Input and Learning Processes in First Language Acquisition

We present a computational model that allows us to study the interplay of different processes involved in first language acquisition. We build on the assumption that language acquisition is usage-driven and assume that there are different processes in language acquisition operating at different levels. Bottom-up processing allows a learner to identify regularities in the linguistic input received, while top-down processing exploits prior experience and previous knowledge to guide choices made during bottom-up processing. To shed light on the interplay between top-down and bottom-up processing in language acquisition, we present a computational model of language acquisition that is based on bootstrapping mechanisms and is usage-based in that it relies on discovered regularities to segment speech into word-like units. Based on this initial segmentation, our model induces a construction grammar that in turn acts as a top-down prior that guides the segmentation of new sentences into words. We spell out in detail these processes and their interplay, showing that top-down processing increases both understanding performance and segmentation accuracy. Our model thus contributes to a better understanding of the interplay between bottom-up and top-down processes in first language acquisition and thus to a better understanding of the mechanisms and architecture involved in language acquisition.

This thesis explores a perspective for explaining the origins of linguistic structure that is based on considerations beyond the constraints of the language acquisition device. In contrast to the theory of Universal Grammar proposed by Chomsky, this perspective considers how the processes of language acquisition and use create a dynamical system that is capable of adapting linguistic structure to the inductive biases of learners. In this view it is possible to conceive of language adapting to aid its own survival: those languages that are more reliably and easily acquired will tend to persist for longer than their less easily learned counterparts. Thus, linguistic structures are seen as emergent, adaptive phenomena rather than preordained features of language. The particular issue that this thesis investigates is the extent to which language adaptation can facilitate acquisition by general-purpose learners. In the Generative Grammar tradition much is made of the necessity for domain-specific constraints on the language acquisition device. (Indeed, that there must be a distinct mental component dedicated to language tasks.) This outlook is in contrast to the connectionist viewpoint, which posits far more moderately constrained, domain-general mechanisms. This thesis examines how language adaptation can give general-purpose, connectionist learners the appearance of being language-savvy learners. A simulation framework is proposed in which agents attempt to communicate simple concepts to one another using sequential utterances. In earlier simulations we aim to maximise the learnability of a language for the communication task. Later simulations show how the processes of language production and acquisition, when iterated, are capable oi producing such languages. In total, three series of simulations are performed. The first series of simulations addresses the question of how linguistic structure adapts when sender and receiver disagree on the form of language that is easiest to learn. Analysis reveals that, if necessary, the structural properties of language can take on forms that compromise between the competing constraints on sender and receiver. The second series of simulations considers the bottleneck of linguistic transmission: the requirement that learners generalise from a limited set of observed utterances to the entire language. Results show that generalisability can be boosted in a naive, domain-general learner by allowing language to adapt to the inductive biases present in the learner. The third and final series of simulations investigates how the dynamical characteristics of linguistic change depend on the properties that drive the dynamics. That is, we explore the range of conditions under which the iterated learning dynamic is sufficient to establish a learnable language throughout the population. The results of these simulations show that the iterated learning dynamic is indeed able to act as a generator of languages that general-purpose learners are capable of acquiring. The results from these studies suggest that through the dynamics of linguistic transmission, language can adapt to the capabilities and biases of its users. Furthermore, that language can exploit the inductive biases of general-purpose learning mechanisms to facilitate their own acquisition, contrary to Universal Grammar's hypothesised need for an innate, domain-specific acquisition mechanism.

The language acquisition model of a person is one of the most interesting themes to be discussed. Especially the process of obtaining foreign languages, because in addition to the concept of acquisition of the first language in children, also has a linkage, between the process of learning the language to the acquisition of foreign languages. Of course there is a difference between the process of language learning with the process of language acquisition, especially foreign languages. At least the process of acquisition of language can be seen from two sides, namely from the side of the process of obtaining a foreign language in the frame of psycholinguistics and from the side of the process of obtaining foreign languages in the sociolinguistic framework, or in its development can also be seen in the neurolinguistic side that examines the nervous system in the human brain to the process of acquisition foreign language.

