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Language Aqcuisition

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Grand Canyon University
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Language Acquisition Theory
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
Student’s Name
Grand Canyon University: ESL 436
Date

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Language Acquisition Theory
© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
This scenario focuses on Ahmad, who is only seven years old. He is an immigrant from
Iraq, one among several who fled years of violence in the country to start a new life in the United
States. He arrived when the school year had just began and joined a local public school in
Arizona in second grade. Ahmad’s formal schooling had been interrupted by the long period of
violence in Iraq, meaning that he had much to learn to catch up with his peers. Besides the
cultural norms, Ahmad also had to learn reading text pages from left to right, as opposed to his
native Arabic print literacy skills which dictates reading from right to left. However, Ahmad was
lucky to have literate parents who during his time in Iraq, bought him books and encouraged him
to learn new skills. They are also trying to attend English classes every evening to learn the
language, and this will help Ahmad even more in his own learning process.
Language Theory
The language acquisition theory that should inform the instructional practices for Ahmad
is the nativist theory. According to the nativist theory, all humans are born with a genetic
element that enables the learning of language. It suggests that the human brain contains a
language acquisition device or LAD, which facilitates the learning of a language, just like the
hypothalamus facilitates the maintenance of body temperature (Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams,
2018). The theory also asserts that different languages share a universal grammar because it is a
common genetic makeup across all human species. Using this understanding, Ahmad’s tutors
should inform him that he can easily learn English by relating it to other elements of Arabic
because both languages share several elements such as morphology, syntax and others. The
nativist theory explains how young children are capable of learning all the complicated ideas of a

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Language Acquisition Theory Student’s Name Grand Canyon University: ESL 436 Date © 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Language Acquisition Theory Introduction This scenario focuses on Ahmad, who is only seven years old. He is an immigrant from Iraq, one among several who fled years of violence in the country to start a new life in the United States. He arrived when the school year had just began and joined a local public school in Arizona in second grade. Ahmad’s formal schooling had been interrupted by the long period of violence in Iraq, meaning that he had much to learn to catch up with his peers. Besides the cultural norms, Ahmad also had to learn reading text pages from left to right, as opposed to his native Arabic print literacy skills which dictates reading from right to left. However, Ahmad was lucky to have literate parents who during his time in Iraq, bought him books and encouraged him to learn new skills. They are also trying to attend English classes every evening to learn the language, and this will help Ahmad even more in his own learning process. Language Theory The language acquisition theory that should inform the instructional practice ...
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