Abstract

This article discusses theoretical approaches to language acquisition and language teaching and focuses on recurring themes in these approaches and how they have developed over time. The first section provides a historical overview of the history of language acquisition. The second section reviews the development of three contemporary issues that originated in past philosophical and linguistic discussions: the differences between first and second language acquisition and the poverty of the stimulus argument, innatism versus empiricism, and the effect of language instruction in second language acquisition. The article concludes with an emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of language acquisition study.

Abstract

This article provides a sociocultural perspective of language acquisition that focuses on the relationship between the child and the environment in which language is acquired. This relationship is revealed in children’s monologues and dialogues. By analyzing these types of speech, the article aims to explain what children do as they acquire language and why they do it. The second section of the article reviews three theoretical and methodological perspectives of child language acquisition (cognitivist, pragmatic, and sociocultural theory) and argues for an integration of theories.