Intro To Linguistic Module

CORE GATEWAY COLLEGE, Inc.
Maharlika Highway cor. Cardenas St.

San Jose City, Nueva Ecija
Tel. No.: (044) 511-1609 Fax No.: 940-315
TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
INTRO TO LINGUISTICS
EL 100
LEARNING MODULE
1ST Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023
SYRILL JOSEPHINE SANOPO

Instructor
MODULE 2: Acquisition of Language
1. Behaviorist learning theory. Derived from a general theory of learning, the

behaviorist view states that the language behavior of the individual is conditioned
by sequences of differential rewards in his/her environment.
It regards language learning as a behavior like other forms of human behavior, not
a mental phenomenon, learned by a process of habit formation. Since language is
viewed as mechanistic and as a human activity, it is believed that learning a
language is achieved by building up habits on the basis of stimulus-response
chains. Behaviorism emphasizes the consequences of the response and argues that
it is the behavior that follows a response which reinforces it and thus helps to
strengthen the association.
According to Littlewood (1984), the process of habit formation includes the

following:
a. The child imitates the sounds and patterns which s/he hears around her/him.
b. People recognize the child’s attempts as being similar to the adult models and
reinforce (reward) the sounds by approval or some other desirable reaction.
c. In order to obtain more of these rewards, the child repeats the sounds and
patterns so that these become habits.
d. In this way the child’s verbal behavior is conditioned (‘shaped’) until the
habits coincide with the adult models.
The behaviorists claim that the three crucial elements of learning are: a stimulus,
which serves to elicit behavior; a response triggered by the stimulus, and
reinforcement, which serves to mark the response as being appropriate (or
inappropriate) and encourages the repetition (or suppression) of the response.
2. Cognitive learning theory. Chomsky argues that language is not acquired by

children by sheer imitation and through a form of conditioning on reinforcement
and reward. He believes that all normal human beings have an inborn biological
internal mechanism that makes language learning possible. Cognitivists/ innatists
claim that the child is born with an ‘initial’ state’ about language which
predisposes him/her to acquire a grammar of that language. They maintain that
the language acquisition device (LAD) is what the child brings to the task of
language acquisition, giving him/her an active role in language learning.
One important feature of the mentalist account of second language acquisition is
hypothesis testing, a process of formulating rules and testing the same with
competent speakers of the target language.
3. Krashen’s Monitor Model (1981). Probably this is the most often cited among
theories of second language acquisition; considered the most comprehensive, if
not the most ambitious, consisting of five central hypotheses:
The five hypotheses are:
a. The acquisition/ learning hypothesis. It claims that there are two ways of
developing competence in L2:
Acquisition - the subconscious process that results from informal, natural
communication between people where language is a means, not a
focus nor an end, in itself.
Learning - the conscious process of knowing about language and being

able to talk about it, that occurs in a more formal situation where the
properties or rules of a language are taught. Language learning has
traditionally involved grammar and vocabulary learning.
Acquisition parallels first language development in children while

learning approximates the formal teaching of grammar in classrooms.
Conscious thinking about the rules is said to occur in second language
learning while unconscious feeling about what is correct and appropriate
occurs in language acquisition.
b. The natural order hypothesis. It suggests that grammatical structures are

acquired in a predictable order for both children and adults, that is, certain
grammatical structures are acquired before others, irrespective of the language
being learned. When a learner engages in natural communication, then the
standard order below will occur.
Group 1: present progressive -ing (She is reading)

plural -s (bags)
copula ‘to be’ (The girl is at the library.)
Group 2: auxiliary ‘to be’ (She is reading.)

articles the and an (That’s a book.)
Group 3: irregular past forms (She drank milk.)
Group 4: regular past -ed (She prayed last night.)

third-person-singular -s (She prays every day.)
possessive -s (The girl’s bag is new.)
b. The monitor hypothesis. It claims that conscious learning of grammatical

rules has an extremely limited function in language performance: as a
monitor or editor that checks output. The monitor is an editing device that
may normally operate before language performance. Such editing may occur
before the natural output or after the ouput.
Krashen suggests that monitoring occurs when there is sufficient time, where
there is pressure to communicate correctly and not just convey meaning, and
when the appropriate rules are known.
d. The input hypothesis. Krashen proposes that when learners are exposed to
grammatical features a little beyond their current level (i.e., i + 1), those
features are ‘acquired’. Acquisition results from comprehensible input, which
is made understandable with the help provided by the context. If learners
receive understandable input, language structures will be naturally acquired.
Ability to communicate in a second language ‘emerges’ rather than indirectly
put in place by teaching.
c. The affective filter hypothesis. Filter consists of attitude to language,

motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Thus, learners with favorable
attitude and self-confidence may have a ‘low filter’ which promotes language
learning. Learners with a low affective filter seek and receive more input,
interact with confidence, and are more receptive to the input they are exposed
to. On the other hand, anxious learners have a high affective filter which
prevents acquisition from taking place.
d. Implications for teaching:
1. Teachers must continuously deliver at a level understandable by

