Log in

Relevant bibliographies by topics / Language acquisition theory / Journal articles

To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Language acquisition theory.

Journal articles on the topic 'Language acquisition theory'

Author: Grafiati

Published: 4 June 2021

Last updated: 10 February 2022

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles

Select a source type:

Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Language acquisition theory.'

Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.

You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.

Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.

1

Love, Nigel. "Chomsky’s theory of language acquisition." South African Journal of Linguistics 8, no. 4 (1990): 164–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10118063.1990.9723838.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Aktan-Erciyes, Aslı. "Understanding language acquisition: Neural theory of language." Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies 17, no. 2 (2021): 697–705. http://dx.doi.org/10.52462/jlls.48.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Bohnacker, Ute, and Marit Westergaard. "Introduction: The Nordic languages and second language acquisition theory." Nordic Journal of Linguistics 33, no. 2 (2010): 99–104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0332586510000132.

Full text

Abstract:

The theme of this special issue of the Nordic Journal of Linguistics was intended to solicit contributions on Nordic languages being acquired as non-native languages as well as work on Nordic-language native speakers learning a second language, not necessarily a Nordic one. We adopted a wide definition of the term ‘second language’ (L2), i.e. a non-native (second, third, etc.) language acquired in late childhood, adolescence or adulthood, in a naturalistic or an instructed setting.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

Call, Mary Emily, Fred R. Eckman, Diane Highland, Peter W. Lee, Jean Mileham, and Rita Rutkowski Weber. "Second Language Acquisition Theory and Pedagogy." Modern Language Journal 82, no. 2 (1998): 268. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/329216.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

Coppieters, René, Hugh Douglas Adamson, and Rene Coppieters. "Variation Theory and Second Language Acquisition." Language 66, no. 1 (1990): 163. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/415289.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Rosen, Sara Thomas, Suzanne Flynn, and Wayne O'Neil. "Linguistic Theory in Second Language Acquisition." Language 68, no. 1 (1992): 202. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/416383.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Thomas, Margaret, Fred R. Eckman, Diane Highland, Peter W. Lee, Jean Mileham, and Rita Rutkowski Weber. "Second Language Acquisition Theory and Pedagogy." Language 73, no. 1 (1997): 211. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/416640.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Lantolf, James P., and Aneta Pavlenko. "Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Acquisition." Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 15 (March 1995): 108–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0267190500002646.

Full text

Abstract:

Although the sociocultural theory (henceforth SCT) of mental activity, rooted in the work of L. S. Vygotsky and his colleagues, has certainly come to the fore in developmental and educational research (cf. Forman, et al. 1993, Lave and Wenger 1991, Moll 1990, Newman, et al. 1989), it is still very much the “new kid on the block” as far as SLA research is concerned. Recently, however, SCT has begun to enjoy increased attention among L2 researchers, as is amply attested in the bibliography of this paper. This research has focused on three general areas: activity theory and the relevance of motives and goals for L2 learning; the role of private speech in L2 learning; and learning in the zone of proximal development. These areas serve as the organizing basis for the survey that follows. The overview begins, however, with a brief, but necessary, overview of the theory itself.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Slabakova, Roumyana. "Semantic Theory and Second Language Acquisition." Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 30 (March 2010): 231–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0267190510000139.

Full text

Abstract:

The article identifies four different types of meaning situated in different modules of language. Such a modular view of language architecture suggests that there may be differential difficulties of acquisition for the different modules. It is argued that second language (L2) acquisition of meaning involves acquiring interpretive mismatches at the first and second language (L1-L2) syntax-semantics interfaces. In acquiring meaning, learners face two types of learning situations. One situation where the sentence syntax presents less difficulty but different pieces of functional morphology subsume different primitives of meaning is dubbed simple syntax–complex semantics. Another type of learning situation is exemplified in less frequent, dispreferred, or syntactically complex sentences where the sentential semantics offers no mismatch; these are labeled complex syntax–simple semantics. Studies representative of these learning situations are reviewed. The issues of importance of explicit instruction with respect to interpretive properties and the effect of the native language are addressed. Studies looking at acquisition of language-specific discourse properties and universal pragmatics are also reviewed. These representative studies and numerous other studies on the L2 acquisition of meaning point to no visible barrier to ultimate success in the acquisition of semantics and pragmatics.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Lantolf, James P., and Tracy G. Beckett. "Sociocultural theory and second language acquisition." Language Teaching 42, no. 4 (2009): 459–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0261444809990048.

