Exploring Language and Literacy Learning: Theories and Acquisition

This essay delves into the complexities of language and literacy learning, exploring various theoretical frameworks that attempt to explain how humans acquire language. It begins by highlighting the unique human ability to express emotions and concepts through language, contrasting it with animal communication. The essay then examines several prominent theories, including Skinner's behaviorist perspective, which emphasizes environmental influences and reinforcement. It also discusses the nativist theory, which posits an innate language acquisition device (LAD) in the brain, and the sociocultural theory, which emphasizes the role of social interaction and cultural context in language development. The essay further explores the learning theory, which views language acquisition as a skill developed through repetition and imitation, and provides examples of how these theories manifest in child language development. It concludes by emphasizing the multifaceted nature of language acquisition, influenced by both innate predispositions and environmental factors, highlighting the ongoing debate among researchers regarding the relative importance of these influences.

Running head: LANGUAGE AND LITERACY LEARNING
Language and Literacy Learning
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LANGUAGE AND LITERACY LEARNING
This is to be noted that language is a perception that differentiates a human being from an
animal. . It is evident that the rest of species do converse with each other by producing a few
number of vocalized idioms which have meanings or with limited learning systems. This can be
stated that the human beings the rarest of species know to express their emotions or countless
concepts through a fixed set of sounds of speech and words (Mai 2016). This specific ability of
humans are undoubtedly noteworthy. It is to be mentioned that the researchers found
substantiation for proficiency of adopting the complicated skills in growing kids. This can be
seen that young kids of significantly 12 months can have that understanding of grammar to
comprehend such relevant sentences which apprehend who does what to whom (Stika 2015).
This can be suggested that the theory delivered by significant American psychologist
Skinner is acknowledged as the earliest methodical justifications of language attainment. He is
recognized as the forerunner of behaviorism (Edwards 2016).
Skinner justified the advancement of language as the subject inspired by environment
(Soneni and Mugomba 2016). He claimed a child can learn language on the basis of the
philosophies of behaviorist fortification by combining significant words with the specific and apt
meanings. It can be mentioned that accurate words are certainly protected while a child
comprehends the vocalized significance of words, verses and idioms.
This can be mentioned that the nativist theory is known as the significantly popular
theory. This theory suggests human is born with few particular elements in their genes that helps
them to learn significant languages. As per this theory the human brain is equipped with
language acquisition device (LAD) (Nor and Ab Rashid 2018). This LAD is a responsible device
for adopting a language as similar as the hypothalamus who is accountable for managing the
body temperature.

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LANGUAGE AND LITERACY LEARNING
It was easy to explain the reasons behind the complex patterns of human communication
in compare to other species if language was at least partially biological. This is true that language
organ not a physical organ. However, it is strange that the language procurement can face
challenges if the brain gets damaged due to the crucial procedure of language development. It
should be noted that the harm in left hemisphere can cause aphasia, a malady which leads human
brain to face multiple challenges with language without touching the intelligence (Ambridge
2017).
Wernicke’s aphasia can be taken as an account of example where the victims along with
partial damage in brain are unable to comprehend language (Thompson 2015). These sort
patients manages to make simple sentences. However, they do not get to understand the meaning
of the sentences they are uttering and they are listening to. Unlike aphasia, victims of Broca’s
aphasia do face challenges in forming sentences. However, they do not find any problem to
understand the meaning of any significant sentences.
The significant researchers stated that an infant child with problems in same portions of
brain grow matured with little impaired language capabilities. This Nativist theory suggests that
new language solutions can be developed by the brain. However, they cannot be good as the
original one. This specific theory also implies that there is a particular grammar pattern which is
considered to be the universal grammar. It is evident that the universal grammar pattern
circulated through contradictory languages as this grammar is the portion of the genetic
temperament of human. This can be said that the greater number of languages across the world
have nouns and verbs for sure. However, it is not applicable in every individual case. The
language is actually an understanding of comprising a number of different rules and regulations
that help the humans forming uncountable phrases. This is to be mentioned that the set of rules

