• Children mimic sounds, words, and structures they hear from caregivers and peers.
• Imitation is a natural part of learning and helps in vocabulary acquisition.
• Example: A child hears "dog" and begins to use the word in appropriate contexts.
• Learning through Correction:
• Caregivers often correct children’s speech, which can help refine language use.
• Types of correction:
• Explicit correction (directly pointing out errors).
• Recasting (repeating the child’s incorrect utterance in the correct form).
• Effectiveness of correction varies; some children may benefit more from positive
reinforcement.
Developing Morphology
• Definition of Morphology:
• The study of the structure and form of words in a language.
• Stages of Morphological Development:
• Understanding of Word Formation:
• Children learn to form plurals (e.g., "cats") and past tense (e.g., "walked").
• Overgeneralization:
• Children apply regular morphological rules to irregular forms (e.g., "goed" instead of
"went").
• Indicates an understanding of rules, even if applied incorrectly.
• Complex Morphological Structures:
• Gradual mastery of more complex forms (e.g., prefixes, suffixes).
Developing Syntax
• Definition of Syntax:
• The set of rules that govern the structure of sentences.
• Forming Questions:
• Early question formation often involves simple structures (e.g., "Where go?").
• As children develop, they learn to use auxiliary verbs and inversion (e.g.,
"Where is the dog?").
• Forming Negatives:
• Early use of negation often involves simple phrases (e.g., "No cookie").
• Progression to more complex negative structures
Developing Semantics
• Definition of Semantics:
• The branch of linguistics concerned with meaning. In first language acquisition, it
involves how children learn to understand and use words and their meanings.
• Early Vocabulary Development:
• Initial Vocabulary:
• Children typically start with a small set of words (around 50 words by 18 months).
• Common early words include names of familiar people, objects, and actions (e.g., "mama,"
"ball," "go").
• Fast Mapping:
• The ability to quickly learn a new word after minimal exposure.
• Children can often infer the meaning of a word from context, leading to rapid
vocabulary growth.
• Example: A child hears "This is a zebra" and can identify a zebra in future encounters.
Developing Semantics
• Word Meaning Expansion:
• As children grow, they refine their understanding of word meanings.
• Over extensions:
• Using a word too broadly (e.g., calling all animals "dog").
• Indicates an attempt to categorize and make sense of the world.
• Under extensions:
• Using a word too narrowly (e.g., only calling their pet "dog" and not recognizing other
dogs).
• Shows the child is still learning the boundaries of word meanings.
Developing Semantics
• Semantic Relationships:
• Children begin to understand relationships between words:
• Synonyms: Learning that different words can have similar meanings (e.g., "big" and "large").
• Antonyms: Understanding opposites (e.g., "hot" and "cold").
• Hierarchical Categories: Recognizing that "dog" is a type of "animal."
• Contextual Learning:
• Children learn meanings based on context and usage in sentences.
• Example: Understanding the word "bank" as a financial institution versus the side of a river,
depending on the context in which it is used.
• Pragmatic Understanding:
• Children learn that meaning can be influenced by social context, tone, and non-verbal cues.
• Example: Understanding that "Can you pass the salt?" is a polite request rather than a question
about ability.
• Role of Caregivers:
• Caregivers play a crucial role in semantic development by providing rich language input, clarifying
meanings, and engaging in conversations that expand a child's understanding of words.
Summary
First language acquisition is a complex, dynamic process through which
children naturally and instinctively acquire their native language. It involves
a series of developmental stages, influenced by innate capacities, cognitive
and social development, and the quality of linguistic input. Understanding
first language acquisition is essential for insights into cognitive
development, linguistics, and education, as it lays the foundation for
effective communication and learning throughout life.