Full text

Abstract:

Second language acquisition (SLA) research informed by sociocultural theory (henceforth, SCT) began in earnest with the publication of Frawley & Lantolf's (1985) article on L2 (second language) discourse (described in the timeline proper). Since then, well over 300 journal articles, book chapters and doctoral dissertations have appeared in the research literature. Although the term ‘sociocultural’ is often applied to a wide array of approaches to research that seeks to understand what it means to be a human being, in the present timeline, we restrict its interpretation to refer to the specific theory of psychological development proposed by Vygotsky (1986). Other approaches that have appropriated the term, such as those emanating from the writings of Bakhtin (1981), while compatible in many respects with Vygotskian theory, have a different focus and are not strictly speaking psychological or psycholinguistic theories. To be sure, Vygotsky rarely used the term ‘sociocultural’, preferring instead ‘cultural psychology’ or ‘cultural-historical psychology’ to refer to his theory. Wertsch (1985) is generally credited with having coined the term ‘sociocultural’ as a way of capturing the notion that human mental functioning results from participation in, and appropriation of, the forms of cultural mediation integrated into social activities.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Coppieters, René. "Variation theory and second language acquisition." Language 66, no. 1 (1990): 163–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lan.1990.0038.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Van Valin, Robertd. "Functionalist linguistic theory and language acquisition." First Language 11, no. 31 (1991): 7–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/014272379101103102.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

HESS, NATALIE. "Theory Construction in Second Language Acquisition." TESOL Quarterly 41, no. 2 (2007): 436–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2007.tb00078.x.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Sutton, Ann. "Language Acquisition Theory and AAC Intervention." Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication 17, no. 2 (2008): 56–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/aac17.2.56.

Full text

Abstract:

Abstract This article presents a reflection on the relationship between language acquisition theories and augmentative and alternative (AAC) intervention, particularly related to grammar. Aspects of the language-learning situation for children needing AAC and of production of language using an AAC system that may pose challenges for acquisition of grammar are discussed. The implications for AAC intervention that can be drawn from several language acquisition theories are explored. It is suggested that establishing clearer or more overt links between theories and intervention is important in order to make underlying assumptions more explicit and to be aware of the theoretical underpinnings of AAC intervention.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Gass, Susan M. "Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition." Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 9 (March 1988): 92–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0267190500000829.

Full text

Abstract:

Second language acquisition research has historically been influenced by the field of linguistics, not only in terms of theoretical inisghts, but also in terms of the emphasis placed on varioustopics. Within linguistics, the lexicon has taken on a secondary role in terms of theory construction; within second language acquisition, the rift between studies of the lexicon and theory construction seems to be even greater. While it is no longer possible to say that the lexicon is the ‘neglected component’ of second language acquisition research, it does appear to be the case that most lexical studies are not centrally concerned with the establishment of a theory of the lexicon; rather, the majority deal with descriptive aspects of the lexicon.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Guijarro-Fuentes, Pedro. "Language acquisition and linguistic theory: When linguistic theory meets empirical data." Applied Linguistics Review 11, no. 3 (2020): 369–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2017-0102.

Full text

Abstract:

AbstractThis Special Issue brings together the current work of well-established and well-known researchers in the field of language acquisition from a formal approach across several languages and of bilingual acquisition (2L1 and adult simultaneous and successive bilinguals), focusing on the syntax, semantics and pragmatics of different linguistic phenomena. Specifically, the four papers that will encompass this Special Issue together with an afterword paper written by a leading researcher in the field, Itziar Laka, discuss two main issues for current linguistic theory, both related, in this discussion, to Spanish: on the one hand, how do data and phenomena from the acquisition of different Romance languages inform and shape generative linguistic theory? And, on the other, how does generative linguistic theory frame and constrain research on the acquisition of Romance languages? To that end, divergent bilingual populations are used in these studies, which present longitudinal or cross-sectional data using a diverse range of methodologies (more on this within the individual summaries).

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Carroll, Susanne, and Jürgen M. Meisel. "Universals and Second Language Acquisition." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 12, no. 2 (1990): 201–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100009086.

