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Theories of Language Acquisition: Peters, Chomsky, and Brown, 1999.
An assessment and description of the different aspects of the Peters' Chomsky's and Brown's theories in detail and opinions on which theory proves to be the most successful and credible based on research.
2,706 words (approx. 10.8 pages), 8 sources, $ 81.95
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From the Paper
"How does a child begin to speak? Why? These are questions that many linguists set out to answer as they explore the world of language acquisition. Three credible linguists, Ann M. Peters, Noam Chomsky, and Roger Brown, all have different opinions and theories of language acquisition. All of them address influences, grammar, and patterns of speech in their theories, but in different contexts. Chomsky believes it is genetic, Peters believes it is totally up to the environment, and Brown believes it is due to positive reinforcement and trial and error. All three theories are credible and have provided great insight into the ways children do acquire language. Language acquisition is a widely researched topic, and will continue to have new theories evolve as long as children keep talking. This paper assesses and describes different aspects of each linguists? theory in detail and offers the author?s opinion on which theory proves to be the most successful and credible based on reasearch."
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Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Theories, 2003.
A comparison of theories pertaining to second language acquisition (SLA).
2,189 words (approx. 8.8 pages), 7 sources, APA, $ 68.95
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Abstract
Second Language Acquisition is a field of inquiry that abounds in theories, while at the same time no single approach has adequately explained how language acquisition takes place. One reason for this might be that linguists interested in SLA have been trained in different disciplines, such as linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and neurolinguistics. The paper explains that, naturally, they have approached SLA from very different perspectives and treat all the variables involved in the learning process differently. The situation appears to be very confusing and frustrating. All the present theories, hypotheses, and models are all preliminary work done toward the ultimate goal of a true theory. The paper shows that in this sense, the different approaches taken by linguists and researchers are never worthless. They have uncovered bits and pieces of the whole complexity of language acquisition. Hopefully, the continuing and combined efforts made by linguists and researchers will lead to the ultimate success of establishing the true theory in language acquisition as well as in SLA.
From the Paper
"Linguistics is one of the newest fields of scientific inquiry. It was developed into an independent discipline of social science in the United Sates first ?as an offshoot of anthropology? in the first half of the twentieth century in an attempt to investigate into the disappearing American indigenous languages (Lakoff, 2000, p. 2-3). Traditionally, it has been concerned with the analysis of language, namely its phonology, morphology and syntax. Following this tradition, Norm Chomsky in the 1950s put forward his milestone transformational generative grammar (TGG), which assumed ?an ideal speaker-listener, in a completely homogeneous speech-community? unaffected by any external factors in his exploration of the Universal Grammar (UG), the general rules of language (Chomsky, 1965, p.3). This is basically an asocial or theoretical view in linguistic studies as opposed to the social view which claims knowing a language also means ?knowing how to use that language?(Wardhaugh, 2002, p.3) in social contexts. Adopting either or both of the two views, linguistics and researchers alike have postulated a multitude of theories, approaches, and models in the inquiry into the nature of language and language acquisition, which appear to be conflicting ones fighting against one another."
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Second Language Acquisition, 2005.
An overview of two theories on second language acquisition.
3,392 words (approx. 13.6 pages), 13 sources, APA, $ 96.95
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Abstract
With the increase of channels of communications in the twentieth century, the need to acquire one second language or more has grown rapidly. This has opened the way to new linguistic theories concerning second language acquisition. This paper focuses on the contrastive analysis hypothesis, which aims at providing an explanation of errors by exploring the relation between two linguistic systems and more specifically by attempting a comparison between them. It also examines the error analysis hypothesis, which tries to provide researchers with an in-depth knowledge of foreign language deviations. The paper attempts to establish the purposes of these theories and their fundamental aspects, and then describes the criticisms of these theories and discusses their accuracy.