As the world is becoming more and more connected, the education system needs to provide each learner with an equal opportunity for success. Measures should put in place to ensure that obtaining an education is made possible for all students, including foreign students, such as English speakers in China and Chinese speakers in the United Kingdom. The biggest obstacle to making this dream a reality is that very few educators are sufficiently equipped to understand the foundational knowledge with regards to teaching learners of speaking a different language from the regional language, raising the need for target language acquisition. This paper will look into the Acculturation model of second language acquisition and Stephen Krashen's theory of second language acquisition. Since educators are increasingly being forced to teach students speaking foreign languages understanding second language acquisition is very important. Understanding the process of second language acquisition may be important to educators and enable students in second language acquisition.

In this chapter, we highlight Bill VanPatten’s numerous contributions to the fields of second language acquisition (SLA) and instructed second language acquisition (ISLA), and to the language teaching profession. We begin with an overview of his major professional achievements, followed by an exploration of his early work and the origins of his model of input processing. We underscore the significant contribution that his model of input processing makes to theory building in SLA and subsequently discuss his pioneering instructional innovation, processing instruction, along with the prolific body of research it has inspired. After briefly noting the importance of his work on acquisition and processing more broadly, we conclude with an overview of the individual chapters included in the volume.

Reviewed by: Second language acquisition by Roumyana Slabakova Tania Ionin Second language acquisition. By Roumyana Slabakova. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. Pp. xxi, 483. ISBN 9780199687275. $40. Introduction This book is a textbook of second language acquisition (SLA) written within the theoretical framework of the generative approach to SLA research. The intended readers are advanced undergraduate students and graduate students who have some background in linguistics, in particular in syntax and semantics. The text is intended first and foremost for students with a prior background in generative linguistics. While the main linguistic concepts are explained when they are introduced, such explanations are necessarily brief, and students with no prior background in linguistics would find the more technical parts of the text somewhat difficult to follow. However, students or other readers who have a general interest in language and/or language acquisition, but lack a background in generative linguistics, should still be able to follow the main concepts presented in the book. This textbook is quite unique in that, while its focus is on theoretical research on SLA, it explicitly makes the link to potential pedagogical relevance of the research findings. Brief summary The book consists of thirteen chapters, divided into three parts. Each chapter ends with a section of exercises; at the end of the book are a glossary, references, and an index. Part I, ‘Language’, provides a brief overview of the relevant background information that readers need to have in order to fully appreciate the rest of the book. Ch. 1, ‘Language architecture’, lays out the central argument of generative linguistics for the innateness of language and introduces the reader to several famous proposals on the structure of the language faculty. Ch. 1 then addresses the task faced by a second language learner and lays out the logic of the methodology used in generative SLA research. Ch. 2, ‘Language variation’, walks the reader through the history of the generative study of language variation, from principles and parameters through the minimalist program. Like Ch. 1, Ch. 2 ends by considering the implications of the theoretical linguistic research for the learning task of a second language learner. The goal of Ch. 3, ‘The psychological reality of language in use’, is to prepare the reader for later chapters that address second language processing by reviewing the central models and findings of the literature on language processing and psycholinguistics more generally. Part II, ‘Language acquisition’, has the goal of placing the study of SLA into the study of language acquisition as a whole by considering a number of different language-acquisition scenarios. The focus of this part is on the respective contributions of age of acquisition and of input quantity and quality to the task of language acquisition. Ch. 4, ‘The critical period hypothesis’, goes over the history of critical period studies and addresses the debate about the existence of critical or sensitive periods in SLA. This chapter also considers the role of input, bringing together a number of quite distinct phenomena, including variable input, comparisons between heritage speakers and second language learners, and variability among native speakers at different educational levels. Ch. 5, ‘First language acquisition, two first languages’, provides an overview of the process of first language acquisition; most of the chapter is devoted to monolingual first language acquisition, but the last section discusses simultaneous bilinguals, who form a natural link between monolinguals and adult second language learners. In Ch. 6, ‘Child second language, multilingual and heritage language acquisition, language attrition’, a variety of other types of language acquisition scenarios are discussed. Throughout this chapter, and especially in the last section, the focus is, once again, on the relative contributions of age of acquisition and input quantity and quality to the outcome of the language acquisition process. The position taken in this chapter, and [End Page e198] throughout the rest of the book, is that the effects of age can potentially be overridden by rich input, and that universal grammar remains active in SLA by adults. Part III, ‘Second language acquisition’, is the heart of the book. In addition to providing an overview of SLA research in the core areas of linguistics (with the one exception of...

