Language learning is a natural process in human life and in this process intervene some aspects in the student’s learning life. Some of these aspects are the process of language learning; the similarities and differences between acquire and learn a language and the Krashen’s hypothesis in language learning.
Firstly, children learn their first language by listening and imitating sounds of the language with which child has contact through other people of the same language. Soon after, when child grows he is able to perceive and comprehend language, as well as to produce and use words and sentences to communicate.
Nevertheless, children can acquire or learn a language and they acquire it through the communication with people. Also, in this process children do not pay attention to grammatical rules of the language and their learning process is subconscious. In fact, they will learn better the first language when they practice it. Moreover, most people learn a language by instruction. They learn grammatical rules and many vocabulary lists, but they do not develop speaking and writing skills. That is to say, their learning processes are conscious and they know the knowledge that they have. Therefore, this is called language learning.
Language acquisition and learning have characteristics very similar. For example, both processes need much time to be developed and it is necessary to figure out a set of language rules each one. In addition, language is learned through observation and practice in communicative interactions among students or people can talk or are learning the same language. Likewise, mistakes made by students are a natural part of language acquisition.
On the other hand language acquisition and learning have some differences too. For instance, when you learn a new language, you have a prior understanding of how language works, but when you are a child you learn language from scratch. However, errors made by first language learners are accepted, whereas errors made by foreign language learners do are corrected.
Moreover, you learn a language when you understand the messages of people that they are trying to convey. That is to say, you acquire the language by the comprehension of the information. Therefore, you are able to learn and command a language when you understand what people say and that is the best way to acquire a language.
Also, it is important students can express freely without fear to make some error. That is to say, those learners who focus on grammatical rules too much might not acquire correctly the language. Therefore, paraphrasing to Krashen, teacher should not correct too much students, because they will feel fear when they try to speak. This is called monitor correction device and does not have to be overused.
In language learning is fundamental a low affective filter. This is important when teacher is going to teach and learner is going to learn. According to Krashen, “the affective filter can be thought of as a wall that is present around the learner. If that wall is too high because of stress, then language learning cannot take place.” Knowing this, teacher would have to include new activities to impede students get stressed in class.
Finally and as a result, through these hypotheses, teachers know what they can do and not to get students develop their knowledge in a language. Also, those people who learn by themselves know now how to begin learning and that their results being excellent. Both, teacher and learner have not to teach and memorize vocabulary lists, but to have the opportunity to exchange with other students by conversations or interactive classes.
CONCLUSIONS
1. Learning to communicate by speaking and writing as well as to comprehend what others say by listening and reading is so essential for human welfare where people are talking every-time and our ability to communicate with our community is primordial to understand them.
2. You learn a language when you understand the messages of people that they are trying to convey. That is to say, you acquire the language by the comprehension of the information. Therefore, you are able to learn and command a language when you understand what people say.
3. Learning a foreign language can have different reasons and can be learned at any age, however the first language is learned for survival and you learn it when you are born.
REFERENCES
Haynes, J. (n.d.). Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning. Retrieved June 13, 2014, from everythingESL: http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_acquisiti_vs_language_02033.php
language acquisition. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2014, from State College of Florida: http://faculty.scf.edu/sharric/lesson11/lesson11topic3.htm
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Language acquisition. Retrieved June 13, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_acquisition
