The nature of problems involved in the acquisition of first and second languages

• Main Author: Stevens, K. B. H.
• Published: University of Surrey 1976
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.751783

This study investigates some of the commonly held assumptions made about language acquisition which are encapsulated in the wording of an advertisement for Linguaphone language teaching materials. The assumptions, five in all, lend support to the popular, part misconception, which is also the fifth assumption, that the acquisition of second languages should be by the same process as the first language was learned. This part misconception continues to play a part in the development of materials and teaching programmes in schools. The first assumption, that there is a link between simple and natural in the two processes of learning a) of a first and b) of a second language, is examined against the background of Lenneberg's work "Biological Foundations of Language" in particular. The second assumption, that languages are learned primarily for oral communication, is examined against some historical aspects of language teaching in Europe and also against three modern assessments of language teaching aims, two from Sweden, the third from the United Kingdom. In examining the third assumption, that the student does indeed listen and then understand the discussion centres on the different ways that second languages have been presented to the student. In Chapter four, where the assumption investigated is that the natural consequence of listening and understanding is that the student than speaks, the notion "speak" is analysed. The bulk of this study is devoted to examining the fifth assumption that the acquisition of first and of second languages is a similar process.