中学英语语法教学(1)(4)
2015-07-21 01:37
导读：3. Defining Language 3.1 Definition of language from the literature 1. Language is a means of cultural transmission. 2. Language is what people use to talk about the things that are important to them,
3. Defining Language
3.1 Definition of language from the literature
1. Language is a means of cultural transmission.
2. Language is what people use to talk about the things that are important to them, for example, occurrence in their everyday lives.
3. Language is a set of rules through which humans can create and understand novel utterances, ones that they have never before articulated or encountered.
4. Language is a means of interaction between and among people.
5. Language is the means for doing something-accomplishing some purpose, for example, agreeing on a plan of action for handling a conflict.
6. Language is a vehicle for communication meaning and message.
7. Language is a medium through which one can learn other things.[5] P1
3.2 The link between definition of language and theories of learning
Although there is not a unique connection between a particular view of language and a particular theory of learning, some theories of learning fit more naturally with certain definitions of language than others. Consistent with those conceptions of language was the habit-formation view of language learning, in which it was essence to be the responsibility of the teacher to help students overcome the habits of the native language and replace them with the habits of the second language.[6] P3
4. Views on Language Learning
4.1 Behaviorist theory
Behavioral psychologist Skinner initiated the behaviorist theory of language learning. Based on linguists’ experiments, behaviorist linguists formulated a stimulus-response theory of psychology. In this theory all complex forms of behavior—motions, habits, and such are seen as composed of simple muscular and glandular elements that can be observed and measured. They claimed that emotional reactions are learned in much the same way as other skills. The key point of the theory of conditioning is that “you can train an animal to do anything (with reason) if you follow a certain procedure which has three major stages, stimulus, response, and reinforcement” (Harmer, 1983:30) [7] P5
中国大学排名 4.2 Cognitive theory
The term cognitivnism is often used loosely to describe methods in which students are asked to think rather than simply repeat. It seems to be largely the result of Noam Chomsky reaction to Skinner’s behaviorist theory, which led to the revival of structural linguistics. The key point of Chomsky’s theory is relected in his most famous question: if all language is a learned behavior, how can a child produce a sentence that has never been said by others before? [8] P5
According to Chomsky, language is not a form of behavior; it is an intricate rule-based system and a large part of language acquisition is the learning of this system. There are a number of grammatical rules in the system and with knowledge of these rules an infinite number of sentences can be produced. A language learner acquires language competence that enables him to produce language.
5. The Problem of the Grammar Teaching
5.1 The “Inert Knowledge” Problem
