Language Acquisition vs.

Language Learning
 Some people use the term of language acquisition for
all the phases that lead to language fluency, including
learning to read and write. Others use the term of
language learning even for babies and very young,
preschool children. – But there is a fundamental
difference between these two terms.

 Children acquire language through a natural,

subconscious process during which they are
unaware of grammatical rules. This happens
especially when they acquire their first language(s).
They repeat what is said to them and get a feel for what
is and what is not correct. In order to acquire a
language, they need a source of natural
communication, which is usually the mother, the father,
or the caregiver.
 As many parents tend to think that they need to teach
their language to their children, it is important to
make sure the whole concept is clear!
 We do not teach our children the first language(s)!
We transmit our languages through verbal and
non-verbal communication. We do not need to
explain all the objects around us. We don't need to
show our child what an apple is and say "this is an
apple", or a cup "this is a cup". We simply need to use
our language like we always do and our children will
acquire it by simple and regular exposure. We need
though to involve them in conversations with us –
also non-verbal ones count! – and encourage them to
use our language.
 Language learning, on the other hand, is the result of direct instruction
in the rules of language.

 Language learning is not an age-appropriate activity for very young

children as learning presupposes that learners have a conscious
knowledge of the new language and can talk about that knowledge.
Language learners usually have a basic knowledge of the grammar of
their first languages they acquired. They know the differences in
intonation, the sound of words, what a grammatically correct word
order is in a sentence in the language, that words can have multiple
meanings etc..
 When we learn a new language we have a deductive approach to the intonations,
phonology, morphology, syntax of the target language. This happens when we start being
schooled in this language, when we learn to read and write. Reading and writing are not
skills that come naturally. They are not intuitive.
 We need to learn that signs 8 (letters and letter combinations) represent a sound, that by
combining them we form words that have a meaning, which we can use to convey our
thoughts. We learn that there are rules for each language, concerning the position of the
words in a sentence, that intonation can vary and change the meaning of a word and a
sentence, that one word can have many different meanings, depending on the context.
 For example, in "I like the green apple", depending on the intonation and accentuation of
one word, we can convey different meanings:
 I like the green apple = It's not Tom who likes it!
 I like the green apple = Really, I'm honest!
 I like the green apple = Not the red one!
 I like the green apple = Not the kiwi!
Language Teaching Methods
 The Direct Method, In this method, the teaching is done entirely in the
target language. The learner is not allowed to use his or her mother
tongue. Grammar rules are avoided and there is emphasis on good
pronunciation.
 The Direct Method (DM) emerged in the 1890s largely as a response to
the perceived inability of the Grammar-Translation Method to teach
learners to genuinely communicate. The argument was that the
Grammar-Translation Method taught learners about the target language
but not how to speak the target language. In DM, there is no translation.
In fact mother-tongue is expressly forbidden, and all communication is
directly in the target language. Vocabulary is explained through visual
aids and miming. Listening and speaking skills are given priority,
though reading and writing play their part. Grammar is deduced rather
than instilled.
 The Direct Method, also called the Natural Method, emerged first in
Germany and France and was popularized by Berlitz
 Typical features of a DM lesson:
 target language  teacher/learner-centered
 teacher explains new vocab through pictures, realia or miming
 Students are encouraged to speak in the target language in "real" contexts (eg
at the doctor's or going shopping) or about "real" topics (eg sport or money).
 Students are not taught grammar explicitly — they encounter examples and
are asked to deduce the rule.
 Vocabulary is practiced by using new words in context.
Grammar-translation Method
 Learning is largely by translation to and from the target language. Grammar rules
are to be memorized and long lists of vocabulary learned by heart. There is little
or no emphasis placed on developing oral ability.
 The Grammar-Translation Method (GTM) evolved from the Classical Method
that was used from the 15th century in the teaching of Latin and Greek — both
long-since dead languages. Latin and Greek were taught to promote the intellect
and virtually no attempt was made to speak them. GTM, formalized in Germany
in the late-18th century, similarly places little or no emphasis on actually speaking
or communicating in the target language. Classwork is highly structured, with the
teacher controlling all activities. The method focuses on the literature and
grammar of the target language, with passages being translated into and from the
