The 

Logical Problem of 
Foreign Language Learning 
Robert Bley-Vroman
Presented by Ivan Crespo
 What is the 
 Before talking about foreign language learning, let’s
problem of 
talk about how children acquire language.
Foreign 
Language 
Learning? 
  The answer is Universal Grammar.
 Definition: a system of knowledge of what a human
language can be and innate domain-specific
How do children  procedures for arriving at a grammar.
acquire much   In other words: Universal Grammar is the black box
more than they  responsible for language acquisition. It is the
experience?  mechanism in the mind which allows children to
construct a grammar out of the raw language materials
supplied by their parents.
 Adults may also learn foreign languages but…

 Does this language acquisition device continue to function in

adults?

 One possibility is that the innate system which guides child

acquisition no longer operates in adult foreign language
learning – or it’s weaker, imperfect.

 This view is often associated with the Critical Period

Hypothesis.
  Adult foreign language learning is a phenomenon ,
According to  viewed macroscopically it resembles general adult
Bley‐Vroman… problem-solving not child language development.
  Lack of success
 General failure
 Variation in success and strategy
 Variation in goals
The Fundamental   Correlation of age and proficiency
Character of   Fossilization
Foreign Language   Indeterminate intuitions
Learning.   Importance of instruction
 Negative evidence
 Roles of affective factors
  The same language acquisition system of children is
not available to adults.
 But, if this system isn’t available to adults, how to explain
So, what it is The  the high proficiency level some adults reach?
Logical Problem of   Adults have knowledge faculties which are absent in
Foreign Language  children, so one possibility is that they use their native
language knowledge + general abstract problem-
Learning? solving system.
Universal Grammar Native Language
+ Knowledge
Domain-specific +
learning procedures General Problem-Solving
System
 The Role of The Native Language 

 Subtle intuitions native speakers have.

 Knowledge of the language.
 Foreign language learners may know more than children
equipped with a general Universal Grammar.

 Adults construct a surrogate for Universal Grammar from

knowledge of the native language.
The Nature of   According to Bley-Vroman language is a complicated
the General  abstract formal system and young children seem not to
Problem‐Solving  have the general cognitive capacity to deal with such
Cognitive  systems.
System 
 Some characteristics of the adult cognitive problem solving

Adults are Adults know Adults

goal how to use understand
oriented. feedback. explanations.
  Other explanations in the field of second language
acquisition that tried to explain this difference between
child language development and adult language
learning:
 1. The Fundamental Difference Hypothesis
Alternative   2. The L1 Interference Hypothesis
Explanations   3. The Input Hypothesis
 4. The Affect or Socialization Hypothesis
 5. The Competing Cognitive Systems Hypothesis
 Existence of Adult
Intuitions
Similarities between 
Adult Foreign Language 
Learning and Child 
Difficulty Orders
Language Development 

UG Generated
Knowledge
 Adult Foreign Language Learning is an
instance of general problem-solving.

Conclusion  Even though adults may not learn a

language like a child, there’s no
evidence they cannot perform in ways
nearly indistinguishable from native
speakers – but it requires effort,
motivation, and the proper learning
environment.
  What’s your personal experience with language
learning?
 Do you know someone (maybe one of your students)
who succeeded in learning a foreign/second language
Discussion  after their 20s?
 What’s the importance of instruction? Isn’t the mere
exposure to native-speaker input enough?
Thank 
You