Language Acquisition & The Brain
How do we learn language?
We learn language through biological and environmental means. Biologically, we have a brain that is hard wired to be attracted to speech and communication. In fact, there are two major language related regions human brain. Even so, our brains undergo changes as we progress in language development, such as myelination, the electrical insulation of our neuron cell axons, which helps us process information more quickly.
Environmentally, we witness models of language--how it is used and understood by those around us, and we are motivated to share ideas or feelings and express ourselves through language. However, there is a process that we must undergo before we are able to communicate effectively; our brains mature and as we grow, we are privy to more environmental contexts that give us the opportunity to learn and grow in our understanding of our native language. In this way, our environmental development affects our biological development. |
While this video doesn't acknowledge the "sensitive period" of language acquisition, it does highlight the importance of social context and social participation in language learning.
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The Four Basic Domains of Language Acquisition
How do we learn to make sense of the models we witness?
PhonologicalPhonological development results in learning to differentiate meaningful sounds in speech, such as syllables.
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SemanticSemantic development is the process of learning meanings of words and how these meanings interact with other words.
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GrammarGrammar development results in understanding and adopting the rules of sentence structure and word order in a given language.
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PragmaticPragmatic development has to do with how language is used in particular contexts, as determined by social and cultural conventions. i.e., "What's up?"
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Implications for English Language Education
Understandably, pragmatic development is a pitfall for many foreign language learners, since it is based on social context and experience. Not only are the foreign language learners unfamiliar with the social and cultural conventions of the language they are adopting, but they usually haven't had very many opportunities to witness models of the language they wish to learn. What is clear from the role of language development in language acquisition, is that language education must promote the phonological, semantic, grammatical and pragmatic development of the language student. However, all too often methods of teaching are heavily focused on rote memorization of rules for grammar and syntax. This approach is simply incongruent with the way we learn language.
The Wug Test & Other Errors
Experience is the common factor of language acquisition at any age; language learning is fundamentally tied to experience and social contexts. The associations that these experiences create, and the neural pathways they strengthen, give rise to the fluency of native speakers. In short, the processes of the brain are necessary to acquire a conscious understanding of the logic of language (grammar and syntax), but they are not center stage.
The potency of these associations are the reason for the surge of language acquisition in early childhood. Through experiences, children develop the four domains of language. How can we know this?
Studies such as the Wug test and other investigations in the grammatical errors of young children show us that the structure of language is not learned through explicit logical instruction, but rather via logic based on experience.
What's more, even though executive brain function is linked to "higher order linguistic abilities in second language learners" this is only so when there is already established familiarity with the language they are trying to learn. When encountering a new or unfamiliar language, the phonological processes are paramount.
Engel de Abreu and Gathercole, 2012, found that phonological awareness contributes to word decoding and spelling (fundamental for reading) but also, to overall language proficiency in an unfamiliar language.
The implication for language learning is that, as in early childhood, the rules of language don't need to be necessarily presented explicitly; rather they must be discovered through experience, that they may make an impression and influence the executive functions of working memory, logic and organization to integrate and retrieve these experiences as knowledge. This suggests that learning is more effective if it is meaningful to the student's social context--meaning is, after all, the whole point of a symbolic system such as language.
The potency of these associations are the reason for the surge of language acquisition in early childhood. Through experiences, children develop the four domains of language. How can we know this?
Studies such as the Wug test and other investigations in the grammatical errors of young children show us that the structure of language is not learned through explicit logical instruction, but rather via logic based on experience.
What's more, even though executive brain function is linked to "higher order linguistic abilities in second language learners" this is only so when there is already established familiarity with the language they are trying to learn. When encountering a new or unfamiliar language, the phonological processes are paramount.
Engel de Abreu and Gathercole, 2012, found that phonological awareness contributes to word decoding and spelling (fundamental for reading) but also, to overall language proficiency in an unfamiliar language.
The implication for language learning is that, as in early childhood, the rules of language don't need to be necessarily presented explicitly; rather they must be discovered through experience, that they may make an impression and influence the executive functions of working memory, logic and organization to integrate and retrieve these experiences as knowledge. This suggests that learning is more effective if it is meaningful to the student's social context--meaning is, after all, the whole point of a symbolic system such as language.
Other Implications
Additionally, the focus on experience and social context serves to stimulate and uphold motivation, a factor that behaviorists acknowledge as crucial in determining how dedicated a student will be in their pursuit of second language acquisition. Moreover, the focus on social contexts can minimize the anxiety that surrounds the “language ego”, the behaviors of defensiveness and inhibition that stunt second and foreign language learning [students too embarrassed to read or practice oral exercises deny themselves opportunities for further growth via relevant experiences which would result in strong(er) associations] (Freeman, 2012).