Innatism Approach to SLA Notes

Innatism Approach to SLA

Universal Grammar (UG)

  • UG is a system of principles, conditions, and rules present in all human languages.
  • Chomsky did NOT specify implications of UG for SLA.
  • Poverty of the stimulus: Input alone isn't enough for children to learn complex grammar.
  • Innate abilities play a role in language learning, possibly with L2 learners still accessing UG.
  • UG represents common properties shared by all languages.
  • Chomsky posited that humans possess innate knowledge of UG located in a language faculty within the brain.

UG and Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

  • A key question is whether innate language ability is still available to L2 learners beyond the critical period.
  • SLA is more complex than L1 acquisition due to:
    • Cognitive maturity of L2 learners.
    • Prior knowledge of at least one language.
    • Varied motivations for learning an L2.
  • Two important concepts:
    • Distinction between linguistic competence and linguistic performance.
    • Poverty-of-the-stimulus: learner knowledge exceeds input.

Performance vs. Competence

  • SLA researchers (UG perspective) focus on:
    • Language competence (knowledge of complex syntax) of advanced learners.
    • Judgments of grammaticality by L2 and L1 learners.
  • Competence:
    • Underlying knowledge enabling language use.
    • Includes phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and morphology.
  • Performance:
    • Actual production of speech/writing or listening/reading abilities.
    • May be flawed due to memory, distractions, attention shifts, errors, or psychological factors.
    • Subject to variations (inattention, anxiety, fatigue).
  • Importance of distinguishing:
    • Differentiates between speech errors and lack of language knowledge.

Krashen’s Monitor Model

  • Learned system acts as a monitor for language production.
  • Acquired system produces spontaneous speech; learned system checks it.
  • Learners internally scan utterances for errors and use the learned system for corrections.
  • Self-monitoring (before production) vs. self-correction (after production).
  • Conscious language learning functions solely for monitoring.
  • Comprises five interrelated hypotheses:
    • Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis: Internalizing L2 knowledge through acquisition (automatic) vs. learning (controlled).
    • Monitor Hypothesis: 'Learned' knowledge edits language performance generated from 'acquired' knowledge. Requires time, focus on form, and rule knowledge.
    • Natural Order Hypothesis: Grammatical structures are acquired in a predictable order during natural communication.
    • Input Hypothesis: Acquisition occurs when learners understand input slightly beyond their current competence level (i + 1).
    • Affective Filter Hypothesis: Motivation, self-confidence & anxiety impact how much input reaches the learner.