Ismail Radi

ismailoradi@gmail.com
 
Summary of the second chapter (Pp. 39-51)
LANGUAGE LEARNING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
 
The authors of this book in the second part of chapter two, talk about some
psychological theories especially information processing for second language learners, and how
learners should pay attention to  how to process information when it comes to the cognitive
usage. Researchers consider second language acquisition as a skill learning, in which a learner
acquires through knowledge. ‘Connectionists’ represented something similar to that idea, in
which they argue that learners can gradually build up their knowledge of language through
exposure to the linguistic features they eventually hear, which means learners can also
generalize what they hear and build up their knowledge.
The authors also shed light on the competition model, which is closely related to the
connectionist perspective. The competition model proposed as an explanation for both first and
second language acquisition, the more learners are exposed to examples of language
associated with particular meanings, the more they will understand how to use the cues with
which a language signals specific functions.
Next, the authors focus on three hypotheses related to second language applications.
The interaction hypothesis, which emphasize on conversational interaction; where learners
need to have an opportunity to interact with other speakers of the TL in order to acquire a
language. Second, the noticing hypothesis, suggests that nothing is learned unless it has been
noticed at first and it is essential in the learning process. Thirdly, the input processing, requires
learners to focus on the language itself in order to interpret the meaning.
Unlike the psychological theories, that focus more on the thinking and speaking part of
language acquisition, sociocultural theory views speaking and thinking as tightly interwoven.
Learning can be thought to occur when an individual interacts with an interlocutor within his or
her zone of proximal development. The ZPD according to researchers is quite different than
Krashen’s Input hypothesis because the emphasis in ZPD is on development and how learners
co-construct knowledge based on their interaction with their interlocutor.
Finally, all of the theories discussed above are intended to account for the ability of human
learners to acquire language within a variety of social and instructional environments.
According to interactionists and the sociocultural perspective, they provide insights into the
ways in which learners can gain access to new knowledge about the language when they have
support from an interlocutor.