Language Learning Acquisition
My Language Learning Acquisition

Learning languages that are not native to you is not easy, but it is something that can be done by people who are passionate and dedicated. The easiest way to learn a language is through immersion into that language, and the best time to learn is as a child. Children soak up so much of what they see and hear all around them, that they can pick up a new language almost without even trying to learn it. However, as they get older and move into adulthood, the acquisition of language becomes more difficult and complex. It is certainly not impossible to learn a language at any age, but there are times when it is more difficult and times when it is easier. Taking advantage of the easier times (such as childhood) is the best way to learn something new and retain it into the…...

The evidence for the biological basis of language is strong, however; researchers have found that newborn infants thought to be at a stage of development that precluded language abilities have been shown to recognize and express interest in spoken syllabic patterns over randomized syllables, and to retain that recognition over long periods of time (Gervain et al. 2008). The authors of this study conclude that the newborn brain is able to recognize at least the rudiments of language on their very frist encounter with it, which lends a huge amount of credibility to the belief that language is an innate skill possessed by the human brain. It must be noted, however, that infants must have an encounter with language in order to recognize it; that is, their capacity for language learning must by met by a teacher, passive though that teaching may be in the from of adults surrounding…...

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References

Christiansen, M. & Chater, N. (2008) "Language as shaped by the brain." Behavorial and brain sciences, no. 31, pp. 489-558.

Corballis, M. (2009). "Mental time travel and the shaping of language." Experimental brain research, no. 192, pp. 553-60

Gervain, J., Macagno, F., Cogoi, S., Pena, M, & Mehler, J. (2008). "The neonate brain detects speech structure." Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, vol. 105, no. 37, pp. 14222-7

Wortham, S. (2008). "Linguistic anthropology of education." Annual review of anthropology, no. 37, pp. 37-51

native language is learnt successfully and naturally by children, without any difficulty (Rui, Van and Jin, 204). Children of all cultures acquire native languages at some point in life, in a suitable linguistic environment having adequate language output and input. However, many children learning second languages reveal that they face difficulties with second language that didn't occur while learning first languages. They are perplexed regarding their inability to understand or accurately and fluently use second languages, despite striving for years to learn them. It is often speculated whether second or target language learners can duplicate how they learnt their first language. Thus, a contrastive study of second and first language learning is of great significance to those who teach, and learn, second languages (Rui, Van and Jin, 204).
Contrastive analysis

The main idea of contrastive analysis was construction of structural 'images' of two languages, followed by direct comparison between them (Ermira,…...

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1. The Greenbergian approach

The first employs the universal grammar concept that could describe classes of every language. Universal properties were asserted as innate, meaning, for instance, that children are capable of quickly constructing grammars. The second, Greenbergian approach (1966), seeks regularities in language differences and in principles and constraints underlying these differences (Hawkins, 1983: 6; Ermira, 2013; Powell, 1998).

Transfer

Peregoy and Boyle (2013) show, both native English speakers and ELLs undergo the same reading/writing processes when developing these skills, as both come to a gradual understanding and ability to read and write. Social interactions are a major key in assisting the development of these skills, so any classroom organization should be based on the idea of promoting social interaction among the students, whether young or old. Thus, desks could be close together or replaced by tables, where groups of students share space; or chairs could be arranged in circles or clusters to facilitate interaction. I would also use signs on the walls that promote vocabulary words, sentence structure, grammar with pictures and diagrams that illustrate the concepts stressed in class. Thus the surroundings would constantly reinforce what the students are learning, and be updated appropriately. Moreover, the visual aids should offer cues to activities and concepts that they…...

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References

Himmel, J. (2012). Language objectives: The key to effective content area instruction for English learners. ColorInColorado. Retrieved from  http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-objectives-key-effective-content-area-instruction-english-learners 

Pearson. (2014). The SIOP Model. Retrieved from  http://siop.pearson.com/about-siop/ 

Peregoy, S., & Boyle, O. (2013). Reading, writing, and learning in esl: A resource book for teaching k-12 english learners.. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

WhatYouOuttaKnow. (2008). Things We Say Wrong.

Foreign Language Learning trategies
This is a paper that outlines the strategies that can be used in the classroom by learners in learning foreign language. It has 6 sources.

Implementation of a foreign language learning strategy may be employed by students independently, and these strategies need to be ones that focus on principles such as motivation, gender, age group, etc., in order to have the effect intended.

Learning a second language is an interesting practice for those who are keen and interested in it. Those who indulge in language learning when they do not really need to often find it easier to do so, and this is because of the fact that they are not pressurized to get things right. They may find the process of error and correction more fun than those who feel compelled to learn a language. This is true for most foreign students who settle in another country and…...

