Language Universals

University of Atacama School of Humanities and Education Language Department

Paulina Tapia Tapia Caballero English Pedagogy Level 400 Linguistics II

Language Universals: Common features we might find in several languages. Related to: T-G grammar, by N. Chomsky. Language Learning. Natural order of Acquisition . Contribution to Language Teaching: Anticipation of  learning stages.

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A language pattern or   phenomenon which occurs in all known languages [1] Some element, aspect, or  principle that is found in every  language of the world. [2] School: Transformational  Generative Linguistics

[1] Richard, J., Schmidt, R. (1985) Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. United Kingdom: Longman [2] Crane, L., Yeager, E., Whitman, R. (1981) An Introduction to Linguistics. Boston, Toronto: Little, Brown and Company.

Isolation of facts and principles true for all languages. How all natural languages are similar.

How humans can learn 1st and more languages

Learning the grammar of a 2nd language: discovering how to set the parameters for the new language. Contribution: Understanding of the stages that language learners experience for first and second language development.

Mistakes

non-systematic Performance Errors Systematic Competence LAD vs. blank slate: Chomsky's acquisition hypothesis. System of principles that children are born with that helps them learn language. Order . When children learn a

Accounts for

language.

Mistakes.

Second language learning theory: 1) Acquisition is possible in second and subsequent languages, 2) Learning programmes have to create the conditions for it.

All languages have Vs and Cs. (Vs: at least a, i, u) All languges have affirmative, negative and interrogative forms. All languages have pronouns. Language reflects culture. High probability that the word referring to the female parent will start with Nasal consonant. E.g: /m/ English: Mother; German: Mutter; Spanish: Mamá; Chinese: Muqin.

Browns 14 morphemes study

Krashens study Diane Larsen-Freemans order grammatical morpheme acquisition learners of English in a natural setting: -ing copula article auxiliary regular past

p rs si g lar Irr g lar past P ss ssiv

  

Thir

of   for

Teachers may anticipate their students learning by knowing what to teach them first, and maybe knowing where and when they might fail in their learning process.

Language Universals are somewhat useful in order to anticipate language learning and its mistakes, however they do not define learning. They help teachers to organize the teaching process of L2.

Grammar Acquisition and Pedagogy. URL: http://www.ielanguages.com/documents/papers/SLA%20Grammar%20 Acquisition%20and%20Pedagogy.pdf  British

BBC Council Teaching English. URL: htt ://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/knowledge-wiki/languageacquisition-device rinci les and ractice in Second Language Acquisition. URL: htt ://www.sdkrashen.com/ rinci les_and_ ractice/013.html

Richard, J., Schmidt, R. (1985) Longman Dictionary of  Language Teaching andApplied Linguistics. United Kingdom: Longman. Crane, L., Yeager, E., Whitman, R. (1981) An Introduction to Linguistics. Boston,Toronto: Little, Brown and Company. OGrady, W., Archibald, J., Aronoff, M., Rees-Miller, J.,(2001) C ontemporary  Linguistics, An Introduction 4th Edition. Boston, New York: Bedford / St. Marins