mother tongue. Consequently it tends to be very much text-based. Typically, the
teacher gives instructions and grammatical explanations in the mother tongue.
Little or no attempt is made to teach pronunciation.
 The name "Grammar-Translation" for this method was actually conceived by its
detractors who focused on these two more negatively perceived aspects at the
expense of its more positive traits.
 Typical features of a GTM lesson:
 mother tongue  teacher-centered
 vocabulary taught through wordlists and translation
 reading of literary passages even at low levels, with reading comprehension
questions  practice based on translation of texts to and from MT
 elaborate presentation of grammar rules
 memorization of grammar rules and vocabulary
 vocabulary exercises include antonyms and synonyms, definitions etc. based on
words in reading texts
 composition exercises based on topics from reading texts
Audio-lingual
 The theory behind this method is that learning a language means acquiring
habits. There is much practice of dialogues of every situations. New
language is first heard and extensively drilled before being seen in its
written form.
 The Audiolingual Method (ALM) gained attention in the 1950s, largely
in the USA where it was rooted in the military's need during World War II
to train large volumes of personnel in disparate languages. Although it
claimed to have turned language teaching from an art to a science, it
shared several aspects with the Direct Method. Both were a reaction to the
perceived failures of the Grammar-Translation Method. Both ban the use
of mother tongue, and both prioritize listening and speaking skills over
reading and writing.
 ALM is nevertheless different in several ways. It drew on early-20th
century beliefs of 1) behaviorism that anything could be learned through
conditioning; and 2) structuralism and structural linguistics that
emphasized grammatical structure. In ALM, grammar is prioritized over
vocabulary, and accuracy over fluency, giving learners few opportunities
to produce errors which are seen as potentially "contagious". Ultimately,
the learner will speak "automatically".
 The Audio-lingual Method has also been called audio-lingualism, the
aural-oral approach and — reflecting its military roots — the Army
Method
 Typical features of an Audiolingual Method lesson:
 target language/some mother tongue
 teacher-centered
 mechanical habit-formation activities with little opportunity for ("bad habit"-
causing) mistakes
 immediate reinforcement of correct responses
 presentation of new structural patterns and vocabulary through oral repetition and
memorization of scripted dialogues
 oral pattern-drills of key structures from dialogues (repetition drills, chain drills,
substitution drills...)
 inductive learning of grammar rules based on dialogues (ie no explicit grammar
teaching)
 use of tapes, visual aids and ultimately language labs
 reading and written work based on earlier oral work, sometimes given as
homework
 The structural approach
 This method sees language as a complex of grammatical rules which are to be learned one
at a time in a set order. So for example the verb "to be" is introduced and practiced before
the present continuous tense which uses "to be" as an auxiliary.
 Suggestopedia is a language teaching method originated in the 1970s by Bulgarian
psychologist Georgi Lozanov. The name combines the terms "suggestion" and "pedagogy",
the main idea being that accelerated learning can take place when accompanied by de-
suggestion of psychological barriers and positive suggestion. To this end lessons take place
against a background of soothing music in an emotionally comforting environment, with
the teacher actively planting and un planting thoughts in and from the learners' minds.
 Typical features of a Suggestopedia lesson:
  target language/mother tongue
  teacher-centered
  bright, cheerful classrooms with comfortable chairs
  soothing background music
 positive suggestion and negative "de-suggestion" by teacher
  new identities for learners with TL names and new occupations
  printed TL dialogues with MT translation, vocabulary and grammar notes
  reading of dialogues by teacher, rhythm and intonation matched to music
  reading of dialogues by learners just before sleeping and on rising
(homework)
  classroom activities based on dialogues, including Q&A, games and song
 Total Physical Response (TPR) TPR works by having the learner respond to simple
commands such as "Stand up", "Close your book", "Go to the window and open it."
The method stresses the importance of aural comprehension. Total Physical Response
(TPR) was systematized as a language teaching method by American psychologist
James Asher in the 1970s. It is rooted in the belief that when action is combined with
language, learning is boosted.
 TPR is a comprehension approach, stressing the importance of input in the initial
phase and modelled on the stress-free way that children learn their mother tongue. By
listening to the target language and converting it to action, speaking will eventually
manifest spontaneously. Motor activity encourages right-brain learning and long-term
storage (similar to learning to ride a bicycle).
 Note that Total Physical Response was never intended to be a stand-alone teaching
method. It is ideally used in combination with other methods and can be particularly
useful for, though not limited to, teaching young learners.