About Language
Language awareness
Chomsky
Chomsky is a linguist who stated that children have an instinct for language. The just need to be
exposed to language at a certain age (critical period). Around that age, the universal grammar (UG)
and the language acquisition device (LAD) is activated.
Language awareness and language analysis
Language awareness is explicit knowledge about language (knowling the rules to a language).
Language awareness and language analysis help with learning problems, anticipating mistakes,
making lesson plans at the right level turning the teacher into an expert!
<-> Non-interventionists (Krashen, Prahbu, the natural order)
Krashen Language acquisition only takes place through exposure to comprehensible input.
Prahbu Strong form of communicative approach: language learning only takes place
when learners are communicating, and not before.
In general, they think that parents, teachers or people in general should not intervene, even when
children are making mistakes. “Language proficiency is naturally acquired and many grammatical
constructions are learned in a natural way.” (Which is absurd and retarded).
Communicative competence
Knowledge of what constitutes effective language behaviour to one’s communicative objectives.
Ideally: achieving the kind of proficiency that native speakers have.
Fossilisation
Refers to the phase in which you keep making the same mistakes over and over again.
The process in which incorrect language becomes a habit and cannot easily be corrected.
Benefits of grammar instruction
- Accelerates the learner’s process
- Helps learners notice the grammatical forms when they occur in natural contexts
- Notice the gap between their own output and the target language
- …
Interlanguage
A language created by learners of a second language. It’s situated between the target language and
the learner’s first language. (e.g. Dunglish)
Language teacher vs language awareness
It’s important to know and alert the learner to the features of the language and guide them through
the process of consciousness-raising. BUT you should definitely not become over-zealous (over-
fanatic, you forget about the fun of teaching English).
Pidgin language
A simplified form of the language. (derived from the word ‘pigeon’ ‘pidgin’.)
Language awareness
Chomsky
Chomsky is a linguist who stated that children have an instinct for language. The just need to be
exposed to language at a certain age (critical period). Around that age, the universal grammar (UG)
and the language acquisition device (LAD) is activated.
Language awareness and language analysis
Language awareness is explicit knowledge about language (knowling the rules to a language).
Language awareness and language analysis help with learning problems, anticipating mistakes,
making lesson plans at the right level turning the teacher into an expert!
<-> Non-interventionists (Krashen, Prahbu, the natural order)
Krashen Language acquisition only takes place through exposure to comprehensible input.
Prahbu Strong form of communicative approach: language learning only takes place
when learners are communicating, and not before.
In general, they think that parents, teachers or people in general should not intervene, even when
children are making mistakes. “Language proficiency is naturally acquired and many grammatical
constructions are learned in a natural way.” (Which is absurd and retarded).
Communicative competence
Knowledge of what constitutes effective language behaviour to one’s communicative objectives.
Ideally: achieving the kind of proficiency that native speakers have.
Fossilisation
Refers to the phase in which you keep making the same mistakes over and over again.
The process in which incorrect language becomes a habit and cannot easily be corrected.
Benefits of grammar instruction
- Accelerates the learner’s process
- Helps learners notice the grammatical forms when they occur in natural contexts
- Notice the gap between their own output and the target language
- …
Interlanguage
A language created by learners of a second language. It’s situated between the target language and
the learner’s first language. (e.g. Dunglish)
Language teacher vs language awareness
It’s important to know and alert the learner to the features of the language and guide them through
the process of consciousness-raising. BUT you should definitely not become over-zealous (over-
fanatic, you forget about the fun of teaching English).
Pidgin language
A simplified form of the language. (derived from the word ‘pigeon’ ‘pidgin’.)
