This week’s theme was oral language and how the different views on this subject can help adults understand the importance of the early stages of a child’s language acquisition. In chapter two in Christie, a main topic was how theorist believe children acquire language, for example nativists and behaviorists. They focus on the ideas of nature vs nurture and how this can affect a child’s development. Nature involves a child’s biological capabilities which are predetermined by birth and nurture is how social interactions and reinforcement can shape a child’s language. Both are equally as important but nurture is what allows adults, mothers, and teachers to become an important figure in the life of young children. By becoming a model for language usage, the child will be
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This process can also be described as the major components of language which include phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. In addition, the readings mention how second language acquisition, in young children, is actually very similar to how they acquired their first language. And lastly, in Beaty, language strategies are mentioned to help provide children with the most beneficial conditions in order to acquire language successfully.
Out of the four theories mentioned, I agreed more to the behaviorist and social interactive’s explanation how children acquire language than the nativist and neurobiological perspectives. However, I do agree that each are important in their own way but, in a classroom setting, nurture would be my main focus because although “the environment plays a central role in children’s language development” but children are also “shaped by the particular language environment that they are raised in” (Christie 26). This reminds me of how I preferred meaning based approaches over skill based in the last chapter. Even
This process can also be described as the major components of language which include phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. In addition, the readings mention how second language acquisition, in young children, is actually very similar to how they acquired their first language. And lastly, in Beaty, language strategies are mentioned to help provide children with the most beneficial conditions in order to acquire language successfully.
Out of the four theories mentioned, I agreed more to the behaviorist and social interactive’s explanation how children acquire language than the nativist and neurobiological perspectives. However, I do agree that each are important in their own way but, in a classroom setting, nurture would be my main focus because although “the environment plays a central role in children’s language development” but children are also “shaped by the particular language environment that they are raised in” (Christie 26). This reminds me of how I preferred meaning based approaches over skill based in the last chapter. Even