Language is the material carrier of thinking, and the two are interdependent and inseparable. In the process of second language acquisition, learners' language thinking often has an important influence on the process and result of second language acquisition, primarily because native language thinking influences the verbal expression of the second language in daily life. Students in their native language environment and are influenced by their cultural practices develop specific native language thinking. They already have some background knowledge and cognitive comprehension of their native language in their minds before they try to learn a new language. Therefore, for them, the process of second language acquisition is not zero-based but takes the native language as the base. Moreover, because of the vast differences in grammar and expressions between English and Chinese, the casual nature of the spoken language, and the less rigorous grammatical requirements, English learners who use Chinese as their first language tend to apply their native language's habitual thinking to the use of English. Therefore, exploring the relationship between Chinese thinking and speaking is an integral part of the second language acquisition process. This paper explores the relationship between Chinese thinking and speaking, explores the influence of language thinking on speaking acquisition, and discusses how classroom teaching can help learners overcome the interference of fixed thought in Chinese and develop English thinking skills to improve learners' English-speaking performance.

Generative‐transformational grammar has often been cited as a possible theoretical model for the psychological processes involved in first language acquisition. Of these processes, the discovery of latent structure is widely considered to be the major one. Such discovery may result primarily from inferential operations, and it is plausible that these operations are influential in second language acquisition as well as in first language acquisition. If the discovery of latent structure through inferencing characterizes second language acquisition, a transformational grammar model may have implications for second language learning and instruction. A language program reflecting this model would emphasize the role of syntax in expressing meaning. Instructional techniques based on sets of transformationally related sentences would facilitate the manipulation of syntax while holding meaning constant. Concentration on basic structural alternatives would involve the learner directly with latent structure and encourage its discovery. It would also allow him to focus on expressing his own meaning by deciding from among the structural alternatives for conveying it. Decisions made at the syntactic level would restrict choices at the morphological and phonological levels. Techniques of language habit theory might be useful in mastering the fixed elements of the closed systems at these levels. This theory would thus be incorporated into the more powerful theory of generative‐transformational grammar.

The focus of this special issue is on the interface between second language acquisition (SLA) and language processing. The four articles in this issue were originally presented at the workshop on 'Issues in SLA and language processing' held in June 2000 at the University of Paderborn, Germany. The articles tackle language processing from three rather different points of view. This diversity of perspectives is not atypical of research in second language (L2) processing which has in the past included such issues as procedural skills, attention, input and the L2 processor. The assumption that L2 acquisition is constrained by processing represents the basis for several approaches to SLA. This view constitutes a basic assumption in work on L2 input processing (e.g., van Patten, 1996), in research on L2 skill acquisition (e.g., McLaughlin et al. , 1983; Levelt, 1978; McLaughlin, 1987; Hulstijn, 1990; Schmidt, 1992), in work on operating principles (e.g., Andersen, 1984), in the 'competition model' (e.g., Bates and MacWhinney, 1982), in Clahsen's (1984) L2 processing strategies as well as in my own work on processability (Pienemann, 1998). The one thing that the articles in this issue have in common is that they all attempt to integrate aspects of processing into a theory of SLA. Hulstijn focuses on the integration of the notion of automatization into acquisition and representation. Carroll addresses the interface between L2 input and linguistic knowledge, and the two papers by Hâkansson et al. and by Di Biase and Kawaguchi explore the constraints assumed to be imposed on L2 development by the architecture of the emerging L2 processor (Pienemann, 1998) in a number cross-linguistic settings. In this article Hulstijn argues that current theories of the representation, acquisition and automatization of linguistic knowledge are at present largely incompatible due to fundamental differences in the underlying, assumptions made by the symbolist and the connectionist schools of thought. He makes the point that a coherent theory of SLA needs to reconcile some of these differences in order to benefit from the complementary strengths of both approaches. Hulstijn offers a speculative proposal towards

