KRASHEN’S THEORY OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

KRASHEN’S THEORY OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

   Stephan Krashen is a linguist who specializes in language acquisition and language development theories.  Second language acquisition theory has a great impact on teaching a second language since the 1980s. Before Krashen, there were some methods to teach English such as Grammar Translation Method (GTM), Direct Method (DM), Situational- Oral Approach, Audiolingualism, Cognitivism, Silentway, Suggestopedia, TPR. If we think about 100 years ago, there was no behavioural science, Pavlov, Skinner, etc. There was an intellectuality. There was importance on intellectual people. Thus, the aim of teaching was to grow up intellectual people who can translate from one language to another, and the Grammar Translation Method came out. In short, the motto was the language for conversation, translation of literature. After some time, a group of people thought that learning a language is not only for intellectual people, there should be something for normal people, too. And the Direct Method came out. They were opposed to translation, grammar, reading, etc. They were in the opinion that language should be taught by native speakers, standard English-correct pronunciation-everyday lives of natives. That’s why they do not use L1 in the classroom. After that behavioural science came out, and people thought that “we need to find new methods for English teaching” and Situational-Oral Approach occurred. Audiolingualism and cognitivism followed this trend. With Behaviorism and Chomsky’s emerging, interest in cognitive development started in ELT. Then, with the emergence of humanism, the understanding that "every human is unique and must be seen as a whole" has been formed. And according to this understanding, methods such as Suggestopedia-Silentway-Total Physical Response have emerged. Finally, in the 80s, Krashen came and said that there would be no language teaching with these methods. And he claims that if we use these 5 hypotheses; if we teach meaningfully, raise emotionally, give a level above and observe, we can get a second language just like we get native language. Maybe they cannot be native but they can be native-like. According to Krashen’s Second Language Acquisition Theory, there are 5 hypotheses. They are as follows;

1) NATURAL ORDER HYPOTHESIS

A second language can be learned just like in the first language.  There is a natural order, natural developmental order. It means that people acquire a second language with the same order with their native language. The acquisition process of grammar occurs in a predictable order. It asserts that this order is independent of the age of the students, their native background, language exposure, and the existence of a "Natural Order" in language acquisition. For example, one can acquire –ing before the third plural-s, plural –s is learned before the third person –s, or active sentence is learned before the passive sentence. It indicates that the curriculum is not very important in language learning and that the student will learn when the time comes.

2)ACQUISITION VS LEARNING

According to Krashen, one can follow two different traits in the brain used in second language acquisition: language learning and language acquisition.

Language acquisition is a subconscious process that is not much different from a child's language learning. Learning something subconsciously. It has no purpose. Language takes places but learners are not aware of taking place. Those in the language acquisition process are not aware of grammar rules, but aware of what is right. In the acquisition, the person is concerned with the messages s/he transmits and understands, not the grammatical structure of what he hears and tells in the target language. The aim is barely to establish meaningful communication in the target language. In this sense, I liken it to overextension because it also draws an analogy to communicate with limited words.

On the contrary, learning is something made consciously. There is a purpose. It is the conscious knowledge of a foreign language. Knowledge is represented. We can understand the difference of the two as follows; We learn the third person -s form at the beginning of language education, but our grasp will be later. In addition, while input is in learning, intake is in the acquisition. Input means the construct that the learner exposed. What the learner exposed, listened, or read whereas, intake means the knowledge that the learner has acquired, comprehended, understood. What the learner has learned from the input. Acquisition mostly occurs in informal; learning occurs formally. Also, while acquisition depends on the attitude, so in your mind, mental, learning depends on aptitudes which means reflections of attitudes, manners.

3) COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT (I+1)

In order to learn a language information-knowledge should be meaningful. It should be contextual in content. The level of competence should be observed. It talks about how an individual gains competence over time. This hypothesis says that someone at “i level” should receive understandable messages at “i + 1 level”. In fact, this hypothesis states that by using our existing knowledge, we can understand the input slightly above our level and if this happens, it asserts that language acquisition will occur. In short, when the student receives "understandable inputs" at a level that is one step beyond the current stage of her/his language skill, language acquisition develops and progresses through the "natural order." If we give an example, putting irregular verbs in their readings when they learn -ed about past tense.

4) MONITORING

Describes the relationship between learning and acquisition. The acquired knowledge is responsible for human communication and spontaneous language use, but the learned information acts differently as an editor. that is, it controls the information we have learned and makes changes. The consciously learned language acts as an editor when there is enough time for thinking and editing, focuses on the shape, knows the rules, such as grammar or writing. If a person uses the language more than necessary, becomes the over-user, if he/she does not control at all, becomes under-user, if he/she controls it in his/her decision becomes optimal-user. If we give an example, while talking, "Do I make grammatical mistakes?" "Would it be wrong if I say that?" If we constantly check ourselves, communication is blocked and the speaker becomes an over-user. If we ignore the grammar and do not control it, communication will be affected and the speaker will be under-user since he/she will not be understood.

5)AFFECTIVE FILTER

Emotional situations such as motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety affect language acquisition by increasing or decreasing the permanence and strength of comprehensible inputs. According to Krashen, those who have high motivation and self-confidence in terms of emotions and feelings and those with low anxiety levels are closer to success in language acquisition. It states that a mental block occurs in people who experience the opposite of these situations; thus, language acquisition is negatively affected. In short, it states that emotions and feelings matter.