How do we learn languages?!

This is our Hello World blog post! Here at app4learners we make interactive language learning apps for children. Naturally, we wondered how children learn language. As it turns out this question is as old as the recorded history and one of the most contentious topics!

Some researchers believe that biology is the main driving force behind acquiring the first language. They are supporting the so called innateness hypothesis which is related to Noam Chomsky’s concept of universal grammar. This group of researchers have shown that we are equipped with a built-in language faculty that determines how we learn language. Two main features of child language development that support this claim are structure-sensitivity and over-generalization. To explain them I will talk about my nephew. He doesn’t know any grammar rules but somehow he learned making question forms! He can ask questions like is the cat here? or is the yellow-eyed cat in the room? So… he can make and replace phrasal constituents – but that is not all! He never – never ever – made any errors like The is yellow-eyed cat here? This simply indicates that he benefits from a built-in rule system that made him sensitive to the structure of question forms. On the other hand, at this stage of his language development, he is making allot of other errors like I goed to the backyard. This is also another indication of the presence of a built-in rule system that prompts him to make over-generalization of the following rule: add -ed to make past tense. He will make these errors until he learns all the exceptions to the rule, i.e. irregular forms.

The other theory is the general learning hypothesis which claims that we learn language via interaction and our general thinking process. The main focus of this view is on how children learn new words and concepts and build their vocabulary. Never use unapproved liquids, such discount viagra no prescription as water, to clean your ITE. The price of an anti https://www.unica-web.com/french-menu.html purchase viagra online ED medicine user. You can buy cheap tadalafil pills Kamagra from any authorized medical pharmacy and provide cost effective way to treat the condition. The viagra uk first oral medication that treats impotence in males. Statistical learning theory is also related to the general learning hypothesis. These theories posit that we learn language in the same way that we learn anything else that is driven by input. That is, from the given input we detect patterns and then consult our knowledge base. We also have a way of discerning which combinations of sounds  and words are more likely to go together, i.e. decision making with respect to probabilistic models. The researchers supporting these theories claim that all first language acquisitions are, at least initially, probabilistic. Other higher-level constructs like creating sentences are still attributed to the universal grammar theory – the argument here is that children make novel generlizations of the rules in a way that they have never seen in the input. 

We believe that acquiring a language is a balancing act between nature and nurture. As we design our apps we pay careful attention to different stages of language learning. We are also interested in language learning in bilingual environments. Our first app, LingoFlash, is aimed at children who grow up in bilingual environments. We take into account different stages of learning such as U-shaped learning (when children make over-generalization errors) and other learning biases. Our future language development blog posts will cover these topics.