One of the Islamic boarding schools that teaches Arabic with divine and active competence is Madina Islamic Boarding School, which is located in Karya Tani Labuhan Meringgai, East Lampung. Many aspects certainly support the success of the institution that implements and develops Arabic language learning This reserch used a psycholinguistic perspective, especially language acquisition. This is because in fact the graduates of the Medina Islamic Boarding School have active Arabic language competence. It is very interesting to conduct a study to find out about the language acquisition of the students at the Islamic boarding school. This study describes; 1) Arabic language learning process, 2) Arabic language acquisition process, 3) acquisition theory relevance in a psycholinguistic perspective with the Arabic language learning process, and 4) strengths and weaknesses of the Arabic acquisition process at the Madinah Islamic Boarding School. This research is a qualitative field research. For data collection using the observation method, interview method, and documentation method. From this study, it is hoped that it will become one of the references in developing Arabic learning. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that the acquisition of foreign languages, especially Arabic, for the students of the modern Islamic boarding school Madinah, was carried out through formal and naturalistic presentations. For the factors that affect the Arabic language acquisition process, there are obstacles to the motivation of students which also affect the Arabic language environment which is less conducive. As for the age factor, the presentation of learning and the first language of the students have been conditioned and in accordance with the ideal foreign language acquisition process in a psycholinguistic perspective. The age of children to adolescents is the ideal age to carry out the process of acquiring foreign languages, presenting complete learning in a formal and naturalistic manner, as well as conditioning the first language by speaking Arabic in the first year of students studying at Islamic boarding schools.

Various research convincingly demonstrated positive influence of certain sports and physical exercises on brain and brain functions in general, and on cognitive functions in particular. As it has been demonstrated, efficient and well-developed cognitive functions enhance all human activities and are of crucial importance for learning. In particular, this paper focuses on the positive correlation between certain sports and language learning and its relevance to the Second Language Acquisition studies (SLA). In SLA, students' ability to process input strongly depends on their cognitive abilities, namely, their abilities to process audio and visual input. As various researchers demonstrated, some sports enhance sportsmen's abilities of audio and visual perception; these developed cognitive abilities may, in turn, enhance SLA process. The paper analyses some data collected during the experiments with three groups of students, age 20-23: basketball players, judo wrestlers and control group whose members practiced sports only 2h/week. Three groups were exposed to three types of stimuli: (reverse chess pattern, tone click, flash of light); their brain activity was monitored by EEG. The obtained results demonstrated that basketball players manifested better-developed cognitive abilities responsible for the perception of audio and video stimuli. They were also faster in making decisions on the basis of the video/audio stimuli perceived. Similar results were obtained by American psychologists (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). Their study involved 87 Brazilian volleyball players and 67 persons who don't practice sports. The results were published in Frontiers in Psychology. Experiments have shown that athletes are usually better in controlling their reactions and are able to slow down their reactions, if necessary. According to the professor of Psychology Arthur Kramer, one of the authors of the research, "Athletes can perceive information faster and switch quicker between different tasks than those who don't practice sports." During the experiment, all the participants were asked to perform tasks to test their cognitive abilities (information perception, memory, reactions). The most interesting discovery was that the athletes had significant cognitive advantages over women and men who had not practiced sports. Volleyball players were faster in reactions, in noticing differences in the pictures, in identifying the missing details in puzzles. The process of auditory and visual perception and processing involves many neural structures: from primary units of signal processing sensors to higher levels of processing, responsible for stimuli recognition and decision-making. As it is known, individual waves of cognitive evoked potentials reflect the involvement of certain neural mechanisms of visual and auditory systems in processing and recognition of stimuli of corresponding modality. Wave characteristics can indirectly indicate working speed of specific units of the neural circuit and the number of neurons involved; it may allow measuring the influence of various sports training loads on the development of neural chains involved in audio/video stimuli perception, processing and decision-making. These aspects are also considered important for input processing in SLA. The paper analyses positive contribution of certain sports to learning in general, and Second Language Acquisition in particular, using neuroscience, psychological and socio-cultural approaches.

