Chapter 5: “Spanish to God, Italian to Women, French to Men, and German to my Horse”: An Overview of Language Acquisition

The focus of Chapter 5 is on language acquisition and language learning. The chapter begins with a discussion of what it means when we say that someone “knows” a language or “speaks” a language, and how such knowledge differs from the knowledge gained in other subject areas. It then explores the nature and process by which human beings acquire their first language during early childhood, and offers a distinction between language acquisition and language learning. Turning to second language acquisition, the chapter then considers a number of different contemporary theories of second language acquisition, especially as these theories impact the world language classroom. It also explores the distinction made by linguists between language competence and language performance, especially as this distinction is relevant for the world language classroom. Finally, the chapter closes with a comparison of the similarities and the differences between first language acquisition and second language acquisition or learning.