Theories of FLA
Children imitate what their parent say
Theory of Immitation
Children make errors that adults do not
Theory of Imitation flaw
Switching from one language to another
Code switching
Input language that provided most of the basic vocabulary
Lexifier
Correction of 'bad' sentences + reinforcement for correct speech
Theory of Correction/Reinforcement
No systematic reinforcement by parents/adults
Theory of Correction/Reinforcement flaw
Fluency in multiple languages
If two languages can be traced back to a single ancestor
Language relatedness
Children make similarly-structured sentences to the ones they hear
Theory of Analogy
Kids can distinguish verb-specific sentence structures (I painted the barn red. vs. I saw the barn red)
Theory of Analogy flaw
When native speakers switch languages permanently
Language shift
Any language used to enable communication between people with differing native languages (e.g. English, Mandarin, Spanish)
Lingua franca
Knowledge is innately specified through Universal Grammar
Theory of Innateness
Minimals flaws for this theory!
Theory of Innateness flaw
When the last speaker of a language dies
Language death
Simplified language used in certain interactions (business, service, trade); no native speakers
Pidgin
Children can acquire language at the native level only during a certain time frame
Critical Theory Hypothesis
Innate factors of language
Having a lexicon, sentences having organization, having a limited sound inventory
Vocab, word order, sound inventory of a language
Learned factors
Fully developed natural language with complex grammar; acquired as a native language;
Creoles