Theories of Language Acquisition

According to Piaget's cognitive theory, what must a child understand before acquiring a particular language form?

• Social norms

• Cultural practices

• Concepts relevant to the language form

• Grammar rules

Which of the following is NOT a limitation of the cognitive theory of language acquisition?

• It explains the relationship between language and intellectual development.

• It emphasizes the importance of a child's mental development in acquiring language.

• It suggests that children learn language to fulfill their communicative needs.

• It fails to explain how children with abnormal mental development can still acquire language fluency.

Interactionist theories, such as Jerome Bruner's, highlight the importance of:

• Behavior reinforcement

• Innate language-learning mechanisms

• Interaction between children and caregivers

• Cognitive development

Which term refers to the language behavior of adults when talking to children, adapted to support the language acquisition process?

• Child-directed speech

• Language Acquisition Device

• Scaffolding

• Language Acquisition Support System

According to Chomsky's innateness theory, children have a ________________ for language acquisition.

Skinner's behaviorist theory of language acquisition focuses on the role of ________________ in shaping children's language behavior.

Matching

Explain the limitations of the behaviorist theory of language acquisition, providing at least two objections to the theory.

Compare and contrast Chomsky's innateness theory with Piaget's cognitive theory of language acquisition, highlighting their central ideas and differences.