learners.
2. Teaching must prepare the learners for real life communication

situations. Classrooms must provide conversational confidence so that
when in the outside world, the student can cope with and continue
learning.
3. Teachers must ensure that learners do not become anxious or defensive

in language learning. The confidence of a language learner must be
encouraged in a language acquisition process. Teachers should not
insist on learners conversing before they feel comfortable in doing so;
neither should they correct errors nor make negative remarks that
inhibit learners from learning. They should devise specific techniques
to relax learners and protect their egos.
4. Teachers must create an atmosphere where learners are not

embarrassed by their errors. Errors should not be corrected when
acquisition is occurring. Error correction is valuable when learning
simple rules but may have negative effects in terms of anxiety and
inhibitions.
5. Formal grammar teaching is of limited value because it contributes to

learning rather than acquisition. Only simple rules should be learned.
6. Teachers should not expect learners to learn ‘late structures’ such as

third person singular early.
C. Influences of Theories on Language Teaching
1. Applied linguists claim that theories of language learning as well as theories of

language may provide the basis for a particular teaching approach/method. To
illustrate, the linking of structuralism and behaviorism has produced the audiolingual
method (ALM), oral approach/situational language teaching, operant conditioning
approach, bottom-up text processing, controlled-to-free writing, to cite a few. These
methods underscore the necessity of overlearning, a principle that leads to endless
and mindless mimicry and memorization (‘mim-mem’). They are also characterized
by mechanical habit-formation teaching, done through unremitting practice: sentence
patterns are repeated and drilled until they become habitual and automatic to
minimize occurrences of mistakes. Grammar is taught through analogy; hence,
explanations of rules are not given until the students have practiced a pattern in a
variety of contexts.
2. The cognitive learning theory has given birth to the cognitive approach to learning
that puts language analysis before language use and instruction by the teacher, before
the students practice forms. It is compatible with the view that learning is a thinking
process, a belief that underpins cognitive-based and schema-enhancing strategies
such as Directed Reading Thinking Activity, Story Grammar, Think-Aloud, to name
a few.
3. The functional view of language has resulted in communication-based methods such

as Communicative Language Teaching/Communicative Approach, Notional-
Functional Approach, Natural Approach, Task-Based Language Teaching. These
methods are learner-centered, allowing learners to work in pairs or groups in
information gap tasks and problem-solving activities where such communication
strategies as information sharing, negotiation of meaning, and interaction are used.
The view that is both cognitive and affective has given rise to a holistic approach to language
learning or whole-person learning which has spawned humanistic techniques in language
learning and Community Language Learning. In these methods, the whole person including
emotions and feelings as well as language knowledge and behavior skills become central to
teaching. The humanistic approach equips learners “vocabulary for expressing one’s feelings, for
sharing one’s values and viewpoints with others, and for developing a better understanding of
their feelings and needs.”
TASK: Answer the following questions in two paragraphs. Submit your work (Printed) at TEP Faculty
of the assignment. Deadline for submission: Friday, until 4 PM.
1) Some features common to all natural languages have been mentioned above. Can you think of
some additional properties that unite all languages?
2) How do you understand innateness of language?
3) Think about your usual working day. Do you speak more or do you write more? In this
connection, would you give priority to spoken or written language?
4) (Advanced) If someone you know says to you over a glass of wine on a Saturday evening “I
love you”, how would you interpret the utterance? In other words, can the utterance have other
interpretations apart from its direct meaning and how some interpretations may depend on the
context of the situation?

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CORE GATEWAY COLLEGE, Inc.

Maharlika Highway cor. Cardenas St.

TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

1ST Semester, A.Y. 2022-2023

SYRILL JOSEPHINE SANOPO

1. Behaviorist learning theory. Derived from a general theory of learning, the

According to Littlewood (1984), the process of habit formation includes the

2. Cognitive learning theory. Chomsky argues that language is not acquired by

The five hypotheses are:

Learning - the conscious process of knowing about language and being

Acquisition parallels first language development in children while

b. The natural order hypothesis. It suggests that grammatical structures are

Group 1: present progressive -ing (She is reading)

Group 2: auxiliary ‘to be’ (She is reading.)

Group 3: irregular past forms (She drank milk.)

Group 4: regular past -ed (She prayed last night.)

b. The monitor hypothesis. It claims that conscious learning of grammatical

c. The affective filter hypothesis. Filter consists of attitude to language,

d. Implications for teaching:

1. Teachers must continuously deliver at a level understandable by

2. Teaching must prepare the learners for real life communication

3. Teachers must ensure that learners do not become anxious or defensive

4. Teachers must create an atmosphere where learners are not

5. Formal grammar teaching is of limited value because it contributes to

6. Teachers should not expect learners to learn ‘late structures’ such as

1. Applied linguists claim that theories of language learning as well as theories of

3. The functional view of language has resulted in communication-based methods such

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