-
Period: to
Behaviorism
-
Skinner
Skinner provided one of the earliest explanations of how languages are acquired. He promoted the idea that children learn language via behaviorist reinforcement principles. According to Skinner, children learn when their correct word associations are positively reinforced – when successful communication occurs. -
Chomsky
Chomsky argued that it is not possible to acquire the language skills needed to process an infinite number of possible sentence combinations simply by having large amounts of input. Chomsky believed that Skinner’s ideas did not take into account the ways that humans use thought to produce language. Chomsky proposed the idea of the Language Acquisition Device (LAD), and also differentiated between competence and performance. -
Period: to
Interactionist theory
-
Hymes
Hymes expanded Chomsky’s idea of competence; he called it “communicative competence” and said that it accounted for context and social factors. The idea of competence refers both to the knowledge of the language as well as the ability to use it effectively. Hymes emphasized the idea that language learners need to know not only if what they say is grammatically correct, but also if it is suitable for the context in which they say it. -
Vygotsky
Vygotsky proposed the idea of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), highlighting the important role of social interaction. He emphasized the idea that “learning precedes and contributes to development” and that the learner’s performance supported by others surpasses what he is able to do alone. The idea is that what students can do with assistance now…they will soon be able to do on their own. -
Period: to
Communicative Approaches
-
Krashen
Krashen's Monitor Model explains how language is acquired. According to Krashen, the critical ingredient for language acquisition is ample input. The tenets of the Monitor Model are: the acquisition – learning hypothesis, the monitor hypothesis, the natural-order hypothesis, the input hypothesis, and the affective-filter hypothesis. For language acquisition to occur, there must be ample comprehensible input, minimum stress and anxiety, and information that is not prescribed by grammar. -
Swan
Swain agreed with Krashen in that input is critical for language development, but disagreed with the idea that input alone is sufficient. Swain emphasized the idea that learners also need opportunities to produce output. Her theory is based upon the idea that output helps learners to discover the gaps that exist in what they want (and are able) to say. Opportunities for output allow students to try out linguistic rules and to modify them as needed.