LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Language acquisition, the process by which children and adults learn a
language or languages, is a major field of linguistic study.
A First-Language Acquisition First-language acquisition is a complex process that linguists only partially
understand. Young children have certain innate characteristics that predispose
them to learn language. These characteristics include the structure of the
vocal tract, which enables children to make the sounds used in language, and
the ability to understand a number of general grammatical principles, such as
the hierarchical nature of syntax. These characteristics, however, do not
predispose children to learn only one particular language. Children acquire
whatever language is spoken around them, even if their parents speak a
different language. An interesting feature of early language acquisition is
that children seem to rely more on semantics than on syntax when speaking. The
point at which they shift to using syntax seems to be a crucial point at which
human children surpass apes in linguistic ability.
B Second-Language Acquisition Although second-language acquisition literally refers to learning a language
after having acquired a first language, the term is frequently used to refer to
the acquisition of a second language after a person has reached puberty.
Whereas children experience little difficulty in acquiring more than one
language, after puberty people generally must expend greater effort to learn a
second language and they often achieve lower levels of competence in that
language. People learn second languages more successfully when they become
immersed in the cultures of the communities that speak those languages. People
also learn second languages more successfully in cultures in which acquiring a
second language is expected, as in most African countries, than they do in
cultures in which second-language proficiency is considered unusual, as in most
English-speaking countries.
C Bilingualism and
Multilingualism Bilingualism is the ability to master the use of two languages, and multilingualism
is the ability to master the use of more than two languages. Although
bilingualism is relatively rare among native speakers of English, in many parts
of the world it is the standard rather than the exception. For example, more
than half the population of