the first two chapters of How languages are learned

Language larning in Early Childhood & Explaining Second Language Learning

As I read the the two chapters of How Languages are learned most of the linguists who are searching on the topic are considering one aspect of the language learning. For example, the behaviourists accepts the environment as the source of learning, the Innatists believe the innate language ability of the children as a foundation for learning, and the

Interactionists/developmental believe that both the remarkable innate ability in children and the environment are the two sources that contribute in learning a language, while no need to focus on the specific part of the brain that acquire the language, or to say it is only the environment from where children learn the language. Thus, I basically think that each reasoning they do can be considered as a part of the whole long journey through which learning of a language takes place.

As I heard from a medical doctor, when a baby is of 3 months before birth, they start to have the ability of hearing things, let a lone when they come to the world. undoubtedly, as soon as they are in this world they hear things from the surroundings. The brain has that amazing ability to acquire language or learn anything. Besides, this is the environment that makes it possible to activate and use that part of the brain. Moreover, I believe it is not only the innate ability of the child to acquire language it is also the stimulus and response characteristics that makes the brain make sense out of each single thing happening to the children and in their surroundings which makes the them react and communicate purposefully.

I liked the idea of Connectionism. As the connectionists believe the way the language is learned is through connection of sounds to words or phrases, words or phrases to things (including feelings) things to meanings meanings to contexts, contexts to needs and senses, and all of them to the concepts and meanings that already existed in the brain or were learned first.

We can rarely acquire or learn any new concept unless we associate its meaning to the meanings that we already have in our minds. In childhood I think this is a very common way of learning but later in adulthood I think there is enough meanings to make sense out of most of the new things that we cannot even notice it. I think that is why it is recommended to learn language in thought groups or chunks for one thing can remind us of other related things.

One of the reasons simultaneous bilingual children don't mix the two languages is as a result of connections of the sounds and patterns specific to one language. However, I think, when two languages are too close to each other in terms of sounds, patterns and structures, then it is more likely to get mixed by simultaneous bilingual learners.