CLAD Theories of Language Acquisition 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which theorist proposed the concept of the 'Language Acquisition Device' (LAD) as an innate mental structure?
- B.F. Skinner
- Noam Chomsky (Correct answer)
- Stephen Krashen
- Lev Vygotsky
Correct answer: Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky proposed the LAD, an innate neurological mechanism that enables children to acquire language universally.
Question 2: In Krashen's Input Hypothesis, the formula 'i+1' refers to:
- Input that is one grade level above the student's current grade
- Comprehensible input that is slightly beyond the learner's current competence (Correct answer)
- One additional hour of instruction per week
- The first stage of language acquisition plus one more
Correct answer: Comprehensible input that is slightly beyond the learner's current competence
The 'i+1' formula means providing input just slightly above the learner's current level of competence to promote acquisition.
Question 3: The behaviorist view of language acquisition, associated with Skinner, holds that children learn language primarily through:
- Innate universal grammar rules
- Imitation, reinforcement, and habit formation (Correct answer)
- Social interaction within the zone of proximal development
- Natural exposure to comprehensible input
Correct answer: Imitation, reinforcement, and habit formation
Behaviorism attributes language learning to stimulus-response patterns where correct language use is reinforced.
Question 4: Vygotsky's sociocultural theory emphasizes which concept as central to language development?
- Universal Grammar
- Affective Filter
- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Correct answer)
- Monitor Model
Correct answer: Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
Vygotsky's ZPD describes the gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with expert guidance.
Question 5: According to Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis, a high affective filter results in:
- Faster language acquisition due to increased motivation
- A mental block that prevents input from reaching the language acquisition device (Correct answer)
- Greater accuracy in second language production
- More effective use of the monitor
Correct answer: A mental block that prevents input from reaching the language acquisition device
A high affective filter, caused by anxiety or low self-confidence, acts as a mental barrier that blocks comprehensible input from being acquired.
Question 6: Which term describes a learner's ability to produce language that goes slightly beyond their current acquisition level by applying conscious grammar rules?
- Language transfer
- Output hypothesis
- Monitoring (Correct answer)
- Interlanguage
Correct answer: Monitoring
Krashen's Monitor Hypothesis describes the use of consciously learned grammar rules to edit or oversee language output.
Question 7: Which theory emphasizes that language emerges from general cognitive abilities rather than a dedicated language module?
- Nativist theory
- Emergentism / Usage-based theory (Correct answer)
- Behaviorism
- Universal Grammar theory
Correct answer: Emergentism / Usage-based theory
Emergentism and usage-based theories argue that language patterns emerge from general learning mechanisms such as pattern recognition and statistical learning.
CLAD Theories of Language Acquisition 2
Which theorist proposed the concept of the 'Language Acquisition Device' (LAD) as an innate mental structure?