Aspects Of Language Acquisition Research Articles

Navigating English Learning with AI: A Qualitative Study of University Students Experiences

The accelerated development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has had a substantial impact on educational practices, particularly in the field of English education. This study investigateshe experiences of university students at a UIN Fatmawati Sukarno Bengkulu in the process of navigating English learning through AI. The study examines the challenges and benefits those students experience when utilizing the most frequently used AI tools, as well as their perceptions of these technologies. Interviews with nine students in the fifth semester of the English program at UIN Fatmawati Sukarno Bengkulu are conducted using a qualitative methodology. The results indicate that students have a positive attitude toward AI in the context of English learning and employ a variety of AI tools to resolve various aspects of language acquisition. This study is a unique exploration of the manner in which university students simultaneously incorporate multiple AI tools in their English learning, providing new insights into the role of AI in promoting self-directed learning and practical language application. The study offers new insights into the transformative potential of AI in supporting students’ autonomous learning journeys while learning English by providing a comprehensive view of AI’s role in English education.

First-language acquisition in a multimodal language framework: Insights from speech, gesture, and sign

Children across the world acquire their first language(s) naturally, regardless of typology or modality (e.g. sign or spoken). Various attempts have been made to explain the puzzle of language acquisition using several approaches, trying to understand to what extent it can be explained by what children bring to language-learning situations as well as what they learn from the input and the interactive context. However, most of these approaches consider only speech development, thus ignoring the inherently multimodal nature of human language. As a multimodal view of language is becoming more widely adopted for the study of adult language, a multimodal approach to language acquisition is inevitable. Not only do children have the capacity to learn spoken and sign language equally easily, but spoken language acquisition consists of learning to coordinate linguistic expressions in both modalities, that is, in both speech and gesture. To provide a step forward in this direction, this article aims to synthesize findings from research studies that take a multimodal perspective on language acquisition in different sign and spoken languages, including the development of speech and accompanying gestures. Our review shows that while some aspects of language acquisition seem to be modality-independent, others might differ according to the affordances of each modality when used separately as well as together (either in sign, speech, and/or gesture). We argue that these findings need to be integrated into our understanding of language acquisition. We also identify which areas need future research for both spoken and sign language acquisition, taking into account not only multimodal but also cross-linguistic variation.

Analyzing Morphological Errors and Contextual Influence in Senior High School Students' Written Works: A Qualitative Study

Morphological skills are essential for developing linguistic competence, as they underpin various aspects of language acquisition, including reading comprehension and effective writing. This study examined morphological errors in the written works of 25 Grade 11 students in the Oral Communication course at Northern Abra National High School, exploring how these errors reflected their understanding of word formation rules and the influence of contextual factors like educational background and language exposure. Using a document analysis design, the research involved evaluating students’ assignments and essays to identify error types and frequencies. A systematic coding process categorized errors through qualitative content analysis, revealing themes related to inflectional, derivational, and compounding errors. The study identified common morphological errors in the written works of 25 Grade 11 students enrolled in the Oral Communication course. Inflectional errors were the most prevalent, comprising 40% of the total, with students frequently misusing verb conjugations and plural forms, indicating a fundamental misunderstanding of grammatical rules. Derivational errors accounted for 30%, highlighting confusion around suffix and prefix application. Compounding errors, at 20%, involved incorrect separation and formation of compound words, leading to clarity issues in writing. Affixation errors made up 10%, reflecting overgeneralization and misuse of affixes. Also, students from well-resourced families made 12% fewer morphological errors than those from under-resourced families, with dedicated language programs leading to a 20% reduction. Teacher expertise contributed to a 15% decrease in errors. Students exposed to multiple languages had 30% fewer errors, with those speaking three or more languages showing a 40% reduction, highlighting the benefits of multilingualism on language skills. Moreover, students with both quality education and extensive language exposure made 35% fewer errors than those lacking either factor. These findings emphasize the need for educational equity and multilingualism to enhance morphological skills. A combined approach integrating quality instruction with diverse language experiences is recommended to improve writing proficiency. Generally, the educational background and language exposure significantly impact Grade 11 students' morphological accuracy. Students from well-resourced schools made fewer errors, especially with effective language instruction, while multilingual students demonstrated enhanced writing proficiency. The synergy between quality education and diverse linguistic exposure is essential for improving students' linguistic skills. To address morphological challenges, educational policies should focus on integrating robust language programs and promoting multilingualism, fostering better writing outcomes for all students.

