Language+Acquisition+Theories

What are theories?
Theories are used in almost all fields of study. A theory is like a suspicion. It tries to explain phenomena which is a mystery or "taken" for granted or explained in unclear, unconvincing ways. It has at least one or more “bases” on which it is grounded. When various bases or pieces of evidence are produced in relation to a theory, there may arise a case of various versions of the same theory. Imagine, you suspect that your partner is cheating on you. Let us call this the "theory of cheating".

Some or the entire basis on which this "theory of cheating" is grounded may be confirmed or proven false. Then (on the basis of the evidence) you will have to decide
 * 1) whether the theory is confirmed if the evidences are strong enough or
 * 2) whether it is better off discarded if the evidences are NOT strong enough or
 * 3) whether it needs more “study” and therefore, more evidence to prove it either way or
 * 4) whether it is something that is rather difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt, either way.

In the case of Nos 3 and 4, it does not mean that the "theory of cheating" is false or even true. What is important is, the theory may continue to influence how the relationship continues (that is, not only the approach you, the partners use in the way you relate to each other but also the way other persons in your circle relate to both of you). Before long you will probably realize that your relationship operates on or is influenced by a “rumour theory” or "rumour approach".

To give an example in the scientific field, at one time the assumption or theory behind the fact that human blood looks red was that //**all human blood is the same**//. On this assumption, physicians even performed blood transfusions, sometimes with success; sometimes, alas, with fatal results (in cases of rejection). Then, an Austrian physician called Karl Landsteiner theorized that human bloods differ; that the color red does not necessarily mean that all blood is the same. Indeed, Landsteiner's experiments in 1901 showed that blood has types: A, B, AB and O. Landsteiner's (confirmed) "theory", which at the same time **//disproved the theory that all human blood is the same//**, has to this day enabled a different approach to blood transfusion and organ transplants.

Theories of language acquisition:
Let us extrapolate the above understanding of theories to theories of how human beings acquire language. Logically, one needs to ask a number of questions: What are these theories? How do they explain or help one to understand the way human beings learn a language? And (for purposes of this module) what are the implications of these theories if any, for language teachers and their learners and the teaching-and-learning process itself?

To answer the above questions for the purpose of this Unit, we shall discuss theories of Language Acquisition (with reference to child language learning) separate from theories of Second Language Acquisition/Learning.

As you will have noticed in the overview (objectives), I am not interested in the theories and concepts per se. I am interested in their implication, that is, the practical application of these theories and concepts in language teaching, in the classroom. As such, the emphasis will mostly be on how these theories may (not) impact on the acquisition of syntactic, semantic and discourse competence.

At the level of first language (L1) acquisition, the main theories of first language acquisition we'll discuss here are Behaviourism and [|Nativism].

In second language acquisition/learning, we shall use Stephen Krashen's theories and related theories as a basis for understanding the implications of these to a classroom teacher of English as a Second language.

You may use the teacher notes provided or any source on these theories. The purpose here is not to read all the information about these theories. That would be too detailed for our needs here. Be like a hunter: aim for the particular tasks assigned.

To guide our aim further, after reading the claims and counter-claims related to these theories, make your contribution in the related discussion pages on these issues:
 * The claims and criticism of Behaviourist theories of language acquisition and the implications of the Behaviourist tenets for teaching-and-learning languages.
 * The claims and criticism of Nativist theories of language acquisition and the implications of the tenets of nativism for teaching-and-learning languages.

Issues on the theories of second language acquisition will be discussed in the page designated for this topic.