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Sources:

Spencer, Shelley. Five-Minute Lesson Fillers. The Internet TESL Journal. 2003.  

Computer Assisted Language Learning or CALL, relates to the creation, use, and study of software that is specifically designed to allow for the use of a computer in the teaching and learning of a new language (Jarvis, 2013). Most commonly this is done for people learning English, but it can, theoretically, be used for any language learning process. There are a wide range of communication and information technologies that are embraced by CALL, as well, because approaches and applications that address teaching and learning of foreign languages are changing (Davies, 2002). The drill and practice methods that were so common in the 1960s and 1970s have been amended to provide a more interactive environment and a better opportunity for people to learn what they need to know in order to speak, read, and write another language more easily and more fluently (Jarvis, 2013).
The philosophy that CALL currently employs has a…...

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References

Bax, S. (2003). CALL -- past, present and future. System, 31: 13-28.

Bush, M.D. (2008). Computer-assisted language learning: From vision to reality? CALICO Journal 25(3): 443-470.

Chambers, A., & Bax, S. (2006). Making CALL work: Toward normalisation. System, 34: 465-479.

Chapelle, C. (2000). Computer applications in second language acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Its playback learning system allows the student to hear his/her own voice, which helps in learning. y exposing the student to native speakers, it allows them to hear the accent and cadence of the native language. Updated in 2007, it is able to use most of the current interactive tools. One disappointment: it is not Vista-capable.
French Verb Games 1

This is a flash-card program which is used to memorize French verbs. This could be a tedious task, but is made easier by the games-oriented flash card architecture. It uses flash cards and a series of games to make learning fun. On the downside, it does not have a voice playback feature, nor does it have native speakers who can help the student understand the context and accent for the verbs. It is Vista-enabled, and up-to-date with a 2007 version.

Human Japanese

Of the 10 software programs found, this is by far the…...

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Bibliography download.com. "Learning Language." 25 October 2007. download.com. 25 October 2007  http://www.download.com/Mandarin-Learning-Assistant/3000-2051_4-10610484.html?tag=lst-1 .

NFLRC. "Multimedia Language Learning Software." 2006. NFLRC, University of Hawaii. 25 October 2007  http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/NetWorks/NW31/ .

Educational Software Evaluation

Further, it is in this stage that instructors have the ability to widen the instruction significantly to incorporate many activities that allow students to practice their new knowledge in a variety of different ways and with focus on a variety of different subject matters.
In viewing the basic theoretical and practical-use background of the Natural Approach of Language Teaching and Learning, one can understand that basic functions that allow students the ability to hone new skills in a non-threatening environment. However, despite significant praise in the teaching community regarding the success of the Natural Approach, the method's critics still exist. Due to this, it is crucial to understand the advantages as well as the disadvantages that exist when the Natural Approach is employed in a language learning environment, especially in dealing with English as a second language.

Advantages and Disadvantages

In beginning to understand the overall value of the Natural Approach, one…...

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Works Cited

Canale, Michael and Swain, Merrill. 2002. "Theoretical Basis of Communicative

Approaches to Second Language Teaching and Testing," Applied Linguistics: 1(1): pp. 1-47. Retrieved from: / CanaleSwain.80.pdf [Accessed on 17 February 2012].https://segue.atlas.uiuc.edu/uploads/nppm

Clandfield, Lindsay and Meldrum, Nicola. 2012. "One-to-one methodology: advantages and disadvantages for students." Retrieved from: .com/business/teaching-approaches/teaching-one-to-one/methodology/one-to-one-methodology-advantages-and-disadvantages-for-students/144655.article [Accessed on 19 February 2012].http://www.onestopenglish

Gebhard, J., Gaitan, S. And Oprandy, R. 1990. "Beyond Prescription: The Student

Language Diversity
Crawford begins the article by highlighting problems associated with second language instruction in American classrooms. According to the statistics cited most approaches used in these classrooms are inadequate to provide students with the necessary skills to communicate in the target language outside of the classroom. The reason for this is a lack of focus on communication skills, combined with an inflated focus on form rather than function. Despite efforts to improve upon this by methods such as the total immersion approach and the audiolingual method, results are still shown to be poor. Chomsky, Krashen and Cummins's theories are shown to have revolutionized language acquisition theories, and thus also language teaching methods. Furthermore Crawford shows that a child's inherent feelings about his or her own culture, and consequently about the culture represented by the target language, have a significant impact upon second language learning. It is then suggested that children…...

Learning Problems vs Language Problems
The objective of this study is to examine how learning problems and language problems are related. Specifically considered will be the fact that when students who are learning English as their second language and who are experiencing academic or behavioral difficulties that the teacher and the school's problem-solving teams must examine whether these problems are related to learning a new language or whether the problems may be due to cognitive delays or developmental delay or disability.