Synchronous Online Reading toward Digital Literacy and Higher-Order Thinking Skills Supporting Cadets’ Self-Regulated Learning

The increasing use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in foreign language education has completely transformed reading, and reading online texts requires new approaches. Reading proficiency is crucial for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, as it is the primary ability that allows them to flourish academically and make rapid progress in other aspects of language acquisition. This study aimed to investigate the effect of synchronous online reading on self-regulated learning through Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and digital literacy. The quantitative method used an analytical study with a survey research design. The study included a total of 436 cadets of Politeknik Ilmu Pelayaran from Eastern Indonesia. A survey administered via the internet was dynamically designed to assess cadets' perception with synchronous online reading. Structural equation modeling, specifically route analyses, was used to determine the most suitable model for synchronous online reading. Data was analyzed by using SEM-PLS-based multivariate approaches. The study's results found that 1) Synchronous online reading had an impact on cadets' HOTS. 2) there was an impact of synchronous online reading on cadets' digital literacy. 3) there was an impact of cadets' HOTS on self-regulated learning. 4) there was an impact of cadets’ digital literacy on self-regulated learning. It can be concluded that synchronous online reading and digital literacy are important for developing cadets' higher-order thinking skills and self-regulated learning capabilities in Southen Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Phonosyntactic Acquisition of Children’s Bilingualism: A Case Study in Sasak Language – Indonesia

Language acquisition in bilingual children is a process of transferring two languages simultaneously to children by both parents or the environment. This is what happened to Nadira (pseudonym -a Sasak child aged three years and four months), who was often taught two languages (Sasak Indonesian) in the process of her growth and development. As a result, Nadira’s speech has a distinctive phonosyntactic effect due to the simultaneous incorporation of the Sasak and Indonesian languages. This effect includes the Sasak language’s Indonesianized structure, Sasakized Indonesian phonology, and the process of sound changes in morphs. The aim of this research is to describe various aspects of language acquisition in bilingualism in the Sasak tribe. Meanwhile, the assessment theory used was Chomsky’s view. Data collection was carried out using the listening and skill method as well as basic and derivative techniques, observation techniques, and documentation. The collected data was analyzed using a qualitative descriptive method, which aims for systematic description, categorization, and patterning. As a result, a unique and distinctive reality of language acquisition occurs in the speech of children in the Sasak tribe.

Estrategias Metacognitivas en el Aprendizaje del Idioma Inglés como Lengua Extranjera

Introducción Several studies related to LLSs have been conducted with the purpose of answering the question of how successful language learners achieve the learning goals. According to Judge (2012), the first research reports began in 1970 with studies done by Rubin and Stern in 1975. These studies reported that the main concern of these researchers was to know what good students did different from those students who did not reach successful results in the learning process, concentrating their studies in directed classrooms focused from teacher-centred approaches to student-centred ones (Rubin, 1987; Zhao, 2009 as cited in Gursoy, 2010). In language learning, the cognitive theory which observes processes of how learners acquire, interpret, remember and utilize information becomes significant due to its direct connection with learners’ comprehensive approach, meanwhile, metacognitive strategies become relevant because they regulate and direct the language learning process referring this to an individual’s awareness of thinking about the way to acquire the target language (Bidabadi, 2013). The study addressed the following research question: What are the students’ perceptions in relation to the use of metacognitive strategies to learn English as a Foreign Language? Objetivos The purpose of this study is to investigate the student’s perceptions in relation to the use of metacognitive strategies to learn English as a Foreign Language. Método This qualitative study used phenomenological methodology as the purpose of this research was to explore the students’ experience in relation to the use of metacognitive strategies in the field of English as a Foreign Language. Qualitative research focuses on the understanding of human behavior, believes, motivations and values which are extremely complex due to the interest of uncovering meaning of phenomenon and understanding people’s interpretations of their experiences (Lapan, 2012). The subjective experience of individuals and how they interpret their reality stresses the importance in qualitative studies (Cohen, 2018). In applied linguistics, qualitative research has gained recognition for providing significant insights in different aspects of language acquisition and its direct connection with social and cultural influences in language learning (Dörnyei and Griffee, 2010). This study adopted the interpretative paradigm for the intentions of understanding and interpreting the reality in terms of actions (Cohen, 2018). Principales resultados There were four main metacognitive strategies identified in the twelve extracts: arranging and planning learning, developing comprehension, seeking out practice opportunity and building background. The subtheme arranging and planning the learning was determined by activities done by learners like looking for what is in the next lesson, summarizing or making notes, looking for effective arrangements, and practicing for coming presentations. The next subtheme developing comprehension was identified when participants underlined key words and sentences in text and then looked for word meaning for better comprehension. For the following subtheme seeking out practice opportunity, the learners expressed their interest for preparing themselves for future tests or personal improvement. The last subtheme, building background was used when learners thought about previous teachers’ methodologies and compared them to analyse their learning process. Opinions given by learners determined their perceptions which were positive when using the metacognitive strategies. They said that they could remember and identified information easily by relating it with the context which helped them to understand and comprehend better both written and spoken texts leading them to have better preparation and results. Conclusiones This study conducted a qualitative study about learners’ experiences in relation to the use of metacognitive strategies in EFL classes. Learners who used language learning strategies in the study of English as a Foreign Language identified activities applied in the clases which matched with the metacognitive strategies. Thematic analysis identifies patterns or themes deriving from qualitative data in order to interpret and explain what is beyond of what has been said (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The taxonomy proposes by Oxford (1990) was used to analyse the metacognitive strategies. Students recognized the benefits of metacognitive strategies and how their use helped them with their progress, however, in one of the quotes it is expressed by one of the participants how frustrated may be find difficulties and not to have control over them what makes teachers think on their emotional impact.