From the Paper
"The Contrastive analysis hypothesis emerged in the 1940's with Charles Fries, one of the leading applied linguists of the day. His idea was that "The most efficient materials are those that are based upon a scientific description of the language to be learned, carefully compared with a parallel description of the native language of the learner."(Fries 1945, as reported in Lanlin Zhang). Robert Lado, Fries' colleague at the University of Michigan, also worked on this idea in his book Linguistics across Cultures which marks the real beginning of modern applied linguistics. In his book, as reported in Lanlin Zhang (2005), he claims that "we can predict and describe the patterns that will cause difficulty in learning, and those that will not cause difficulty, by comparing systematically the language and culture to be learned with the native language and culture of the student". Wardhaugh (1970)(Cf: Lanlin Zhang) later termed this claim as the "Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis" (CAH). "
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Second Language Acquisition (SLA), 2005.
This paper examines theories of second language acquisition ( SLA).
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 1 source, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses certain theories of second language acquisition especially about the development of grammar over time. The author review theories of Long, Anderson, Vygotsky, Bialystok, and Pulvermuller and Shumann. The paper relates that these theories do not necessarily contradict each other but do emphasize different parts of the process, such as some theories emphasize the neurological process while others emphasize interaction with other speakers.
From the Paper
"The theories of Long, Anderson, Vygotsky, Bialystok, and Pulvermuller and Shumann all explain second language acquisition (SLA) with a different emphasis, but interestingly, not all of these theories are mutually exclusive. That is, because some of them simply emphasize different parts of the process as being of primary importance, or they see the process as happening in a certain part of the consciousness, rather than directly contradicting one another. However, it would be an exaggeration to say that these theories complement and complete each other and give us a complete picture of language acquisition."
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Childhood Language Acquisition, 2005.
Examines the current state of research in childhood language acquisition.
1,655 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 53.95
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Abstract
This paper explores the psychological, linguistic and scientific elements involved in language acquisition. It explores the building blocks of language and the complex processes involved in learning a first language. The paper examines Celia Genishi's article "Young Children's Oral Language Development," Steven Parker's empirical study, "Language Acquisition" and Michael Gurian's book, "Boys and Girls Learn Differently". Each of these works addresses the issue of language and learning development in children and ultimately suggests different teaching methods, individualized approaches and the basic breakdown of learning language for the first time.
From the Paper
"Steven Pinker, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted an empirical study, titled "Language Acquisition" that closely examines different theories of learning that revolve around the acquisition of language. Pinker combines biology and psychology with teaching methods at home and in the classroom. Like Genishi, Pinker acknowledges that the English language is composed of simple structures and that these structures are one of the main components that help children learn their first language. However, Pinker is different than Genishi because he examines the question of success in the learning process. He explores what it takes for a child to succeed in the language acquisition process and why others cannot succeed (Pinker 2002)."
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Computer Assisted Language Acquisition, 2004.
A review of three articles concerned with CALL (Computer Assisted Language Acquisition).
3,267 words (approx. 13.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 93.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how computers are now part of the foreign language classroom, how they assist instructors in the development of lessons and classroom materials and provide students with a supplementary form of instruction. It critically evaluates the efficacy of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Acquisition) through an examination of four research articles with a focus on the implications of the studies on SLA (Second Language Acquisition). The articles are "Evaluating the Integration of Technology and Second Language Learning" by Bonnie Adair-Hauck et al. , "Comparing Face-to-Face and Electronic Discussion in the Second Language Classroom" by Mark Warschauer and "Computer Generated Error Feedback and Writing Process: A Link" by Judy F. Chan.
