Second Language Acquisition. Suitability of SLA Theories for the English Language Classroom

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,7, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, course: English Linguistics and the Language Classroom, language: English, abstract: Of course, there are multiple perspectives in so called Second Language Acquisition (SLA), which all encompass different hypotheses of how learners acquire a second language. Thus, in this paper two distinct influential linguistic theories of SLA will be introduced and their main statements will be clarified. The first one will be the dominant psychological theory of the 1950s and 1960s, named "Behaviorist Learning Theory", with the focus on habit formation. Some years later, in the 1960s and 1970s, a new mentalist paradigm emerged and in regard to this, Krashen's monitor model will be outlined. Subsequently, these theories will be discussed in relation to their suitability for the English language classroom and probably supplemented. Following, direct conclusions of how to improve language teaching can be drawn.