The Aspect Hypothesis and L2 Russian

IntroductionNumerous studies have been conducted regarding the second language acquisition of tense-aspect morphology. A prevailing principle in this area is the Aspect Hypothesis, which predicts that learners are influenced by lexical aspect when applying tense- aspect markers (specifically, that learners will associate perfective/past markers with telic verbs and imperfective/past markers with atelic verbs). The Aspect Hypothesis has been widely tested in the acquisition of English, several Romance languages, Japanese, and Chinese. However, few studies have explored the second language acquisition of aspect in Slavic languages, which tend to have morphologically rich and complex tense-aspect systems. Additionally, few studies address the potential impact of task modality (for example, written vs. oral tasks) on the production of aspect.MethodsThe present study addresses these gaps by investigating how second language learners of Russian at varying proficiency levels use aspectual markers in the past tense when producing oral and written narratives. Data from written narratives (N= 42) and oral narratives (N= 42) were analyzed for lexical aspect and tense-aspect marking.ResultsThe results indicate that the Aspect Hypothesis is supported to varying degrees depending on the task: the activity involving lower planning levels (oral narratives) was more supportive of the Aspect Hypothesis, compared to the written narrative task, which involves a higher level of planning. However, the results also show that the aspectual production of beginning-level Russian learners is not consistent with certain predictions of the Aspect Hypothesis.DiscussionThe study concludes by discussing the role of instruction and the L1 as possible explanations for this inconsistency.

Evaluation of outcome of cochlear implanted children after 2 years of rehabilitation in Alexandria: a retrospective study

BackgroundCochlear implantation (CI) is an electronic hearing device that is surgically implanted to bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Nowadays, CI prospects for children with profound hearing loss (HL) have been significantly improved. Now, most implanted children can expect similar audiological outcomes to those with moderate to severe HL with aids depending on the time of loss and cognitive function.AimThis study aimed at assessing the progress in all aspects of language acquisition and the effect of various factors on the outcome of cochlear implantation in children undergoing auditory training for at least 2 years after surgery.ResultsThe results showed the effectiveness of early implantation in terms of improvement in linguistic skills, indicated by significant change of language age scores when compared before and after surgery (median age 1.167 years to 4.75 years with p value < 0.0001). Significant improvement in degree of hearing level (HL median from 100 dB to 25 with p value < 0.0001), in addition to its effect on improving the general IQ (mean from 82.42 ± 9.46 to 88.61 ± 8.13 with p value = 0.006) and abstract IQ scores (mean from 83.48 ± 9.81 to 94.45 ± 10.41 with p value = 0.0001).ConclusionCI children showed significant improvement in speech perception, auditory skills, and IQ scores as well as receptive and expressive language after CI denoted by the improvement of language age. Significant improvement was found in early implantation age (under 2 years) in the postoperative degree of hearing level and in language test scores in comparison to older aged children.

Testing the Competing Systems Hypothesis: Further evidence from aspect in tutored L1-English–L2-Spanish

This study tests the Competing Systems Hypothesis (CSH) as applied to adult second language acquisition of aspect in Spanish. The CSH purports that differences among tutored and untutored learners result from competition between one system of underlying grammatical knowledge and another of learned metalinguistic knowledge in tutored learners (TLs). Twenty-nine first language (L1) English and second language (L2) Spanish (L1-English–L2-Spanish) TLs and 29 native Spanish speakers completed three tasks examining knowledge of Spanish aspect. A Cloze Task targeted typical use of preterit and imperfect morphology, while a Semantic Entailments Task assessed acquired knowledge of entailments falling out from convergence on the aspectual system. Finally, a Binary-Choice Task targeted three pedagogical simplifications common to L1-English–L2-Spanish textbooks: adverbials that ‘go with’ the preterit or imperfect, ‘meaning-changing’ verbs in preterit, and the lower frequency of stative verbs in preterit. Results align with the CSH in that TLs performed above 80% accuracy on preterit and imperfect items in the Cloze Task, indicating acquisition of Spanish aspectual morphology. The Semantic Entailments Task further shows TLs converge on underlying knowledge of grammatical aspect by making a significant distinction between logical and illogical entailments. Finally, competition between the underlying grammatical system and learned metalinguistic knowledge is evidenced in the Binary-Choice Task where TLs are less accurate with preterit; specifically, TLs demonstrate effects from pedagogical simplifications regarding adverbials and ‘meaning-changing’ verbs.

