How Is Language Learnt?

How is language learnt?to build their own concepts about the grammar of the
 second language, thus they forming the principles,
     In general, one of the most extraordinaryexamine these principles, and then change the
features of human beings is language acquisition.insufficient principles which show no availability. In this
When we say language acquisition, that is mean eitherterm, Crystal explains that, learners of second
the first language acquisition or the second languagelanguage, while they develop in language acquisition
acquisition. In this domain, we should distinguishfrom one level to another, they handle on the first
between the first language and the second language.language or the second language, which called
The first language which acquires by a very young(interlanguage). Piaget claimed that "children construct
child (mother tongue), the second language whichnew knowledge by applying their current knowledge
acquires by older learners, and it includes any languagestructures to new experiences and modifying them
which learners acquire except their first languageaccordingly" (Encarta online, 2008). Crystal indicates
(mother tongue). In this paper I will illustrate the mainthat cognitive hypothesis considers the error analysis
point views in language acquisition; also I will talk aboutas a main important tool in this hypothesis, because it
my experience in learning English language as theshows how language acquisition process develops
second language and about my experience in teachingand that by revealing the mistakes which learners do
language at the ministry of education of Englishwhile they are acquiring language. From crystal point
language in my home country Jordan.view, error analysis become a difficult issue, it includes
Behaviorism point view:some elements interfere than the cognitive, like
     Behaviorists consider language basically ainsufficient material, or lacking in teaching process, and
system of habits, so the language acquired by reactionthe interfere of the first language, which is in my point
to the stimulus and receiving the reinforcement.view as a learner of English as second language
According to Lightbown and Spada (1999), the firstacquisition the main element.   
appear of the Behaviorism was in United States of     Dakin "We must design our lessons and
America as a psychological hypothesis in languagelanguage laboratory tapes so as to invite the learner to
learning. Lightbown and Spada argue that childrenmake the minimum number of mistakes consonant
acquire language as fast as they hear more and morewith, and conducive to, learning new rules" (Power,
from the environment, and receive more2008). So that, the errors which occur by the learners
reinforcement, so when children start to select whatimportant to develop the methods of teaching,
they hear that mean they started to realize thebecause any new errors will indicates to new issue in
concepts of the language which they are learning.language learning process.
Lightbown and Spada indicates that behavioristsIntegractionists hypothesis 
consider that language learning process is “imitation,     According to the beller (2008) "Interactionists
practice, reinforcement (or feedback on success) andbelieve that L2 learners are able to absorb the
habit formation” (p. 35).grammar of a second language incidentally and
     Crystal (1992), points out that languageimplicitly even while focusing on meaning and
acquired by imitation and reinforcement, in thiscommunication in personal interactions, Language
operation learners of language imitate the environmentlearning is seen as the result of the interaction of the
around them, and by practice what they hearlearner’s mental ability and the verbal environment".
constantly, they achieve habits in that language. Crystal      Lightbown and Spada (1999), argue that
indicates that the quality of the habits, which transfermany researchers like Teresa Pica (1994) and Michael
from the first language to the second languageLong (1983), discussed that
through the learning process affect the results of theSecond language acquisition occurs in communicative
learning process positively or negatively. Crystalwith the environment. Lightbown and Spada mention
illustrates that if the habits from first language are wellMichael Long' point view in language acquisition that "in
match to the second language that called positivehis view, what learners need is not necessarily
transfer, but if the habits from the first language makesimplification of the linguistics forms but rather ban
mistakes in the second language that called negativeopportunity to interact with other speakers, in ways
transfer. On the other hand, crystal shows thatwhich lead them to adapt what they are saying until
imitation only insufficient because learners from time tothe learner shows sign of understanding". And also,
time will face new concepts, so they have tothey mention that Michael Long finds out that the best
understand and realize unfamiliar utterances.way to interact and communicate obviously for the
Innatism point view:native speakers is to change their speech to in such a
     Most of researchers argue that Innatismway to suit the non native speakers understand, and
appeared as a reaction to the behaviorism. Noamthat include not only the change linguistically but also in
Chomsky formulated a theory to illustrate how humanthe rate of speech, postures, gestures and provide
acquire language, so he considered as the spiritualmore relative signs to the conversation. Lightbown and
father to the innatisim. Konieczna (2001) talks aboutSpada indicate that  Long emphasize that the
Chomsky's point view in language acquisition says " inalteration and changing in speech manners important
his view, language is not a set of habits, but it isfor language acquisition, because the alteration in
rule-governed; subsequently, the mind is responsible forspeech manners, makes the learner input more
the perception and processing of linguistic dataunderstandable, and understandable input advance the
because it is genetically equipped with devices thatlanguage acquisition, thus the changing in speech
make language acquisition possible". According tomanners upgrade language acquisition.  Another
Lightbown and Spada (1999), Chomsky believed thatpsychologist was an important contributor to this view
human beings are born with the ability to learnmention by Lightbown and Spada, Vygotsky argued
language as they born with the ability to learn anythingthat human mental processing Language develops
refer to the innate, like walking or the desire to eat.entirely from social interaction. So the children will reach
Although the differences in the environments causeto a high level in their cognition and performance than
some differences in the range of language learning, butthey would be competent individually. In my own
language develop at the children gradually in the sameexperience as a learner of English as a second
manner.language the social communication important in
     Lightbown and Spada, indicate that Chomskylanguage acquisition, because my proficiency in English
attributed this ability to learn language to what he calledlanguage become better from day to day and the
a language acquisition device (LAD), which alwaysreason is my existence in Australia and interact with
describe as an imaginary “black box” occurs inthe native speakers. While when I was in Jordan the
certain place in human brain. Lightbown and Spadachance to practice English is rarely, since the main
illustrates that Chomsky explained that this "black box"language is Arabic language.