The work of Fisher ( nd) entitled "Assessing English Language Learners for a Learning Disability or Language Issue" states that English language learners all "with learning disabilities...too often...fall through the cracks." (p.13) The reason stated for this is that these learners are often considered to be "slow English learners, or they may be in a school district that does not have enough resources to test them in their L1 for learning…...

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References

Recommended Practices for Assessment, Diagnosis, and Documentation of Learning Disabilities (2014) Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario. Retrieved from:  http://www.ldao.ca/documents/Assessment%20Protocols_Sept%2003.pdf 

Special Education and English Language Learners: Guidance for LEA Staff

An Overview of the ELL/SPED Programs and the Identification Process

(Webinar #1) (nd) Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved from:  http://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/webinar/documents/ELL-QandA-12-09-13.pdf

Initiating joint attention related to activity in the frontal-cortical system, especially the left hemisphere and responding to joint attention to the parietal lobes. Heimann et al. (2006) found that that deferred imitation and joint attention both influence the development of language and communication skills in infancy. Deferred imitation at nine months was the strongest of the predictors of nonverbal communication at 14 months, but the predictive power increased significantly in situations when deferred imitation and joint attention were used together.
ecently studies have been conducted with other areas of cognitive behavior. For example, de Villiers (2007) has been looking at the association of language and what he calls Theory of Mind. Theory of Mind refers to the folk psychological theory humans use to predict and explain others' behavior on the basis of their internal workings: feelings, intentions, desires, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and point-of-view. In other words, people have to create…...

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References

Bowerman, M., & Levinson, S. C (2001). Introduction. In M. Bowerman & S.C. Levinson (Eds.), Language acquisition and conceptual development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Delgado, C.E.F., Mundy, P., Crowson, M., Markus, J., & Schwartz, H. (2002). Responding to joint attention and language development: A comparison to target location. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 45, 715-719.

A de Villiers, J. (2007) Interface of language and theory of mind. Lingua 117 1858-1878

Doherty, M.J., 2006. The development of mentalistic gaze understanding. Infant and Child Development 15, 179-186.

As an analytic method it varies from the syntactic syllabus in simliar way as the practical and procedure syllabi, particularly in the supposition that the learner learns best when using language to converse about something. TBLT also is different from the two other logical curricula in a lot of ways. It differs from the procedural syllabus in that it stresses the importance of carrying out a needs analysis prior to instruction.

Identifying likely bases of task complexity certainly is an essential precondition for making ethical choices regarding the grading and sequencing of functions, upon which many of the worth of the TBLT will rest. Grading and sequencing of pedagogic errands is certainly a chief test for the task-based syllabus creators.

Principles and features of task-based language teaching.

Prabhu's observations, stated at the beginning of the project, guide to the first belief of task-based interaction that "language is a basically just a meaning system"…...

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Works Cited

Alex, J., 2001. Recognizing Task Designs. Journal of Education, 2(5), pp. 23-34.

Breen, M., 2004. Process syllabus for the language classroom.. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

Breen, M., 2005. Learner contributions to task design.. Chicago: Penguin.

Candlin, C.N., 1984. Syllabus design as a critical process, ELT Documents. Cambridge: Pergamon & the British Council.

Thus, the deficit must be due to an "inefficient mapping of acoustic information into phonetic features at a central (postcochlear) conversion stage. Accordingly, these findings provide new routes by which researchers should examine and practitioners should diagnose and treat SLI (Ziegler, et.al., 2005).
7. Conclusion

We live in a day and age of rapid technological development. In the area of cognition, our knowledge of how brain works and how language functions and is processed has seen rapid advancement in just the past three decades. Given the information that we have uncovered here, there is hope for a more rapid diagnosis and a more effective treatment of students with SLI's. With more understanding of the role of input and noise, perhaps, our teachers whom area affected greatly by his or her students' performance, would understand how to properly handle such students and provide a classroom environmentally set up so as to be…...

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References

Binder, J. (200). The new neuroanatomy of speech perception. Oxford Journal, 123(12), 2371-2372. Retrieved from Oxford University Press.

Kuhl, Patricia K, Ph.D. (2004) "Speech Perception." Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders. San Diego: Singular Publishing Group, Inc.

Lane, D. (2008, June 18). Speech Perception. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site:  http://cnx.org/content/m11175/2.9/ 

Merzenich, M., Jenkins, W., Johnston, P., Schreiner, C., Miller, S., and Tallal, P. Temporal Processing De-cits of Language-Learning Im-paired Children Ameliorated by Training, Science vol. 271, January 5-1996, p.77-80.

