Order of acquisition

The order of acquisition is a concept in language acquisition describing the specific order in which all language learners acquire the grammatical features of their first language. This concept is based on the observation that all children acquire their first language in a fixed, universal order, regardless of the specific grammatical structure of the language they learn. Linguistic research has largely confirmed that this phenomenon is true for first-language learners; order of acquisition for second-language learners is much less consistent. It is not clear why the order differs for second-language learners, though current research suggests this variability may stem from first-language interference or general cognitive interference from nonlinguistic mental faculties.

Researchers have found a very consistent order in the acquisition of first-language structures by children, which has drawn interest from Second Language Acquisition (SLA) scholars. Considerable effort has been devoted to testing the "identity hypothesis", which asserts that first and second language acquisitions may conform to similar patterns. This, however, has not been confirmed, perhaps because second-language learners' cognition and affect states are more developed. The two may have common neurological bases, but no convincing scientific evidence supports this hypothesis.

There is research to suggest that most SLA learners begin their learning process with a silent period in which the learners begin to process pieces of the language they hear. This is considered a period of "language shock", in which they ignore some of the incomprehensible input of the new language. However, research has shown that many "silent learners" are engaging in private speech, sometimes called "self-talk". While appearing silent, they are rehearsing important survival phrases (lexical chunks). These memorized phrases are soon used in various situations, either by choice or necessity. Fewer learners have no silent period and pass directly into patterned speech. This speech is used to accomplish basic communication, often showing few departures from detached words strung together, which in time leads to more fluid phrases. Grammar of the target language is also simplified and the learners begin to construct an understanding of the second language, often attempting "sentences" that mix words or phrases from both their first and second languages. Harvard. N.B.Seidner.1982. pp 9–10

The nature of the transition between formulaic and simplified speech has been disputed. Some researchers, including Stephen Krashen, have argued that there is no cognitive relationship between the two and that the transition is abrupt. Thinkers influenced by recent theories of the lexicon prefer to view native speech as heavily formulaic. They interpret the transition as a process of gradually developing a broader repertory of survival phrases (chunks) with a deeper understanding of the rules which govern them. Some studies have supported both views. It is likely that the process depends in great part on the individual styles of the learners.

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