has a group of concepts which are general to any     In this paper, I have briefly explained some
language, and enable human being to acquire anyhypotheses about language acquisition. the
language; this group called universal grammar (UG).Behaviourism hypotheses, the innatism hypothesis, and
According to Lightbown and Spada, ChomskyKrashen’s five hypotheses, The Cognitive 
explained that children will learn language by expose tohypothesis and interactionist hypothesis,    some
utterances of a natural language, which lead totheories of language acquisition Development, the
operate the LAD. By operated the LAD, children startlanguage acquisition device, Social Constructivism, and
to find relationships between the UG which theyimitate learning, theories of language acquisition. I have
already have and the grammatical concepts of thealso draw a little bit of attention to my experience as
specific language around them," A major task for thesecond language learner in learning English language
first language (L1) acquirer is to arrive at a linguistics 
system which accounts for the input, allowing the child 
to build linguistics presentations and to understand and 
produce language"(white,2003) 
On the other hand, Lightbown and Spada, indicate that 
some linguists have discussed that UG may be helpful 
in second language acquisition, but others have argued 
that although UG serve in first language acquisition, it 
does not help in second language acquisition after a 
critical time in language acquisition. 
Krashen and his five hypotheses about language 
acquisition: 
     Stephen Krashen (1982) is linguistic, specializing 
in theories of language acquisition and development. He 
suggests five hypotheses to explain how the language 
acquisition process occurs. These hypotheses are the 
acquisition learning distinction, the natural order, the 
monitor, the input and the Affective filter. In his first 
hypotheses the acquisition learning distinction krashen 
argues that the language acquisition occurs mostly in 
the same way like the children acquire their first 
language, because in his point view language acquisition 
is a subconscious operation, In this term learners are 
not actually conscious that they are acquiring language, 
but they conscious they are interact through the 
language, so we are not aware to the structure of theReferences
language we have acquired. Krashen illustrate that 
some researchers suppose distinguish that childrenLightbown, P. and Spada, N. (1999). How Language are
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     In The second hypotheses Krashen indicatesCrystal, D. 1992, 'theories of language learning' in the
that learner acquire the grammatical structures occurCambridge Encyclopeadia of language, Cambridge
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grammatical rules lately than others. The third 
hypothesis is the monitor, in this hypothesis KrashenKonieczna, E. 2001, "first language Acquisition: Piaget's
distinguishes between the acquisition and the learning,constructivism versus Chomsky's Innateness
because usually acquisition show our speech in secondhypothesis". P 46. Zeszyty naukowe wysszej szkoly
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Krashen argues that input relate to the acquisition, notWhite,  L. 2003. "universal grammar in L1 acquisition"
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variable result in successful in second languageKrashen, s.1982, 'second Language Acquisition theory',
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     In my own experience as learner of EnglishAcquisition, Pergamon press, 9 -32.
language as a second Language, I learnt English for 
first time when I was eleven years old, and it was soMicrosoft Encarta, ‘Child Development’. Online
difficult because it totally different from my firstEncyclopedia 2008 Available from:
language, put the most difficult thing is, I had receive it 
with out any chance to practise it, except few word inPower, T. 2008, "English Language Learning and
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English in their daily life as possible as they can. 
Cognitive hypothesis:Beller, S. (2008) Fostering language acquisition in
     According to the crystal (1992), cognitivedaycare settings: What does the research tell us?
theory appeared as a substitute to the behaviorismWorking Paper No. 49. The Hague, The Netherlands:
theory in language acquisition. Crystal argues thatBernard van Leer Foundation.
learners of the language depend on their cognitive skills