Part of Module 2 of the CTS-Academic course run by SeltAcademy. Session written by Dr. Simon Phipps.

1. Dr. Simon Phipps
dr.simon.phipps@gmail.com
CTS Module: Fresh Insights into Teaching & Learning (Linguistics)
Session 1: (9.00-10.30)
Theories of Language
1. Introduction to the course
2. Beliefs about teaching/learning
3. Constructivism
4. Behaviourism and Mentalism
5. Nature vs. Nurture

2. CTS Module: Fresh Insights into Teaching & Learning (Linguistics)
OVERVIEW OF THE 3 DAYS
Tuesday 4th
Wednesday 5th
Thursday 6th
09.00- Theories of Language
10.30
SLA research
Noticing, restructuring,
proceduralisation
10.45- Theories of Language
12.15 Learning (Krashen)
Classroom research
Lesson shapes
13.15- Theories of Language
14.45 Learning (Chomsky)
Implications
Implications
15.00- Implications
16.30
Psycholinguistics

3. BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING & LEARNING
Our beliefs about teaching and learning greatly influence
the way we teach, plan lessons, interact with students,
etc.
These beliefs are sometimes referred to as;
 Intuition
 Unconscious knowledge
They come from;
 ‘Apprenticeship of observation’
 Previous language learning experience
 Previous teaching experience
 Training
 Reading
They may conflict with some SLA research findings

4. BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING & LEARNING
Research shows that it is useful to;
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Articulate these beliefs
Make them explicit
Question them in the light of research, reading, practice
Reflection is therefore a key element in this course
2 key issues in education today;
Teacher education
teacher beliefs
Teacher education
Teacher beliefs
classroom teaching
Your learning will come from;
 sessions
 reading
 discussions with each other
 individual reflection

5. THEORIES OF LANGUAGE 1
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What is language?
Aspects of the study of language
phonetics
morphology, syntax
lexicology
semantics
discourse analysis
pragmatics
sociolinguistics
psycholinguistics
Linguistics
Semantics
(how it works)
(what it means)
Sociolinguistics
(how it is used)
Sound system
Grammatical system
Lexical system
Discourse system
adapted from Stern, H. (1983). Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching. Oxford: OUP. p183

6. THEORIES OF LANGUAGE 2
‘Schools of thought’
Bloomfield (1940s)
 ‘American Structuralism’
 science of language
 behaviourist
Halliday (1960s-70s)
 ‘Systemic Linguistics’
 linguistics + anthropology
 try to categorise lang. acc. to context of situation
Chomsky (1960s-70s)
 attacked behaviourism (lang. is not habit formation)
 Language Acquisition Device (LAD), Universal Grammar
(UG) – ‘infinite use of finite means’

7. THEORIES OF LANGUAGE: 3 MAIN
GROUPINGS
Environmentalist
 social
 triggered by imitation, habit formation
Innatist
 biological
 triggered by universal grammar
Interactionist
 mixture of social and biological
 triggered by communication

8. BEHAVIOURIST LEARNING
THEORY
Habit formation
Response to stimulus in the environment
Positive reinforcement
Imitate models of correct language until correct
habits are formed
BUT
 It ignores the ‘black box’
 Output is often different from input
 Errors show learners construct their own rules
 Kids are not always corrected

9. MENTALIST LEARNING THEORY
Linguistics + psychology
 Humans are biologically programmed for language
 Language is too complex for child to learn so early
 ‘Poverty of the input’
 Kids work out rules, not always told what’s correct
 Deaf children develop language too
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Only humans can learn language
LAD is triggered by input
UG principles are common to all languages
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Kids learn variations on principles
Critical period

10. INTERACTIONIST LEARNING
THEORY
Interplay between biology/environment
Motherese
Modified interaction
Interaction shapes thinking and cognitive
development
MAYBE
Different aspects of language are learnt in different
ways
 Routines
 Complex grammar
 Relating form to meaning

11. PINKER: NATURE VS
NURTURE
Is language something innate or something
we learn from our environment?
 What
evidence would you give to support your
view?
How do babies learn L1 without being taught
formally?
Why is it difficult for adults to learn an L2?

12. NURTURE
Chapter 1
Why is language so remarkable?
 We can create new thoughts in others’ minds
What evidence does Pinker give for language being innate?
 ‘There’s yesbody at the door’
 Instinct is not taught
 Kids know complex grammar
Why were Chomsky’s ideas so revolutionary at the time?
 It went against accepted dogma
What were his main arguments?
 Every utterance is new
 Children are not taught

13. NURTURE
Chapter 2
How do children ‘re-invent’ language?
 They grammaticise parents’ pidgin language
What is the difference between a ‘pidgin’ and a ‘creole’
language?
 Creole = pidgin as L1
What does the ‘wug-test’ show?
 Kids don’t learn by imitating parents
How do children learn grammar in their L1?
 Kids do most of the work, they don’t need motherese
Are some languages more primitive than others?
 All have complex grammar