Different theories of language development contribute to language acquisition in diverse ways. According to Skinner’s operant conditioning theory, children learn words when they receive rewards (Human Language Development, 2016, para. 2). For example, when a child is hungry, they discover the word ‘eat’. A child receives something to eat when they apply this word, which reinforces them to use it again. In such a way, a reward serves as a stimulus to learn a new term.
Chomsky’s language acquisition device is a part of the nativistic theory. According to this theory, language is innate, genetically transmitted, and physiologically determined (DeBenedictis, n.d., para. 6). Chomsky believes that there is universal grammar, which means that all languages share certain grammatical rules. Thus, a child subconsciously learns sounds, words, and sentences, creating simple phrases like ‘I don’t want that.’
Cognition is another important element of the language acquisition process. Piaget’s schema view assumes that children learn the language, creating mental schemes in their mind and interpreting them through cognitive processes (Lyytinen, 1985, p. 64). For example, using the word ‘water’ and observing a caregiver’s behavior (the mother goes out and brings water), a child learns to construct sentences, like ‘mommy go out.’ In such a way, children accommodate themselves to the existing environment and use cognition to acquire language. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development is similar to Piaget’s schema view, but it involves more social relations with others (Human Language Development, 2016, para. 5). For instance, a child learns language through social games and reading activities. An adult person says to a child, ‘it is a bird’ and expects them to repeat this statement.
The fifth theory of language development is the Fregean core view. It assumes that language is a logical fact, and its main function is to denote something (Lyytinen, 1985, p. 63). A concept of truth-value should be considered when interpreting a statement’s meaning. If someone does not know that the Nile and the longest world’s river refer to the same river, it will be valuable to learn it, thus augmenting the understanding of the world and enlarging one’s vocabulary. One can conclude that each of the theories mentioned above is involved in a child’s language development.
References
DeBenedictis, A. (n.d.). Theories of speech & language development. Language acquisition. Web.
Human language development. (2016). Lumen. Web.
Lyytinen, K. J. (1985). Implications of theories of language for information systems. MIS Quarterly, 9(1), 61-74. Web.