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Two Essential Elements of Second Language Acquisition: Exposure to language and Excellent Language Environment
Two Essential Elements of Second Language Acquisition: Exposure to language and Excellent Language Environment
Jixuan Shao
EAPP-10-01
A. Meyer Sterzik
August 8, 2017
Two Essential Elements of Second Language Acquisition: Exposure to language and Excellent Language Environment
‘Language is best taught when it is being used to transmit messages, not when it is explicitly taught for conscious learning’(Stephen D. Krashen,1995). Language acquisition for children has become an important topic of research and discussion among many professionals and scholars. The tendency to acquire a language as perceived during the second year in the course of growth of a child has been fascinating for developmental psychologists. As such, several themes have been developed for the reason of helping people understand how children consequently acquire linguistic norms. For normal children, language as an aspect emerges in a rather spontaneous manner as a way of talking about what they know so that they certain goals can be achieved; however, for other children, language has to be taught, and patience has to be the common factor for if certain objectives are to be experienced. In the article ‘Children's Language Acquisition’, Rice (1989) reviews some relevant issues related to language acquisition among children and present dynamics that can help elaborate more about this topic. Language acquisition for children remains an outcome of mutual influence and simultaneous development. Rice (1989) primarily argues that ordinary children either learn language through impulsive development as their way of talking about things that they understand or are important to them, and they have to be taught.
In the article ‘Children’s Language Acquisition’, Rice (1989) contends that the process of language acquisition is standard and easy to understand, thus they need to internalize its various components. There are three major aspects to bear in mind when discussing language acquisition. There must be a language to be acquired or task to be mastered, the predispositions and abilities of the child and the environmental influence or setting. When all these factors intertwine, language acquisition might occur, but it is important to realize that external forces have the most weight in such situations. According to Rice (1989), the process of acquiring a language entails four dimensions which encompass the system of the mean (semantics), the system involving sounds (phonology), various rules on the way sentences (syntax) and words (morphology) are formed. Rice (1989) established that language takes vital social norms that should be observed. The social environment where individuals belong requires some adjustment of both the style and topic of the language used as all of this also determine how language will be interpreted (Rice, 1989). When all these aspects and process of language acquisition occurs, children will become communicative competent. The sociolinguistic setting of the child provides the language a child hears and learns, hence remains critical to language acquisition. For example, where a child is exposed to many language role models, they acquire the language faster. Rice (1989) also mentions that although children’s language learning is a spontaneous process, it need to accomplish a higher level of skill by contacting more events, communication and expressing themselves. Some children should be taught because it can be automatically equal in a poor parental skill, limited intelligence, sensory handicap, or pauperized environmental circumstance. Children language learning includes human basic language skills; it is supportive and helpful in formal model language knowledge.
There are many evidences supporting Rice’s (1989) argument that for children who are developing typically, language develops impulsively as a way of talking about what they understand such that social goals important to them are accomplished. Borrowing from Ricardo Schultz’s article, which summarizes Stephen Krashen’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition, I agree with Rice (1989) argument. According to Ricardo (1998), learning results from formal instructions. Therefore, Rice (1989) agrees with Krashen’s theory that the learning system is a conscious process that helps children acquire conscious knowledge. In my opinion, both the main and supporting argument agree that children are born in a world that is controlled by different forms of communication, from the natural senses to a social world where they require a language as a means of interaction with other individuals within their society. Rice (1989) takes another stand that some children do not acquire language impulsively. Thus, they need to be taught; therefore, he suggests a study agenda for assisting those children who have challenges understanding the rudiments of language. To better understand this idea, it is important to ponder over the question raised by McLaughlin (2013). Why do some children find it hard to learn the second language in school, whereas others appear to have learned the language but do not perform well academically?
What Rice failed to mention is that even though these children need to be taught, it is very imperative to teach them the right way. Unlike Rice (1989), McLaughlin (2013) stresses that some of teachers teaching these children also fail to understand clearly what the children have to learn. Language acquisition does not only entail learning how to speak the language well. If in language acquisition, there must be language to be acquired or task to be mastered, why does Rice (1989) believe that the predispositions and abilities of the child and the environmental influence or setting are important factors too? In simpler terms, learning to talk entails more than just learning the words or syntax. Bruner (1985) argues that children must also know how to do things with these remarks. He adds that grammar alone cannot help us fully understand the mystery in a child’s language development. Somehow, Rice (1989) leaves his point hanging because he fails to stress that acquiring language is more dependent on the functions served by the linguistic forms. Therefore, Rice (1989) should have borrowed from Bruner’s argument that language acquisition starts when a foreseeable format of interaction is established between the mother and the infant. There is an example also proves this point that North American children can acquire language faster if they speak English not only at school, but also at home(Summer,2017). Thus, we can believe that if children just learn language from school is not enough, communicate is equal important. Note that this interaction serves as a miniature for communicating as well as constituting a shared reality. It is after this that the child can master grammar.
Conclusively, it is evidently argued that ordinary children either learn language through impulsive development as their way of talking about things that they understand or are important to them, or they have to be taught. Therefore, these articles discuss language acquisition as an important topic of discussion because it presents several themes which are vital regarding ensuring that respective societies understand coherent ways of influencing subsequent generations appreciate communication norms and aspects. The scholars’ ideas are a combination of several themes developed for helping people comprehend how children consequently acquire linguistic norms. It is noteworthy that many things determine the process of acquiring any form or type of language, but the most important of all is the environmental setting that individuals are exposed to. For children, this is especial because their experience with language should be perfected by their parents and caretakers if proper communication competence is to be achieved.
References
Bruner, J. (1985). Child's talk: Learning to use language. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 1(1), 111-114.
McLaughlin, B. (2013). Second language acquisition in childhood: Volume 2: School.-age Children. New York, Psychology Press.
Rice, M. L. (1989). American Psychologists. Children's Language Acquisition, 44(2), 149-156.
Schütz, R. (1998, April). Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition.
Retrieved August 07, 2017, from http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html
Summer, L. Q. (2017). Language Acquisition for the Bilingual Child: A Perspective on Raising Bilingual Children in the U.S. In The NCHAM EBook: A Resource Guide for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI). (1st ed., Vol. 2). Retrieved July 17, 2017, from https://www.infanthearing.org/ehdi-ebook/2017_ebook/20%20Chapter20LanguageAcq usistion2017.pdf