Outline
"Evaluating the Integration of Technology and Second Language Learning"
"Comparing Face-to-Face and Electronic Discussion in the Second Language Classroom"
"Computer Generated Error Feedback and Writing Process: A Link"
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The primary purpose behind the Adair-Hauck et al' (1999) study was to test the hypothesis that students engaged in 'TELL components, in lieu of one class period a week would perform French tasks in all the skills as well as students meeting four times a week (p. 279).' Also under investigation was the potential effects TELL could have on foreign language motivation, how TELL influenced students perceptions of meeting their learning goals, how TELL modified the roles of teacher and learner, and, more generally, if TELL is an effective curricular design for achieving L2 development. The rationale behind the study came from the authors' assertion that few empirical CALL studies address the question, 'What kind of software, integrated how and into what kind of syllabus, at what level of language learning, for what kind of language learners, is likely to be effective for what specific purposes? "
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Second Language Acquisition, 2007.
This paper evaluates Marcel Danesi's "Adesso! A Functional Introduction to Italian, Second Edition" as a second language acquisition (SLA) textbook.
1,593 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 52.95
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Abstract
This paper examines Marcel Danesi's "Adesso! A Functional Introduction to Italian, Second Edition" in light of current theories in second language acquisition (SLA). The paper also analyzes how the text would function in a general classroom context. The paper relates that if "Adesso!" is evaluated in terms of meeting its stated objectives and in terms of the current theoretical models regarding SLA, then it clearly passes evaluation as a useful classroom textbook. The paper concludes that it can be highly recommended as a textbook for teaching Italian.
Outline:
Introduction
Organization Based on Interesting Topics and Cultural Contexts
Provide Activities for Students to Talk in Open-Ended Exercises
Inputs, Strategies and Tasks
Grammar and Vocabulary
The Question of Culture
Comparison of English and Italian Languages and Cultures
Opportunities for Further Exploration and Assessment
Cumulative Evaluation and Recommendation
From the Paper
"The organization of chapters and themes around their frequency of usage in everyday Italian speech is, admittedly, a rather arbitrary way of designing a text. After all, it is unclear how Danesi has determined what situations will be most frequent or functional. This being said, the range of everyday situations explored in the text is diverse and there is a level of progression through the text with succeeding chapters building upon, and referencing, previous ones."
"The text does contain some dialogues that allow students to converse with each other. These are sometimes open-ended, comprising of "interviews" in which one student may ask another student questions with no fixed answers (Danesi 82)."
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Peer Assisted Second Language Acquisition, 2005.
A review of five studies dealing with peer assisted language acquisition and how student attitudes affect performance.
3,321 words (approx. 13.3 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 94.95
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Abstract
This paper focuses on peer assisted learning strategies and how student attitudes affect performance in SLA. It critically evaluates five studies with a focus on how the research methodology might have been improved, what potential bias' researcher might have brought to the study, as well as the implications of the studies themselves. The articles are; "Negotiation for Meaning and Peer Assistance in Second Language Classrooms" by Pauline Foster and Amy Snyder-Ohta, "Impact of Classroom Dynamics on the Effectiveness of Recasts in Second Language Acquisition" by Frank Morris and Elaine Tarone, "Collaborative E-mail Exchange for Teaching Secondary ESL: A Case Study in Hong Kong" by Roseanne Greenfield, "Cooperation and Competition in a Korean Middle School English Class: A Case Study" by Lee Sung-Lim and "The Effects of Reciprocal Peer Tutoring on Graduate Student's Achievement, Test Anxiety, and Academic Self-Efficacy" by Bryan and Marlynn Griffin.
Outline
"Negotiation for Meaning and Peer Assistance in Second Language Classrooms"
"Impact of Classroom Dynamics on the Effectiveness of Recasts in Second Language Acquisition"
"Collaborative E-mail Exchange for Teaching Secondary ESL: A Case Study in Hong Kong"
"Cooperation and Competition in a Korean Middle School English Class: A Case Study"
"The Effects of Reciprocal Peer Tutoring on Graduate Student's Achievement, Test Anxiety, and Academic Self-Efficacy"
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Peer-assisted learning is an educational concept that has long been used to actively engage students in the knowledge acquisition process, and is known by a variety of names, such as collaborative learning, cooperative learning, collective learning, learning communities, peer teaching, peer learning, peer coaching, reciprocal learning, team learning, study circles, study groups, and work groups (adapted from Gross-Davis, 1993:http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/collaborative.html), which, though these terms are not interchangeable, share its most salient feature, peer-assisted knowledge acquisition, in contrast to individualistic study."
