ELT 505

Language acquisition

• is best understood by watching animals communicate.

• is a theory that is agreed upon by the psychological community.

• cannot happen among the deaf community.

• is the process by which we learn to communicate in meaningful ways.

Which of the following is NOT an example of language acquisition from a behaviorist perspective?

• Babies learn language by repeatedly associating the object 'dog' with the word 'dog.'

• Babies learn language by imitating adult patterns of speech.

• Babies are born with an innate ability to learn language.

• Babies are rewarded for attempts at speech when their caregivers smile and applaud their efforts.

Noam Chomsky argues that babies acquire language

• because humans are born with the ability to learn language.

• when caregivers speak softly to infants.

• by watching adults interact.

• by repeated exposure to sounds that have meaning.

Someone who subscribes to the Interactionist theory would probably disagree with which of the following statements?

• A child who socializes more will learn language faster

• Parents directing “babytalk” at their child can speed development

• A child who does not want to communicate will learn more slowly than one who does

• Identical twins who are separated at birth will still have identical language acquisition

Part of the reason that the language acquisition debate continues is that it is difficult to prove one theory over another. Which of the following is not an obstacle to proving a language acquisition theory?

• In reality, we probably use some of each theory in order to learn our native language

• Language acquisition has a critical period in early life, and it is difficult to conduct experiments with such young children

• We don’t know which parts of the brain are active during language acquisition

• The theories are not distinct enough from each other to be able to completely rule one out

How would a nativist end this sentence: “A child learning a first language is like…

• A bird migrating to the same spot each year, using the sun and stars as a guide

• A computer using a pre-programmed algorithm to solve a math problem

• A mouse running a maze trying to find cheese and avoid being shocked

• A lone wolf trying to join a new pack

In relation to the learning of a second language (L2), which of the following option is correct?

• L1 helps the student when learning a L2

• L1 leads students to make incorrect guesses about the L2

• Both of the above are correct

• All of the above are incorrect

The simplified version of a language used by native speakers when talking to non-native speakers is called...

• Direct talk

• Easy talk

• Native talk

• Foreigner talk

.............. is a type of language used by second- and foreign-language learners in the process of learning a target language.

• Language experience

• Interlanguage

• Learning process

• Fossilization

Your teenage daughter has not cleaned her room in a month. You go in and begin yelling at her to clean her room. She begins to clean up, and you stop yelling. Your daughter's cleaning behaviour can be viewed as responding to

• classical conditioning

• positive reinforcement

• punishers

• negative reinforcement