Studying Spanish Portion Twenty-3: Language Understanding Versus Language Acquisition

In the field of second language acquisition, Stephen Krashen, Ph.D, is a name that rises above the academic din that generally begins when the topic of Language Acquisition versus Language Mastering is brought up. The noise becomes even more deafening when somebody, such as myself, would dare to report how the theories of Dr. Krashen have affected his personal adventure in trying to accomplish the highest feasible degree of spoken fluency. With out at least one particular Ph.D beneath your belt, you are considered (I want to say “an idiot” but I will not) unqualified to utter the words, “I get it”

We live in an age that those in white coats are the final arbiters of truth. Dig up further on an affiliated website – Click this hyperlink: Stephen’s Adventure. Unless you’ve earned your white coat, you’d very best sit there with your hands folded in your non-doctorate lap and maintain your mouth shut. How can you start to comprehend the theories of basket weaving when you do not have a Ph.D in basket weaving? (I’ve never ever been a single for convention, so here goes.)

Lest I bore you with touting Dr. Krashen’s academic resume and turn out to be guilty of white-coat worship myself, try Googling “Dr. Stephen Krashen” when you have absolutely nothing else much better to do than sift through the more than 131,000 hits. The man does have an impressive track record and reputation in this field. Nonetheless, important thinking does demand that even though his credentials do demand consideration, is what he proposes true and reasonably worth our time and work to examine?

Dr. Krashen’s explanation of Second Language Acquisition follows along 5 points:

1) the Acquisition-Understanding hypothesis,

two) the Monitor hypothesis,

3) the Natural Order hypothesis,

4) the Input hypothesis,

5) the Affective Filter hypothesis.

Possibly I ought to have begun my series on Learning Spanish with this materials, so bear with this diversion as I try to clarify it (and all I was in college was a lowly Voice Efficiency Music significant!).

“Language acquisition does not need substantial use of conscious grammatical guidelines, and does not need tedious drill.” Stephen Krashen

Next: The Acquisition-Mastering hypothesis.