现代母语习得理论

ModernFirstLanguageAcquisitionTheory现代母语习得理论Languageiscloselyrelatedtothehumanmind.Thehumanmind,however,isverydifficulttostudy,asitcannotbeobserveddirectly.Butitleavesitstraceseverywhere,particularlyinlanguage.Languagehasbeenawindowofthemind.Manypeoplehavetriedtodiscerntheworkingsofthemindfromthegrowthofchildren.Psycholinguistsareconcernedwiththementalprocessesthatareinvolvedinlearningtospeak,andarealsointerestedintheunderlyingknowledgeandabilitieswhichchildrenmusthaveinordertouselanguageandtolearntouselanguageinchildhood.Islanguageinnateorisitlearnedafterbirth?Isthereanybiologicalfoundationforlanguage?Howdochildrenacquiretheirfirstlanguage?Theseandotherissueshavethefocusofinterestsandresearchtoappliedlinguists,psycholinguistsandlanguageteachers.L1acquisitiontheoriesaretheattemptedexplanationsfortheseunansweredquestions.1.MajorModernFirstLanguageAcquisitionTheories现代主要母语习得理论Howdochildrenacquirelanguageisatthecenterofthedebate.LearningtheoristssuchasSkinnermaintained（1957）thatlanguageisacquiredthroughreinforcement.Chomsky（1959）arguedthatlanguagewasfartoocomplextobelearnedsocompletelyinsuchashortspaceoftime,bycognitivelyimmaturetoddlers（baby,child）,merelybyreinforcement.Hearguedthattheneonate婴儿arrivesequippedwithaLAD.Thiscontainsasetofrulescommontoalllanguagesandallowschildrentolearnanylanguagewhichtheyareexposedto.Slobin(1985)suggestedasimilarinnatedevice---theLMC(languagemakingcapacity).Theinteractionistsperspectivesuggeststhatacombinationofbiologicalandcognitivefactorspluslinguisticenvironmentareallnecessaryfortheacquisitionoflanguage.Basicallyweshalldiscusstwoschoolsofthoughtsontheissueoflanguageacquisitionhere.Thequestionofhowchildrenacquiretheirfirstlanguageisansweredquitedifferentlybythetwoschoolsoftheories.Theschoolofbehavioristictheorybelievesthattheinfant’smindatbirthisablankslatetobewrittenonbyexperience.Withregardtolanguage,itclaimsthatchildrenacquiretheirL1throughachainofstimulus-response-imitation-reinforcement.Theotherschoolofthoughtsisbasedontheinnatenesshypothesis.Peoplewhoholdthecognitiveviewbelievethathumanbabiesaresomewhatpredisposed有倾向toacquirealanguage.Theysaythatthereareaspectsoflinguisticorganizationthatarebasictohumanbrainandthatmakeitpossibleforhumanchildrentolearnalanguagewithallitscomplexitywithlittleornoinstructionfromfamilyorfriends.Thenatureoflanguageacquisitionisstillanopenquestionandpeoplearestillprobingthenatureoftheinnatenessofinfant’smind.2.BriefHistoryofModernL1AcquisitionResearch现代母语习得研究简史1．Modernresearchonchildlanguageacquisitiondatesbacktothelate18thwhentheGermanphilosopherrecordedhisobservationofthepsychologicalandlinguisticdevelopmentofhisyoungson.2.Mostofthestudiescarriedoutbetweenthe1920sand1950swerelimitedtodiarylikerecordingsofobservedspeechwithsomeattemptstoclassifywordtypes,andsimplyaccountsofchangesfrombabblingtothefirstwordanddescriptionsofthegrowingvocabularyandsentencelength.3.Mostobserversregardedlanguagedevelopmentasamatterofimitation,practice,andhabituation.4.Itwasnotuntilthe1960sthatthestudyofL1acquisitionreceivedanewmajor‘impetus促进largelybecauseoftheChomsky’srevolutionandthecreationofthegenerativegrammar.Researchersbegantoanalyzechildlanguagesystematicallyandtriedtodiscoverthenatureofthepsycholinguisticprocessthatenableseveryhumanbeingtogainafluentcontroloftheexceedingly极度complexsystemofcommunication.5.Inamatterof(about)afewdecadesoflanguagesomegiantstridesweretaken,especiallyinthegenerativeandcognitivemodeloflanguage,indescribingthenatureofchildlanguageacquisitionandtheacquisitionofparticularlanguages,andinprobinguniversalaspectsofacquisition.3.L1AcquisitionTheories:ABehavioristicPerspective行为主义母语习得理论L1acquisitiontheoriescanroughlybedividedintotwomajorgroups:behavioristicandcognitive.Behavioristscontend主张thatlanguageisafundamentalpart基本部分oftotalhumanbehavior.BehavioristslearningtheoriesdescribeandexplainbehaviorusingaSRmodel.Thebasictenet原则ofbehaviorismisthathumanbeingscannotknowanythingtheyhavenotexperiencedandchildrenandadultslearnlanguagethroughachainof‘stimulus-responsereinforcement’.Sinceonecannotlookinsidealivingorganism,onecannotobserveitsinternalstates.Henceonecannotknowanythingaboutthem.Anystatementsonemakesaboutinternalstatesorprocessaremeaningless.Eachorganismisregardedasablackboxthatcannotbeopenedforobservation.Theonlymeaningfulstatementsonecanmakeabouttheorganismconcernwhatgoesintoit(stimulus)andwhatcomesoutofit(response).Thegoalofbehaviorists,therefore,istodiscoverandcreatepredictablerelationshipsbetweenstimulusandresponse.Sincetheyregardlanguageasabasicpartoftotalhumanbehavior,theytrytoexplainL1acquisitionprocessstrictlyinaccordancewiththeirbasictenet,focusingontheobservableaspectsoflanguagebehaviorandtheirrelationshipsorassociationswiththeobjects,eventsorstatesofaffairsintheworld.SomeBasicFeaturesofBehavioralModelPavlov/Skinner---focusonoutwardlyobservablebehaviorlikestructurallinguists.---languageisafunctionofreinforcement.---learningisformedthroughstimili-response-reinforcer.---languageislearnedthroughenvironmentalconditioningandimita