This article aims to examine the relationship between psycholinguistics in language acquisition and learning through a conceptual qualitative approach based on literature review. The discussion explores how cognitive, neurological, and affective aspects within psycholinguistics contribute to the processes of first and second language acquisition, and how these insights inform language teaching strategies in educational settings. Rather than focusing on empirical data or specific field sites, this study synthesizes and systematically analyzes findings and theoretical developments from recent scholarly literature in psycholinguistics and language education. The method employed is a theoretical content analysis of reputable academic sources. The findings highlight a strong interconnection between brain mechanisms, mental processes, and social input in the language acquisition process. Moreover, integrating theories of language acquisition and language learning strengthens pedagogical approaches that are responsive to learners’ individual needs. This article contributes conceptually to the interdisciplinary understanding among linguistics, psychology, and education, and offers a foundation for future empirical studies that may apply these theoretical insights in practical contexts.

The article focuses on the development of learning strategies during the process of foreign language learning. With the obvious implementation of cognitive learning strategies, the development of other types of strategies, metacognitive and socio-affective, remains an urgent issue. Very often these latter strategies are either disregarded or dismissed during the language learning process. However, recent studies have pointed out the necessity for the development of all types of learning strategies and their implementation at an early stage of learning. Therefore, the aim of this research is to determine the scope of the development of metacognitive and socio-affective learning strategies during the process of foreign language learning. Quantitative and qualitative methods have been used to determine the frequency and mode of the above-mentioned types of learning strategies during the process of teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Two hypotheses have been raised: (1) Metacognitive strategies are often disregarded in the process of language learning in the classes for adolescents; (2) The potential of implementation of socio-affective strategies in EFL classes is underestimated in the process of language learning in the classes for adolescents. The object of the research consists of 12 selected EFL textbooks and activities included in them. The research results prove the fact that much more attention to metacognitive learning strategy development is needed during EFL classes, as these strategies strongly benefit the overall process of language acquisition. To compare, socio-affective learning strategies are more often implemented during EFL classes; however, their development is rather unsystematic.

The development of distance communication technology has sparked discussion on new education models such as one-on-one online study (OOS). However, existing literature on emotion-related Second Language (L2) acquisition draws disproportionately from large-scale classroom studies such as lectures. Such research is often assumed to reveal psychological universals even though emotions have been proven to be a transient and compound experience that is susceptible to environmental changes. Based on the collected interview data, this study filled in the gap of less studied online one-on-one classroom scenarios and explored new perspectives on achievement emotions' relationship with OOS classroom and Asian culture. In this paper, interviews were conducted in Japanese and Mandarin separately to study emotions' function in online one-on-one L2 acquisition. This research found that achievement emotions can be highly culturally, environmentally, and individually based. Finally, suggestions were proposed for future emotion-related one-on-one L2 teaching strategies. This research provided updated findings of new technology-assisted education and emotional variations in OOS, which eventually contributed to understanding how emotions affect the process of second language acquisition.

Instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) is a subfield of second language acquisition (SLA) that investigates any type of second language (L2) learning or acquisition that occurs as a result of the manipulation of the L2 learning context or processes. Learners' self‐study of the target language is also considered part of ISLA; however, ISLA research has generally focused more on traditional, face‐to‐face classrooms, as well as online instruction. The defining feature of L2 instruction is that there is an attempt, either by teachers or instructional materials, to guide, facilitate, and manipulate the process of L2 acquisition.