Reflection #2
Offer some thoughts about what you see as a relationship between behavioral, nativist, and functional approaches to studying first language acquisition and your own experiences in learning or teaching a second language.
In a second response, discuss the role of culture in first language aquisition. Many of you speak more than one language and English is your second language. Do you think the child-parent interaction is different in the United States' English speaking population and a non-English speaking population that you are familiar with?
2 comments:
Reflection#2
On the issue of the relationship between behavioral, nativist and functional, I understand the behavioral was too limiting, fell short, that conditioning was not enough to acquire a language, the "say as I say" doesn't always work. On the other hand, the "it's all in your mind" also has its shortcomings. The functional provides a little more satisfying approach becuase it takes in consideration the funtional aspect of language. It does not conform to the "generative" side of the continum" as Brown expresses on page 33.
I learned that I didn't recall, from my previous ESL classes Lois Bloom's issues about "pivot grammer".
On the role of culture I agree that it is crucial on the development of the language. Which do the parents favor, which does the child hear more, besides their parents.
In my specific case I was exposed to both and learned them simultaneouly, being able to navigate between them, translating between my mother and babysitter.They were both equally important.
On the other hand, my son grew up with only my mother and I speaking to him Spanish, At three, he enfatically told he wanted me to speak to him "like this" meaning, in Englisg. I immediatley made it a point to make "bilingual friends" so that he could value the importance of communicating in BOTH languages. It helped, but his initial school years (Japan and CA) were monolingual, and didn't enforce teaching to read and write in Spanish. MY BAD. He took Spanish in High School but never really develop it fully.
Adilia,
Love your comments and your teaching enthusiasm. If I had a young child, I would want them to be in your class. You are obviously a very cultured and knowledgeable person, and it is a pleasure to get to know you better in class!
Carol
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