Language Acquisition outside the Home

Synonyms

Language development in formal and informal educational contexts

Definition

Processes by which first and/or additional languages are developed through interaction with language users and resources beyond the immediate family.

Introduction

First language acquisition studies typically observe parent-child interactions longitudinally in order to identify patterns of language development. Studies of language acquisition outside the home may focus on the role of formal education or of social interaction with peers either in face-to-face contexts or increasingly in online environments.

Views of Acquisition

In the second half of the last century, the two broad views of language acquisition, whether the acquisition of a first language or that of an additional language, were an innatist perspective, typified by the work of Chomsky (1957) and a socio-constructivist perspective, building on the work of Bruner (1983) and others. While initially presented as competing models, it is...