.., 2004).
Direct Instruction (DI) is a model for teaching that emphasizes well-developed and carefully planned lessons designed around small learning increments and clearly defined and prescribed teaching tasks. It is based on the theory that clear instruction eliminating misinterpretations can greatly improve and accelerate learning (Stockard, n.d.).

ibliography

Clowes, G. (2001, February 01). "Whole Language" faulted for U.S. reading woes. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from the Heartland Institute: http://www.heartland.org/publications/school%20reform/article/10248/Whole_Language_Faulted_for_US_Reading_Woes.html

Hanson, G. (1999, February 08). Whole language, half an education? Retrieved March 23, 2009, from Find Articles at NET: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_5_15/ai_53744894

Jones, J. (n.d.). Learning to read and whole language ideology. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from Parents Raising Educational Standards in Schools: http://my.execpc.com/~presswis/phonics.html

Jones, J. (2004, July 28). What the data really show: Direct instruction really works! Retrieved March 23, 2009, from JeffLindsay.com: http://www.jefflindsay.com/EducData.shtml

Reyhner, D.J. (2008, Dec 13). The reading wars. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from Jon Reyhner, Northern Arizona University: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/Reading_Wars.html

Stockard, J. (n.d.). What is direct…...

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Bibliography

Clowes, G. (2001, February 01). "Whole Language" faulted for U.S. reading woes. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from the Heartland Institute:  http://www.heartland.org/publications/school%20reform/article/10248/Whole_Language_Faulted_for_US_Reading_Woes.html 

Hanson, G. (1999, February 08). Whole language, half an education? Retrieved March 23, 2009, from Find Articles at BNET:  http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_5_15/ai_53744894 

Jones, J. (n.d.). Learning to read and whole language ideology. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from Parents Raising Educational Standards in Schools: http://my.execpc.com/~presswis/phonics.html

Jones, J. (2004, July 28). What the data really show: Direct instruction really works! Retrieved March 23, 2009, from JeffLindsay.com:  http://www.jefflindsay.com/EducData.shtml

Language and Culture in Autobiography
Language, Culture and Identity in the writings of Maxine Hong Kingston, Richard Rodriguez and Alfred Kazin: degradation of culture, family and self"

Through the three autobiographical works, "Talk," by Maxine Hong Kingston, "Hunger of Memory," by Richard Rodriguez and "Brownsville School Days," by Alfred Kazin a reader can plainly comprehend the difficulties associated with immigration and language learning and how those difficulties interact with a developing child's mind. Though the cultures and languages of all three of these authors are vastly different and the severity of internal and external reactions they have to the circumstances their emotional and intellectual responses to their challenges are strikingly similar.

The simple voices of these three children of different cultures become complex words and ideas issued forth through the phenomena of growing up as an outsider and immigrant and most importantly a non-native English speaker. In these three works it is…...

Sure! Here are some essay topics on various aspects of the English language:

1. The importance of learning English as a second language.
2. The evolution and history of the English language.
3. The impact of technology on the English language.
4. The influence of English in the global world.
5. The role of standardized testing in assessing English language proficiency.
6. The benefits and drawbacks of using English as a global lingua franca.
7. The representation and portrayal of English in literature and media.
8. The challenges and strategies for teaching English as a foreign language.
9. The differences between British English and American English.
10. The role of....

1. The importance of providing constructive feedback on oral presentations in language learning
2. Strategies for effectively correcting pronunciation errors in speaking exercises
3. The role of error correction in enhancing oral proficiency
4. Balancing correction and encouragement in feedback on oral work
5. The impact of correction techniques on student motivation and confidence in speaking
6. Incorporating peer feedback in oral correction activities
7. Using technology to enhance the correction process in oral work
8. Common errors in oral work and effective strategies for correcting them
9. The challenges of providing feedback on spontaneous speaking tasks
10. The relationship between error correction and language learning outcomes in oral....

Language Development Essay Topics

1. The Role of Caregivers in Language Acquisition

How do caregivers' language input, interaction, and scaffolding contribute to infants' and young children's language development?
What are the effects of different types of caregiver-child interactions on language acquisition?
How can interventions targeting caregivers improve the language development of children with language delays?

2. The Influence of Socioeconomic Status on Language Development

How does children's socioeconomic status impact their language development?
What are the underlying factors that mediate this relationship?
What can be done to mitigate the negative effects of socioeconomic disparities on language development?

3. The Development of Bilingualism

What....

1. The impact of cultural diversity on English language learning in the United States
2. The role of technology in enhancing English language education in the United States
3. Challenges faced by non-native English speakers in the United States education system
4. The importance of English language proficiency for academic and professional success in the United States
5. The effectiveness of bilingual education programs for English language learners in the United States
6. The influence of socio-economic factors on English language learning outcomes in the United States
7. The benefits of English language immersion programs for non-English-speaking students in the United States
8. The role of standardized....