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and regulations are conditioned into human brains along with significant programs. It can be
iconized as the ideal theory for stating the apt explanation on how an infant child learns that
complex concepts rapidly. This significant theory states how and what we think of the numeric,
irrespective of social backgrounds. It is evident that math works in the same way regardless of
social, cultural and political situations and circumstances.
The learning theory emphasizes on treating learning procedure of language as an
innovative expertise (Richards and Rodgers 2014). This theory of language attainment proposes
that a child can learn or adopt a specific language in similar way as he/she learns to count objects
or learns to lace up shoes in a repetitive way. When babies first learn to babble, parents and
guardians smile, coo, and hug them for this behavior. It can be seen that a baby gets praised by
their parents at their infant age for babbling or uttering coo. The parents later patted their back
for speaking in a proper manner. Therefore, this can be said that language grows gradually from
significant stimuli and the proper response of it. It is to be remembered that the child does not
being able to express the proper meaning of a word or a phase they are uttering. This is because
they do not actually learn but parrot or imitate the words or things they are listening from the
others.
The Socio-Cultural theory is basically stating the interactionist approach. This theory
compromises the concepts significantly biology and sociology in order to describe how the
language has been developed (Saville-Troike and Barto 2016). As per this theory, a child learns
language as he or she wants to communicate with the people around. It can easily be said that the
language appears from and also dependent on the cultural and social interaction. This particular
attitude suggests that ability to learn language comes and gets developed from the wish to

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converse with other people. This can be said how quickly a child can learn is depended on
absolutely on how the environment creates an impact.
It can be said that the child, raised by the mother learns to speak ‘mamma’ rather than the
word ‘dada’. This can be stated that the first word a child learns is actually an attempt to ask for
food (Saxton 2017). This theory’s impact continues till one tries to learn a new language.
It is evident that the different language classes helps a person to learn familiar phases and
vocabularies at the first attempt. It emphasizes on the simple techniques of learning by heart after
teaching these set of vocabularies and phases. This is a natural tendency to recall the words
which are used regularly even at the time once a person tries to enlarge his/ her vocabularies in
the significant national language. It can be stated even a matured person faces the same
challenges to learn a significant language similar as an infant to learn the native language.
It is can be said from the above discussion that that the significant theories of language
acquisition are the specific ideas formed by sociologists, scientists and researchers in order to
state their interpretations along with the justification. This can be a matter of argument that how
relevant and applicable these theories are to the practical world. Therefore, it can be said that
language acquisition is basically a complex procedure inspired by the inheritances of an infant
and the surroundings they live in. This is to be mentioned that the development procedure is yet
to mature. It is true that the constructivist analysts are highlighting the significance of specific
linguistic inputs. However, researchers who are dealt with universal grammar aim to make
people understanding that the language is a job to obtain without particular inborn tools.

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Reference:
Ambridge, B. (2017). Syntactic Categories in Child Language Acquisition: Innate, Induced, or
Illusory?. In Handbook of Categorization in Cognitive Science (Second Edition) (pp. 567-
580).
Edwards, J. (2016). Behaviorism and Control in the History of Economics and
Psychology. History of Political Economy, 48(suppl_1), 170-197.
Mai, J. E. (2016). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs,
and behavior. Emerald Group Publishing.
Nor, N. M., & Ab Rashid, R. (2018). A review of theoretical perspectives on language learning
and acquisition. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching.
Cambridge university press.
Saville-Troike, M., & Barto, K. (2016). Introducing second language acquisition. Cambridge
University Press.
Saxton, M. (2017). Child language: Acquisition and development. Sage.
Soneni, M., & Mugomba, M. (2016). Nhasi todya rice ne chicken: Shona-English contact and the
effects of code-mixing. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy
Studies (JETERAPS), 7(4), 264-270.
Stika, C. J., Eisenberg, L. S., Johnson, K. C., Henning, S. C., Colson, B. G., Ganguly, D. H., &
DesJardin, J. L. (2015). Developmental outcomes of early-identified children who are
hard of hearing at 12 to 18 months of age. Early human development, 91(1), 47-55.

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Thompson, H. E., Robson, H., Lambon Ralph, M. A., & Jefferies, E. (2015). Varieties of
semantic ‘access’ deficit in Wernicke’s aphasia and semantic aphasia. Brain, 138(12),
3776-3792.