Full text

Abstract:

On the basis of a critical analysis of the articles in this issue, we argue for a shift in emphasis in the investigation of universals in second language acquisition (SLA). To construct a psycholinguistically plausible theory of acquisition, research must proceed simultaneously on a number of different fronts: the elaboration of (a) a theory of computation consistent with human biology, (b) a theory of structural universals and variation, (c) a theory of meaning, and (d) a theory of pragmatics which must tie in with both a theory of cognitive development and a theory of sociocultural knowledge. None of the theories popular at present address all of these issues. We suggest that there is much room for consensus, but that achieving it will require keeping an eye firmly focused on the long-term objectives.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

CARROLL, SUSANNE E. "Acquisition by Processing Theory: A theory of everything?" Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 7, no. 1 (2004): 23–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1366728904001191.

Full text

Abstract:

Truscott and Sharwood Smith (henceforth T&SS) propose a novel theory of language acquisition, ACQUISITION BY PROCESSING THEORY (APT), designed to account for both first and second language acquisition, monolingual and bilingual speech perception and parsing, and speech production. This is a tall order. Like any theoretically ambitious enterprise, the APT shares certain properties with much that has gone before. Like the Competition Model (CM; MacWhinney, 1987, 1997; MacWhinney and Bates, 1989, inter alia) and other associative network connectionist learning models, the APT eschews a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) by treating acquisition as the strengthening of levels of representation activation. A parser can produce multiple representations of a parse string in parallel, which then ‘compete’ as analyses for an input string. Unlike the CM, however, the APT is not motivated by a solid program of empirical studies in language acquisition or cross-language processing. Nor does it strike me as theoretically coherent, for the APT, unlike the CM, assumes that knowledge of language involves knowledge of grammatical structure and that the parser makes deterministic use of Universal Grammar in the form of a Minimalist grammar. The determinism is important here; the claim to eliminate LAD hinges on it.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

Mazurkewich, Irene. "Syntactic Markedness and Language Acquisition." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 7, no. 1 (1985): 15–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100005131.

Full text

Abstract:

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the role played by linguistic universals in second language acquisition. Research reported here focuses on the acquisition of dative structures and dative questions in a passive context in English by French and Inuit (Eskimo) students. Data were also elicited from native English-speaking students to serve as the norm. The data are interpreted within the theory of markedness and core grammar, as well as Case theory. The results of the testing, showing that unmarked forms are acquired before marked ones, are consistent with the predictions made by the theory of markedness and the property of adjacency which is crucial for Case assignment.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Pulvermüller, Friedemann. "What Neurobiology Can Buy Language Theory." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 17, no. 1 (1995): 73–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100013772.

Full text

Abstract:

In their paper on Universal Grammar, language acquisition, and neurobiology, Eubank and Gregg (1995) attack current attempts to specify the neurobiological correlates of language acquisition. While these authors address a large variety of topics, they make two major assertions that call for brief discussion.First, they believe that some neurobiological accounts of language acquisition must be rejected because the authors of these accounts “give no evidence of knowing what it is that needs to be explained” (p. 53). Eubank and Gregg argue that only a language acquisition theory rooted in Government and Binding theory can be the basis of a neurobiological account of language acquisition. Government and Binding theory must be chosen because, according to these authors, it is the only welldeveloped theory of linguistic competence. To put it in a nutshell, “It is [language] acquisition theory that sets the problems for neurobiology to solve” (p. 53), and acquisition theory must conform to the Government and Binding approach. This master-and-slave view of the relationship between linguistics and biology is hard to accept, especially if one considers what Eubank and Gregg have to say about the master: Like most generative linguists, they do not hesitate to emphasize that the only well-developed linguistic theory is "not complete, of course, not yet correct in all or even most of its details, and perhaps not even in some of its fundamentals" (p. 51). It is inadequate to postulate that such a potentially insufficient construct must necessarily form the basis of biological research. This strategy may be unproductive, especially if theory-internal assumptions turn out to be wrong.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Drozd, Kenneth F., and Nina M. Hyams. "Language Acquisition and the Theory of Parameters." Language 65, no. 2 (1989): 406. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/415345.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

CARROLL, SUSANNE E. "On Processability Theory and second language acquisition." Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 1, no. 1 (1998): 23–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1366728998000030.