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Language Acquisition, 2002.
A discussion of two competing approaches on the theory of language acquisition.
2,816 words (approx. 11.3 pages), 11 sources, MLA, $ 83.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the fierce debate between the rationalist and the empiricist theorists on the issue of language acquisition which has captured the imagination of the linguistic world for decades. It looks at how although the rationalists? concept of specific language mechanisms in the brain has prevailed for many years, new research by connectionist theorists has tilted the balance towards the empiricists? approach. It provides a detailed comparative analysis of these two competing approaches and explores their application in children?s discourse to assess their validity. It also discusses the work by the connectionist theorists and the implications on the future of linguistic research in the area of first language acquisition.
From the Paper
"In Chomsky?s (1972) original conception, the mind of children is analogized to a black box called the ?Language Acquisition Device? (LAD). This box contains all linguistic principles that do not derive from the interaction with the environment. In Chomsky?s (1981) ?Principles-and-Parameters Theory? and his subsequent work, his version of how children utilize their linguistic knowledge to acquire language in their specific environments is presented. Before their interaction with the environment, children possess an ?universal grammar.? With exposure to specific linguistic environments, all children need to do is to set the switches on certain parameters that correspond to their language (in Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, 1996, pp. 31-2)."
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Culture and Language Acquisition, 2008.
This paper examines how language acquisition can be improved by incorporating cultural acquisition into the curriculum.
1,263 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 10 sources, APA, $ 42.95
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Abstract
The paper evaluates the literature on the subject of culture acquisition in the language classroom and its importance. The paper shows how a sociocultural perspective is crucial to the success of language acquisition efforts since learning styles have a cultural component. The paper concludes that encouraging cultural acquisition must stand as an important component in the language classroom.
From the Paper
"Culture plays an important part in any educational setting, though its effects are particularly noticeable in the language classroom. Traditionally language acquisition is simply considered to be a matter of memorizing vocabulary and learning new grammatical structures. But language is much more complex than this, and true proficiency in a language requires a more sophisticated understanding of the underpinnings of the language being taught. In particular, research has repeatedly confirmed that language and culture and intricately linked with one another (Giambo et al., 2006). In order to become proficient in a new language, instructors must take into account cultural considerations when teaching to students of various cultural backgrounds."
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English Language Acquisition, 2007.
This paper discusses cooperative learning and language acquisition for English language learners.
2,844 words (approx. 11.4 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 84.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer points out that research study has shown that cooperative learning environments are more conducive to English language learning than are other learning environments. The writer explains that, in other words, it is easier for students to learn the English language in a relaxed cooperative learning situation than in the formal classroom instructional environment. This work attempts to discover, through a qualitative review of literature and a qualitative method of applied case study through the instrument of the survey/questionnaire, to understand this phenomena in the acquisition of the English language by students in the school and classroom environment. The writer concludes that the cooperative classroom in English language learning has been shown to be effective in a student's acquisition of the English language.
Outline:
Introduction
Statement of Problem
Literature Review
Research Objectives
Hypothesis/Research Questions
Research Design
Assumptions and Limitations
Data Analysis (Questionnaire - Primary Data)
Limitations/Research Ethics
Conclusions
From the Paper
"It is assumed that the teachers in the survey know what cooperative learning actually is and that the teacher has used it consistently for at least one semester of the school year prior to the conduction of this study. It is further assumed that the students interviewed in this survey are not schooled in what cooperative learning actually is in terms of theoretical framework and case study research or techniques or methods of delivering instruction and that their view will be unclouded by this aspect of the learning environment. Limitations exist in this study in that there may be other varying factors that influence the acquisition of the English language, however this research proposal has attempted to allow for that in the instrument used for gathering data or the survey/questionnaire through asking relevant questions as to the home environment and other factors in the life of the student that might be the factor for more success in language acquisition in the school environment."
