First Language Acquisition vs. Second Language Learning

Relational abilities or the capacity to chat is likely the most fundamental ability that people have as it enables us to move data to each other. People built up the utilization of language so as to impart hundreds of years back, it rearranged the way toward moving and assembling data. Over the time frame we began to gain dialects from the phase of early stages and created it throughout the years by improving the use of language structure and by developing better sentences so as to impart.

Language is a system of communication which consists of a set of sounds and written symbols which are used by people of a particular region or country for talking and writing. This brings people together and forms a collective identity and unifies them. The earliest languages dates back to about 5,000 years ago. Slowly as humans started to evolve we started to adapt to and learn the languages that was spoken around us, that is how we started to acquire our first language. Records show how language in itself has evolved, different languages have been derived from the early languages. Ancient French or English is different from how it spoken and written now. But nevertheless we learn and acquire what we hear.

The ability that humans have in acquiring language is remarkable in itself. Starting from the stage of infancy, we learn by associating words with meanings, which is based on the behaviorist reinforcement principles. The earliest scientific explanation for language acquisition was given by B.F Skinner (1957). He said that the right usage of words is positively reinforced when the child recognizes the communicative value of words and phrases. An example for this would be when a kid asks for ‘candy’, and as a result is provided with it which implements the language development. Soon after Noam Chomsky, a world renown linguist presented arguments that contradicted Skinner’s theories on language acquisition as his beliefs and theories were a complete contrast of his. According to Noam Chomsky acquiring language is an innate process and he said that language is a characteristic that is unique to humans while compared to other beings while Skinner believed that language is learnt casing this to be the debate of the century. His theories on language acquisition is world famous. In his book ‘Language and Mind’ (1972), he quoted “when we study human language, we are approaching what some might call the ‘human essence’, the distinctive qualities of mind that are so far as we know, unique to men.” I believe that the first language acquisition is both innate and learnt as in my case it went hand in hand while I acquired my first language.

The primary language is 'procured' while the subsequent language is 'scholarly'. The distinction between these two words depicts the characteristics of the two dialects. The term 'Gain' signifies 'to come into ownership or responsibility for' demonstrates that the principal language to a greater extent a dynamic and unique property which comes into ownership by an individual. Then again, 'learn' signifies 'to pick up information or ability by study, guidance, or experience', which shows that there is nothing detached in second language learning. A first language is totally gained with 100% capability inside the six years from birth. In any case, a subsequent language can never be learned as productively as a first language; however great capability can be accomplished in the subsequent language, the procedure is nearly tedious. The principal language obtaining is a characteristic procedure that doesn't require guidelines or directions to secure it, however then again learning a subsequent language requires ceaseless direction and guidance. Learning a subsequent language requires consistent and cognizant exertion all together for the student can disguise the structures of the subsequent language. In households where multiple languages are spoken, children tend to pick up both the languages and can fluently converse in both the languages. A person that can speak in more than one language is called ‘Bilingual’. It is not as complicated compared to studying an entirely new. As when we acquire a language it is more of unconscious attempt rather than trying to learn a new language and it gets harder to do so as we grow up. Our brains have a harder time in picking up and remembering adjectives and nouns until and unless there is constant effort put in. In order to improve a language, the individual must be provided with opportunities that helps them converse in that language, in the case of first language learners can communicate with native speakers like their caregivers. But in the case of second language learners, they do not really get the opportunity to communicate with native speakers.

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Why is it that as kids we pick up information more easily compared to when we are older? Ever since we are out of the womb we have always been very sensitive to information making it easy for them to grasp information, and the reason why adults are always cautious about what they say around kids. Another thing that drives little children is curiosity, it is an internal desire to learn and there is never an external pressure that forces them into new experiences and wanting to know everything around them.