Full text

Abstract:

Responding to an invitation to comment on Pienemann's paper leaves me on the horns of a dilemma: I think the approach is novel and shows how future second language acquisition (SLA) research can be done. However, it is difficult to judge from the paper what the exact contribution of the theory is to be.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Birdsong, David. "Universal Grammar and Second Language Acquisition Theory." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 12, no. 3 (1990): 331–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100009207.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Thomas, Margaret. "PROGRAMMATIC AHISTORICITY IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THEORY." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 20, no. 3 (1998): 387–405. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263198003040.

Full text

Abstract:

Second language acquisition theory conventionally represents itself as having been invented ex nihilo in the last decades of the twentieth century. This article investigates the nature of this largely unexamined disciplinary self-concept and questions its validity. I dispute arguments that might be formulated to support the notion that SLA theory has no relevant earlier history, enumerate some of the unfortunate consequences of maintaining this belief, and speculate about benefits to the field that might accrue from abandoning it. Instead of presenting SLA theory as having its origin in the last 20 or 30 years, I suggest that we need to look for ways to identify, investigate, and eventually reconceptualize its true history.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Lipski, John M. "Second Language Acquisition and Linguistic Theory (review)." Language 78, no. 1 (2002): 183–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lan.2002.0035.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Gee, James Paul, and Wendy Goodhart. "Nativization, Linguistic Theory, and Deaf Language Acquisition." Sign Language Studies 1049, no. 1 (1985): 291–342. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sls.1985.0017.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

Jansen, Louise M. "Second language acquisition: from theory to data." Second Language Research 16, no. 1 (2000): 27–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/026765800671563747.

Full text

Abstract:

Clahsen's (1988) and Clahsen and Muysken's (1989) claim that subject–verb agreement and verb-second are unrelated in the acquisition of German second language acquisition (SLA) has met a number of counterpositions; for example: Pienemann and Johnston (1987) and Pienemann (1988; 1998), Jordens (1988), Eubank (1992; 1994) and Vainikka and Young-Scholten (1994; 1996). The conflicting claims source essentially the same data. The presentation and analysis of these data is scrutinized and a number of inconsistencies and methodological questions are identified. The paper argues that, when it comes to underpinning theoretical claims, more rigour in data description should be exercised.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Bley-Vroman, Robert. "HYPOTHESIS TESTING IN SECOND-LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THEORY." Language Learning 36, no. 3 (1986): 353–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00559.x.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Al-Jasser, Jasser A. "Pidginization theory and second language learning/acquisition." Journal of King Saud University - Languages and Translation 24, no. 2 (2012): 71–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jksult.2012.05.001.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

SOBIN, NICHOLAS. "The relative roles of theory and acquisition studies." Journal of Child Language 31, no. 2 (2004): 505–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0305000904006178.

Full text

Abstract:

Radford (1988: 2) and others before and after have argued that the core theoretical question (i) ‘How are human languages structured?’ is logically prior to another core theoretical question (ii) ‘How are human languages acquired?’ This is said to be so because the answer to (i), the structure of human language, is the real target of question (ii) – language acquisition is about acquiring the structure of a human language. Thus, we can't ask about how a thing is learned before we know what it is. Bearing this dictum in mind, consideration of both Crain & Thornton (1998) (C&T) and the Drozd critique (present volume) raises an interesting question: is linguistic theory and the data on which it is established sufficiently developed to inform ‘external’ empirical studies in areas such as language acquisition? At this point, it isn't clear that it is. The data of theoretical linguistics is often idealized and sometimes rather narrow. A given construction may be narrowly investigated (cited) for its apparent interest as a side-light on another area or a more general theoretical issue rather than being investigated more fully/paradigmatically in its own right. Further, the latter sort of investigation might shed a very different light on a phenomenon only investigated narrowly. So paradoxically, it is often only in the context of doing experimental work such as acquisition or variation research that such fuller investigation takes place, possibly revealing new and crucial facts which may prove relevant to theory construction.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Foster-Cohen, Susan H., and Yonata Levy. "Other Children, Other Languages: Issues in the Theory of Language Acquisition." Language 71, no. 2 (1995): 414. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/416195.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

Gross, Herbert S. "Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition." Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 193, no. 6 (2005): 427–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.nmd.0000165300.84030.1a.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Toppelberg, Claudio O., and Brian Collins. "Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 43, no. 10 (2004): 1305–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000135676.06664.40.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Reiss, Charles, and John Archibald. "Phonological Acquisition and Phonological Theory." Language 73, no. 4 (1997): 838. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/417329.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

Beckman, Mary E., and John Archibald. "Phonological Acquisition and Phonological Theory." Modern Language Journal 80, no. 2 (1996): 254. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/328664.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Ellis, Rod. "Second language acquisition, teacher education and language pedagogy." Language Teaching 43, no. 2 (2009): 182–201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0261444809990139.