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Theories of Second Language Acquisition, 2002.
Discusses theories second language acquisition from a North American point of view.
2,900 words (approx. 11.6 pages), 13 sources, $ 106.95
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Abstract
The linguistics of second language acquisition is discussed from a North American point of view, i.e., the continual presence of newcomers who need to acquire a command of the English language. A research deficit is explained which relates to differing cultural origins and English L2 vocabulary acquisition.
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Second Language Acquisition: Noam Chomsky, 1993.
Discusses Chomsky's theory of language acquisition, in which there exists some sort of "language organ" that makes language possible for humans & impossible for animals.
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 9 sources, $ 23.95
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From the Paper
"Nativist Theories of Second Language Acquisition: Noam Chomsky
Introduction
According to Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991), nativist theories posit the existence of a specific, innate biological capacity or organ that makes learning possible. Some of those nativist theories are specific to language acquisition, with Noam Chomsky perhaps the earliest and foremost exponent of the theory that language acquisition follows a universal pattern based on an innate language organ, or system of hard-wiring within the brain.
Noam Chomsky and Universal Grammar
Chomsky became most visible in his struggles with the researchers who were working with chimpanzees and gorillas to ..."
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Second Language Acquisition, 2007.
A discussion on the motivation of the learner in second language acquisition.
2,290 words (approx. 9.2 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 70.95
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Abstract
The paper examines studies that have been conducted in relation to second language acquisition. The paper explores the relevant factors of 'motivation' in learning the second language and what role or part motivation plays in the success of the student in acquiring the second language through looking at the theoretical framework of Zoltan Dornyei and others that have conducted studies relating to the motivational factor in L2 learning.
Outline:
Objective
Introduction
The Theoretical Framework Of Dornyei (2003)
Summary And Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper
"Dornyei (1994) states further that: "L2 learning is more complex than simply mastering new information and knowledge, in addition to the environmental and cognitive factors normally associated with learning in current educational psychology; it involves various personality traits and social components. For this reason, an adequate L2 motivation construct is bound to be eclectic, bringing together factors from different psychological fields." (Dornyei, 1994) "
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Interlanguage and Second Language Acquisition, 2008.
A case study analyzing interlanguage and how it affects second language acquisition among Chinese adolescents in China.
3,708 words (approx. 14.8 pages), 10 sources, APA, $ 102.95
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Abstract
This paper attempts to present a definition of interlanguage and then briefly discusses the components of interlanguage and how they affect second language acquisition (SLA). The paper provides some examples of how interlanguage possibly influences Chinese adolescent learners at Dalian Maple Leaf International High School (DMLIS) in China.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Interlanguage - What is it?
Hypothesis Testing
Beginnings of Interlanguage
Fossilization
Processes Involved in Interlanguage
Language Transfer
Over-generalization
Transfer of Training
Strategies of L2 Learning
Communication Strategies
Conclusion
From the Paper
"With regards to the learners at DMLIS, the aforementioned College English - Intensive Reading text reinforces errors being taught by some of the staff in the ESL Department. Learners are being given information (implicitly through the text and explicitly through instruction) that it is acceptable to begin sentences with the coordinating conjunctions, 'and', 'or', and 'but'. Within the College English - Intensive Reading text that is being used in the ESL department, there are 47 instances of coordinating conjunctions beginning a fragmentary dependent clause within 16 reading passages: an average of 3 per reading passage. Although there is the possibility of beginning a dependent clause with a coordinating conjunction to show emphasis of an idea, Swan (1980) specifies that conjunctions are "used to join clauses together..." (ibid: 152) and "...cannot be used with just one clause." (ibid: 154) In this instance, the instruction, supported by the text, is influencing the learners into accepting and acquiring incorrect grammar structures."
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