According to linguists there are five stages of second language learning, the first stage is called the ‘Preproduction or Silent/Receptive’ stage. During this stage people spend time learning simple words and work on the pronunciations. They can understand more complex statements that they are able to produce them which is it is called the silent period. This process lasts from zero to six months and it usually depends on how fast the individual can grasp and remember the information that is learnt. The second stage that is the ‘Early Production’ the individual learns how to communicate by using basic words and starts to form and learn phrases. This takes from six months to a year depending on how the information is retained and the effort put into learning. ‘Speech Emergence’ is the third stage, in the course of this the individual is seen to be putting words together forming sentences and questions, keeping in mind that these sentences are not necessarily grammatically right. They also start reading and writing more efficiently as well. This period lasts from a year to almost three years. The fourth stage is the ‘Intermediate Fluency’, the individual starts communicating through speech and text by using more complex phrases and sentences. They also start using their thought process in their language, this in a way helps to enhance their speaking skills. The last stage is the ‘Continued Language Development/ Advanced Fluency’, in order to maintain fluency, they require to engage in ongoing opportunities that helps them express themselves in their second language. Even though the process is long, time consuming and requires constant effort but has a positive outcome of being able to converse in an entirely new language.

Understanding usage of adjectives is different which is why native English speakers tend to have a harder in learning a new language. While nonnative English speakers struggle with grammatical usage of verbs, they still are fluent with their native language and English. It is more common for schools in nonnative English speaking countries to teach kids English as a second language. There is a program commonly known as ESL which teaches English to people who speak different languages and who live in countries where English is the native language. Knowledge in the first language helps as a base for learning a second language, as words can be understood and memorized by translating it to the first language in which the individual is fluent in.

Linguistic theorists put forth a theory called the Universal Grammar (UG), it proposed that humans have an innate capability related to acquiring languages. The exact definition of Universal Grammar has been evolving ever since it has been proposed, therefore taking a quite a more specific view on modern linguistic research. According to Chomsky (1986) sees UG as “an intricate and highly constrained structure” (p. 148) consisting of “various subsystems of principles” (p.148). As you can see Universal Grammar is a set of atomic grammatical categories and relations that are the building blocks of the particular grammars of all humans’ languages over which syntactic structures are defined. The evidence put forward for UG is as follows: (i) Universality explains that all humans share a number of properties, (ii) convergence - all language students merge on a similar syntax notwithstanding the way that they are presented to various information, (iii) poverty of the stimulus. These contentions depend on premises which are either bogus or unverified. Dialects vary from one another in significant manners, and there are not very many genuine universals, so the central cross etymological certainty that necessities clarifying is assorted variety, not all inclusiveness.

A more recent understanding of language acquisition is the Emergentism Theory, it is an “approach to the cognition that stresses the interaction between the organism and their environment.” If we look at it in the context of second language learning it would imply to the learner realizing the language as it is used or as it appears between them and others or their surroundings. For quite a long time, the field of second language procurement has been commanded by carefully innatist moves toward that measure taking in seclusion from natural and social conditions. There are two emergentist camps in second language procurement hypothesis that might be differentiated by center. One investigations mapping of language info and utilization, for example, examinations of prompts that may prompt understanding of collocations, animas, expression and word request. The different thinks about complex intellectual activities, for example, working memory (O'Grady, Miseon and Hye-Young, 2009). In this methodology, a 'processor' would decipher encounters, and their association with phonetic information. Rather than a 'language securing gadget' that is prewired to get and store input (Bowers, 2005), the processor is a unique middle person of interior and outside encounters, just as an initiator of pragmatics, and constructor of articulation. The two speculations estimate on design acknowledgment of either phonetic or non-etymological wonders, and both portray the underlying highlights of language as non-semantic before etymological properties rise. The two speculations theorize on design acknowledgment of either phonetic or non-etymological wonders, and both portray the underlying highlights of language as non-semantic before semantic properties rise. Information based speculations study recurrence, while utilizing connectionist models to gather information on procured language. The processor-based methodology may investigate intervention of semiotic connections.