Full text

Abstract:

Various positions regarding the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) – Language Pedagogy (LP) nexus have been advanced. Taking these as a starting point, this article will examine the nature of the SLA/LP relationship both more generally and more concretely. First, it will place the debates evident in the different positions regarding the relationship in a broader educational and professional context by examining the nature of the theory/practice nexus – because the issues at stake do not just concern SLA. Second, it will examine critically a number of options for bridging the divide (e.g. through presenting the pedagogical implications of research, engaging teachers in researching their own classroom or promoting research–teacher collaboration). Third, it will probe the relationship in terms of a framework that links (i) SLA researchers, (ii) classroom researchers, (iii) teacher educators and (iv) language teachers. This framework will serve as a basis for formulating a set of eleven principles that can guide attempts to use SLA theory and research in teacher education programmes.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

Lima Júnior, Ronaldo Mangueira. "Complexity in second language phonology acquisition." Revista Brasileira de Linguística Aplicada 13, no. 2 (2013): 549–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1984-63982013005000006.

Full text

Abstract:

This paper aims at situating the representation and investigation of second language phonology acquisition in light of complexity theory. The first section presents a brief historical panorama of complexity and chaos theory on second language acquisition, followed by the possible phonological representations and analyses aligned with such perspective. Finally, the issue of second language phonology acquisition is revisited.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Beck, Maria-Luise, and Lynn Eubank. "Acquisition Theory and Experimental Design." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 13, no. 1 (1991): 73–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100009736.

Full text

Abstract:

In their recent contribution on the Garden Path Technique, Tomasello and Herron (1989) suggested that the experimental results they obtained on this means of providing negative feedback lend support to a “cognitive comparison model” of second language (L2) acquisition, and they further hypothesize that it may be useful in eliminating other L2 overgeneralizations. The results Tomasello and Herron (henceforth TH) present are clearly interesting, for they appear to show that negative evidence—here, a special type of error correction—may be crucial in L2 learning. As promising as the TH results may be, however, there is reason to believe that they also should be viewed with caution. In the following, we provide some of the reasons why caution should be taken.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Crain, Stephen. "Language acquisition in the absence of experience." Behavioral and Brain Sciences 14, no. 4 (1991): 597–612. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x00071491.

Full text

Abstract:

AbstractA fundamental goal of linguistic theory is to explain how natural languages are acquired. This paper describes some recent findings on how learners acquire syntactic knowledge for which there is little, if any, decisive evidence from the environment. The first section presents several general observations about language acquisition that linguistic theory has tried to explain and discusses the thesis that certain linguistic properties are innate because they appear universally and in the absence of corresponding experience. A third diagnostic for innateness, early emergence, is the focus of the second section of the paper, in which linguistic theory is tested against recent experimental evidence on children's acquisition of syntax.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Glahn, Esther, Gisela Håkansson, Björn Hammarberg, Anne Holmen, Anne Hvenekilde, and Karen Lund. "PROCESSABILITY IN SCANDINAVIAN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 23, no. 3 (2001): 389–416. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263101003047.

Full text

Abstract:

This paper reports on a test of the validity of Pienemann's (1998) Processability Theory (PT). This theory predicts that certain morphological and syntactic phenomena are acquired in a fixed sequence. Three phenomena were chosen for this study: attributive adjective morphology, predicative adjective morphology, and subordinate clause syntax (placement of negation). These phenomena are located at successive developmental stages in the hierarchy predicted by PT. We test whether they actually do appear in this predicted hierarchical order in the L2 of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish learners. The three languages mentioned are very closely related and have the same adjective morphology and subordinate clause syntax. We can, therefore, treat them as one language for the purposes of this study. Three analyses have been carried out: The first follows Pienemann's theory and is concerned only with syntactic levels; the second is a semantic analysis of the acquisition of number versus that of gender; the third analysis studies the various kinds of mismatches between the inflection of the noun, the controller, and the adjective. The results are the following: The first test supports PT as it has been described by Pienemann. The second analysis shows that there is an acquisitional hierarchy such that number is acquired before gender (in adjectives), and the mismatch analysis raises questions about the fundamental assumptions of the theory.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

Žegarac, Vlad. "Relevance Theory and the in second language acquisition." Second Language Research 20, no. 3 (2004): 193–211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/0267658304sr237oa.

