Language Adquisition

Name: Teresa Rodríguez de Antonio Center: UNED Segovia
Essay Questionnaire (minimum 750 words maximum 1000 words) In the introduction of the book a number of commonly expressed opinions about how languages are learned were presented. In this task, you have to write an essay explaining whether you have changed your ideas after reading the whole book, focussing on the following statements:    
Languages are learned mainly through imitation. Parents usually correct young children when they make grammatical errors. People with high IQs are good language learners. The most important factor in second language acquisition success is motivation. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.  Most of the mistakes whichsecond language learners make are due to interference from their first language.  Teachers should present grammatical rules one at a time, and learners should practice examples of each one before going on to another.  Teachers should teach simple language structures before complex ones.  Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of badhabits.  Teachers should use materials that expose students only to those language structures which have already been taught.  When learners are allowed to interact freely (for example in group or pair activities), they learn each other’s mistakes.  Students learn what they are taught.

Please reason your answers, providing examples from your own experience, knowledge or referring back to thesections in the textbook you have read.

In the book How Languages are Learned, Spada and Lightbrown present throughout the chapters, different methods of language acquisition and how people synthesize what they are learning. In the introduction of this book different statements are presented related to second language learning. In this essay I’m going to present my point of view about thestatements said, talking from my experience and how I have changed my mind after reading the book. Before reading the whole text, I took the little questionnaire that is suggested in the Introduction as a way to place you, and see in which point you are in terms of language acquisition basis. The first statement claims that “Languages are learned mainly

through imitation”. I cannot be completely agreewith that as for me you cannot learn a language only with the reference of what you are hearing, as second languages are not learned in the same way as your mother tongue, because the mental processes are completely different. In the first chapter are explained the different stages that children develop in order to acquire their first language that is completely learned by assimilation, becausechildren reproduce what they hear as they don’t have grammatical references to their own language until they go to school and they perfect the language, let’s say, but when we talk about a second language, unless children came from a family that for example the father is Spanish and the mother is English so languages will be learned in an equal level, second languages are produced all the wayround: grammar first, correct reproduction of the language after. In the second statement is says that parents correct their children when they make grammatical mistakes, I agree with that as when children start talking, parents usually correct them to avoid bad habits regarding language as for example when in Spanish, children are learning the formation of verbs´ past participle and they commit thetypical mistake of saying “escribido” instead of “escrito”. Some statements after is said, Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits, that is completely necessary as if you don’t correct that immediately, once the habit is created, it so much difficult to get rid of it as for example, Spanish English learners have that common...