Li3 acquisition

Imitation theory

Children acquire language by imitating adults

Innateness theory

Language learning is innate, through UG

Usage-based theory

Children learn on an item-by-item basis, establishing a class and assigning lexical items to that class

Lexical learning

Children learn lexical items from their input, with their inflections / morphology. Then innate properties guide them in discovering the input’s interaction with the properties. Expects children’s pace of acquisition to correlate with input levels

Interlanguage

A system made by adults acquiring an L2, which is neither the L1 or L2

Semantic bootstrapping

When children use semantic knowledge to infer the syntax. They use the meaning of words to figure out the grammatical relations between words

U-shaped development

When learners begin by using the form in input, then later over-regularise based on learnt grammatical rules, causing temporary regression

Over-inclusion

When words belonging to the same domain may be mistaken

Analogical overextension

When words that do not belong to the same domain are mistaken. Instead, shared characteristics are recognised

Over-regularisation

When a learnt grammatical rule is over-applied to words, even if they are irregular

Maturation

The hypothesis that there is a biological preset pattern that all children follow in acquisition, assuming that all children will acquire at the same pace

Unitary language system

The hypothesis that, during BFLA, children initially have a single system for their 2 languages, combining lexicon and syntax until they are gradually seperated

Differentiation language system

The idea that, during BFLA, children have language systems which are fully differentiated by 2 years old. There may still be interaction, causing errors

Transfer

The incorporation of one property of a language into another

Acceleration

When a bilingual child acquires one feature in a language faster than expected compared to a monolingual child, due to more advanced system in the other language

Rate of acquisition

The hypothesis that, in BFLA, learning 2 languages is a burden, slowing down their overall acquisition

Critical period

The hypothesis that there is a period where an individual is most susceptible to language learning, before the age of 2 to puberty

Fundamental difference hypothesis

The process of learning an L2 is fundamentally different to learning an L1, as UG is not a contributor. Whilst L2 is associated with general problem-solving, L1 is innate and does not require any explicit learning

Representational deficit hypothesis

L2 speakers have an L2 grammar, but it is representationally different than the L1 grammar, meaning that it is difficult to acquire and may not be directly linked to meaning

Computational deficit

L2 learners have the same grammar as native speakers, but the processing load is higher

Specific language impairment

When children have a delay in one domain of their language at least one standard deviation lower than expected at their age, without any hearing or cognitive impairments

General language delay

Language is generally immature and expected to synchronise across linguistic dimensions as in younger typically developing children

Delay-with-disruption

Some elements are even weaker than the general delay would predict. Areas of weakness are unsynchronised within the immature grammar

Attrition

The erosion of previously acquired linguistic properties, common in heritage speakers

Missing input competence divergence

When input is not enough to provide true acquisition, often the outcome of heritage learning

Contrastive analysis hypothesis

The errors made by an L2 learner can be predicted based on the differences between the L1 and L2, The more fundamentally similar the L1 and L2, the easier the L2 will be to acquire

Poverty of the stimulus

The argument that there is insufficient input to account for the level of development that children reach. Therefore, there must be a component of innateness

Fast mapping

The rapid ability of children to learn and understand new words and their meanings with minimal exposure, often hearing them very minimally