Full text

Abstract:

This article considers the implications of Sperber and Wilson’s (1986/95) Relevance Theory for the acquisition of English the by second language (L2) learners whose first language (L1) does not have an article system. On the one hand, Relevance Theory provides an explicit characterization of the semantics of the, which suggests ways of devising more accurate guidelines for teaching/learning than are available in current textbooks. On the other hand, Relevance Theoretic assumptions about human communication together with some effects of transfer from L1 provide the basis for a number of predictions about the types of L2 learners’ errors in the use of the.I argue that data from previous research (Trenkić, 2002) lend support to these predictions, and I try to show that examples drawn from the data I have collected provide evidence for the view that L2 learning is not influenced only by general pragmatic principles and hypotheses about L2 based on transfer from L1, but that learners also devise and test tacit hypotheses which are idiosyncratic to them.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Velasco, Daniel García. "Functional Discourse Grammar and acquisitional adequacy." Revista Odisseia 2 (December 20, 2017): 42. http://dx.doi.org/10.21680/1983-2435.2017v2n0id13182.

Full text

Abstract:

This article explores the compatibility of Functional Discourse Grammar with Tomasello’s (2003; 2008) Social-Pragmatic theory of language acquisition. Section 1 follows Boland (1999, 2006) and others who have claimed that theories of language should be constructed in such a way that they are compatible with what is known about the process of first language acquisition. In section 2, I will briefly explore the main approaches to the study of language acquisition in current linguistics and I will claim that a functional theory of language should preferably be compatible with a constructivist approach, given the paramount role they confer on social, communicative and cultural factors in language acquisition. The paper will then concentrate on examining the compatibility of FDG with Tomasello’s (2003, 2008) theory of language acquisition. My conclusion will be that many aspects of the internal architecture of FDG and the analytical tools employed in the model find direct correlate in Tomasello’s work and thus FDG seems to be in an excellent position to meet Boland’s standard of acquisitional adequacy.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

O'Malley, J. Michael, Anna Uhl Chamot, and Carol Walker. "Some Applications of Cognitive Theory to Second Language Acquisition." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 9, no. 3 (1987): 287–306. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100006690.

Full text

Abstract:

This paper describes recent theoretical developments in cognitive psychology that can be applied to second language acquisition and uses the theory to analyze phenomena discussed regularly in the second language literature. Some limitations of linguistic theories in addressing the role of mental processes in second language acquisition are identified, and current cognitive learning theory in general is outlined. The paper then examines the theoretical model developed by John Anderson (1983, 1985) as it applies to memory representation, learning, and language skill acquisition. The remainder of the paper describes possible applications of this model to issues in second language acquisition and suggests that the theory is useful both in explaining second language acquisition processes and in identifying areas in which research is needed.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Khalifa, Mohamed Fathy. "Contrastive Analysis, Error Analysis, Markedness Theory, Universal Grammar and Monitor Theory and their Contributions to Second Language Learning." International Journal of Linguistics 10, no. 1 (2018): 12. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v10i1.12479.

Full text

Abstract:

Theories of second language acquisition (SLA) play an important role in second language (L2) learning. These theories can help both language teachers and their students to understand L2 language learning process. There are various theories and approaches of SLA which try to explain how L2 learning takes place. Each theory accounts for L2 acquisition from a different perspective. This paper describes and compares five theories of L2 acquisition: Contrastive Analysis (CA), Error Analysis (EA), Markedness Theory, Universal Grammar (UG) and Monitor Theory, explains their contributions to L2 learning and shows the criticism of each theory. First, in Contrastive Analysis, the weak and strong hypotheses and types of language transfer are explained. Second, in Error Analysis, attitudes towards errors and aims, process and models of Error Analysis are described. Third, in Markedness Theory, the role of typological markedness in the explanation of L2 learning, the Markedness Differential Hypothesis (MDH) and the Structural Conformity Hypothesis (SCH) are explained. Fourth, in Universal Grammar, it is shown that L2 acquisition occurs on the basis of first language (L1) acquisition: L2 acquisition is a matter of setting the correct L2 parameters. The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) and L2 access to UG are explained. Finally, in Monitor Theory, it is suggested that comprehensible input is crucial for L2 acquisition and the five hypotheses of the theory are explained: (a) The Input Hypothesis, (b) The Learning-Acquisition Hypothesis, (c) The Monitor Hypothesis, (d) The Natural Order Hypothesis and (e) The Affective Filter Hypothesis.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

Giacalone Ramat, Anna. "Grammaticalization of Modality in Language Acquisition." Studies in Language 23, no. 2 (1999): 377–407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/sl.23.2.06gia.

Full text

Abstract:

The present study aims to provide empirical evidence for a number of claims concerning the grammaticalization of deontic and epistemic modality. It is based on results from a research project on the acquisition of Italian as a second language conventionally called the "Pavia Project". The organization is as follows: first, the relevance of Second Language Acquisition for linguistic theory and — conversely — the relevance of linguistic theory for interpreting results of empirical studies are advocated. Then a theoretical framework is established and the polysemy of modal verbs is presented as an essential issue to the present study. In Section 5 information on research design and subjects is provided and results are discussed. The focus is on the order of emergence of modal distinctions in learner varieties and the types of encoding of modal notions preferred by learners. It will be shown that deontic modality is straightforwardly expressed through modal verbs, while epistemic modality is expressed through a number of different means. Conclusions are drawn, and implications for the study of modality and for principles governing learner languages are assessed.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Langacker, Ronald W. "Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition (review)." Language 81, no. 3 (2005): 748–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lan.2005.0134.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Glenberg, Arthur M., and Vittorio Gallese. "Action-based language: A theory of language acquisition, comprehension, and production." Cortex 48, no. 7 (2012): 905–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2011.04.010.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

KIDD, EVAN. "Grammars, parsers, and language acquisition." Journal of Child Language 31, no. 2 (2004): 480–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0305000904006117.

Full text

Abstract:

Drozd's critique of Crain & Thornton's (C&T) (1998) book Investigations in Universal Grammar (IUG) raises many issues concerning theory and experimental design within generative approaches to language acquisition. I focus here on one of the strongest theoretical claims of the Modularity Matching Model (MMM): continuity of processing. For reasons different to Drozd, I argue that the assumption is tenuous. Furthermore, I argue that the focus of the MMM and the methodological prescriptions contained in IUG are too narrow to capture language acquisition.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

Jacobs, Bob. "Dis-integrating Perspectives of Language Acquisition." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 17, no. 1 (1995): 65–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100013760.

Full text

Abstract:

I wish to warn young men against the invincible attraction of theories which simplify and unify seductively. Ruled by the [reticularist] theory, we who were active in histology then saw networks everywhere [italics added].… This [reticularist theory] was admirably convenient, since it did away with all need for the analytical effort involved in determining in each case the course through the gray matter followed by the nervous impulse. It has rightly been said that the reticular hypothesis, by dint of pretending to explain everything easily and simply, explains absolutely nothing; and, what is more serious, it hinders and almost makes superfluous future inquiries regarding the intimate organization of the centers [italics added]. (Ramóny Cajal, 1989, pp. 303–337)

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

Tomlin, Russell S. "Functionalism in Second Language Acquisition." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 12, no. 2 (1990): 155–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100009062.

Full text

Abstract:

This article examines the role played by functional approaches to linguistics in understanding second language acquisition (SLA). Central premises and tenets of functional approaches are described, and several key theoretical problems with functional efforts are detailed. The problem of referential management (the selection of nominal vs. pronominal NPs) in second language discourse production is examined. The general conclusions are drawn that (a) functional approaches to linguistics have a significant role to play in SLA studies, but (b) functional universals are insufficiently grounded theoretically and empirically at this point to contribute more than heuristic guidance to SLA theory.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

We offer discounts on all premium plans for authors whose works are included in thematic literature selections. Contact us to get a unique promo code!