Language Acquisition : Native Vs. Environmental

There are 4 theoretical perspectives. The different theoretical perspectives vary in their focus on the role of nature and nurture as well as the emphasis on one or more of the five aspects of language knowledge. Throughout this chapter, the focus will be on recognizing how nature and nurture interact and can be related. It provides a framework for understanding the complex ways children develop language as they interact with people and objects in their environment, school and home

All language theorists acknowledge nature and nurture both play significant roles in children’s language development. However, the theoretical debate to whether nature or nurture is the dominant tool during a child’s language

Nature and nurture both play a significant role in language development. Language development refers to how children understand, organise, speak and use words in order to communicate at an effective, age-appropriate level (Karen Kearns, 2013, P.105). For centuries, theorists have been debating the roles of nature versus nurture. Although, each child’s language will develop at their own pace and there will be many individual differences based on culture, ethnicity, health and ability. As well as physical, social, emotional and cognitive development in which will contribute to a child’s language development.

* However there were other factors to consider in Genie’s case. Not only did she miss the critical period for learning language, she was also horrifically abused. She was malnourished and deprived of cognitive stimulation for most of her childhood. Researchers were

The communication with your child starts way before the youngster can speak. From their cry, smile, and the responses they give you to help you understand his or her needs. Language developments have different stages that children pass through to assist them in the development of speech and languages. There are a plethora of factors which can inhabitants’ a child language development. However, these are amongst the top causes for language development such as a child’s inborn ability to learn language and the language the child hears.

Nativist McLaughlin (1984) claims that children whose ages are from two to six, can develop their language competences naturally, so at the time they start their formal education process, they have already mastered them. The author states that during these ages, children are so curious that they start creating and experimenting with language. She also affirms that second language acquisition takes place when children's listening and speaking skills have been well established in their mother tongue before being exposed to a second one.

In 1970, the case of Genie emerged, an abused child was mentally and physically delayed due to the social isolation condition she was raised. Genie’s case is studied and analyzed by many different aspects, such as phonology, semantics, morphology, and other research areas. Victoria Fromkin’s article “The Development of Language in Genie: A case of Language Acquisition Beyong the “Critical Period”” analyzed Genie’s case from five major aspects, which include linguistic comprehension, speech production and phonological development, sentence structure, cognitive development, and linguistic development in relation to normals. His analysis helps us to understand the language learning process and how the environment plays an important of language learning.

The case of “Genie” is a tragic look at the effects of child abuse and neglect on childhood development. Genie’s case was particularly extreme, as she lived the first 13 years of her life in isolation and confinement. With little to no human interaction throughout her entire life, she developed no language skills. Researchers were extremely interested in this case, as it gave them a chance to explore two theories of language development. One theory is Noam Chomsky’s view that children are born with an innate ability to learn and understand language. Chomsky termed this structure in our brain the “Language Acquisition Device” (LAD). An alternate theory by Eric Lenneberg stated that language development is a result of our environment, and stressed the importance of critical periods. Lenneberg believed that the critical period for language development only lasted until around 12 years of age, and inability to develop language during these critical periods would result in major deficits.

The debate between many researchers is the argument of whether nature or nurture play a more important role in development. In this essay I will be looking into both aspects of nature and nurture focusing specifically on their influence towards language development in children. A main controversial question I will be looking into is the question of whether are we born already equipped with mechanisms which help us to learn language, or is language learned throughout a child’s environment by, for example, imitation and repetition? Studies done by some opposing researchers claim to show that nature and nurture promote language development

This essay is about a child’s development and learning, focusing primarily on language development. It will describe the main stages of developmental "milestones" and the key concepts involved for children to develop their language skills, discussing language acquisition and social learning theory. The essay will also look into the key theorists involved in language development, primarily Vygotsky and Chomsky, and how these theories have had an impact on the way society views language and their implementation within schools. The essay will describe the factors affecting language development, both biological and environmental. While also discussing key arguments among

Learning is how we adapt, develop, change and grow. Language, explains how and why an individual understands what another person has written or expressed (Gregory Robertson-Riegler, 2008). When children acquire a first language, they build on what they know as well as conceptual information that discriminates and helps create categories for the objects, relations and events they experience. This provides the starting point for language from the age of 12 months on. So children first set up conceptual representations, then add linguistic representations for talking about experience (Denise Boyd, 2002).

The acquisition of child language has become a heated debate in which many discuss how and when a child is able to learn both their first and even their second language. The critical period hypothesis is a theory which claims that after a certain age children will no longer be able to achieve a native level of fluency in any given language. This essay aims to dissect the evidence which supports and contradicts this, and will draw upon studies and experiments conducted on both human children and even more broadly in a number of different species. As children approach the age of 17/18 months their ability to learn language is accelerated and they enter the ‘vocabulary spurt’ (lasting several months) during which they can acquire on average 10 new ‘naming’ words a day (Beverly A. Goldeld and J. Steven Reznick, 1990, Early lexical acquisition: rate, content, and the vocabulary spurt, Journal of Child Language). This phenomena appears to be limited to children of this age, however could this occur in older children or adolescents, who have experienced a lack of exposure to language or, who are attempting to learn a second language? Is this speed of acquisition solely restricted to those in this particular (‘sensitive’) stage of their lives?

Most young children develop language rapidly, moving from crying and cooing in infancy to using hundreds of words and understanding their meanings by the time they are ready to enter kindergarten. Language development is a major accomplishment and is one of the most rewarding experiences for anyone to share with a child. Children learn to speak and understand words by being around adults and peers who communicate with them and encourage their efforts to talk.

There are different, quite opposing theories as to how children actually acquire language. On the one hand, in discussing “the formal, nativist approach, grammar is conceptualized as a set of abstract categories, structures and principles, and constraints that are genetically encoded as an innate Universal Grammar” (319, Genetti). On the other hand, the discourse-based theory states that “grammar is viewed as a set of forms and functions that are constantly being shaped by the mental processes and communicative needs of speakers and hearers as they use language in everyday talk (discourse)” (319, Genetti). Although I do consider the latter discourse theory to be important in a child’s language development, as a child will to some degree imitate their caregiver, they will only do this when they are mentally ready and capable to do so. Therefore the nativist theory is a very credible concept in child

“During the first two or three years of development, a child requires interaction with other language-users in order to bring the general language capacity into contact with a particular language such as English.” (Yule, The Study of Language, 2010)