ПІДХОДИ ТА ЕФЕКТИВНІ МЕТОДИ ВИКЛАДАННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ СПЕЦІАЛЬНОГО ПРИЗНАЧЕННЯ

At the present stage of expanding international contacts in various fields of activity for students it is becoming increasinglyimportant to expand their knowledge of languages outside of everyday foreign language (English). Learning foreign languages hasa number of benefits, including facilitating effective communication and building partnerships, business and military relationships with people from other countries/cultures. Since there are a number of factors that affect the effective acquisition of a foreign language in the context of bilin gualism, modern methods of teaching foreign languages have their own characteristics, considering the target areas and standards. There are many approaches to foreign language teaching developed at the end of the last centurythat have become widely used in teaching foreign languages for special purposes in higher education at the present stage of learning. The range of teaching methods varies depending on which aspects of language acquisition they emphasize – from teaching grammar to the lexicographic component of modern English-language culture of business and professional communication, which are seen as an element of communication skills of young military and civilian professionals [1]. As there is a wide range of different approaches and methods of teaching a foreign language for professional purposes used in lessons, the question will be whether there is evidence that some methods are more effective in acquiring and maintaining acquired skills. The article presents practical recommendations for motivating students to free oral/written communication in a foreign language, taking into account professional needs; the sequence of stages at which new programs for studying a foreign language of special purpose are logically executed, and also offers concerning a vocabulary is provided. The article evaluates and analyzes the latest trends in the methodology of teaching foreign languages, which provides a basis for effective study of a foreign language for professional purposes, taking into account the communicative orientation military, business and professional communication.

The acquisition of English possessives by a bilingual child: Do input and usage frequency matter?

Previous research in child language shows that many aspects of language acquisition are frequency-linked. This study tests whether input or usage frequency predicts the order of acquisition and accuracy of a bilingual Greek-English child's English possessives. The child was followed longitudinally from age 2;6 to 3;11. Order of acquisition was comparable to that of same-aged monolingual children. The child's usage frequency and order of acquisition were highly correlated with input frequency, while her accuracy was not. We argue that the child's already-acquired Greek possessives facilitated acquisition of English possessives, even though the child's English input and usage frequencies were lower than in monolingual English children.

Perceptual beginnings to language acquisition

AbstractIn this article, I present a selective review of research on speech perception development and its relation to reference, word learning, and other aspects of language acquisition, focusing on the empirical and theoretical contributions that have come from my laboratory over the years. Discussed are the biases infants have at birth for processing speech, the mechanisms by which universal speech perception becomes attuned to the properties of the native language, and the extent to which changing speech perception sensitivities contribute to language learning. These issues are reviewed from the perspective of both monolingual and bilingual learning infants. Two foci will distinguish this from my previous reviews: first and foremost is the extent to which contrastive meaning and referential intent are not just shaped by, but also shape, changing speech perception sensitivities, and second is the extent to which infant speech perception is multisensory and its implications for both theory and methodology.

Comparison of Three Models Dealing with Working Memory and Its Dimensions in Second Language Acquisition

The current status of research on working memory (WM) and its components in second language acquisition (SLA) was examined in this review. Literature search was done on four aspects using search terms in Google Scholar. Hence, the review results are given and introduced. 1. In the definition of WM, some confusion exists on whether short term memory (STM) or recent memory is the same as WM or different. 2. In this review, three main models have been discussed elaborately, as they are the only ones discussed in literature. They are: multicomponent model of Baddeley (2000), embedded process model of Cowan (2005) and attention control model of Engle and Kane (2003). 3. The phonological and executive components of WM were examined in more detail, as these determine the two basic aspects of language acquisition: language characteristics and acquisition methods (Wen, 2012). Overall, the variables related to phonological and executive working memories are evident from published research, but their interactive relationships and affecting factors are not entirely clear. 4. Admittedly, several diverse internal and external factors affect WM in relation to SLA. Some practically useful interventions are indicated by certain findings.

Statistical learning and developmental language impairments

Statistical learning is involved in most aspects of language acquisition, for example, word segmentation and phrase structure. Children with language-related impairments generally perform sub-normally on statistical learning tasks. In the current paper, I review important studies of statistical learning and discuss how these perspectives may be used to improve the study of developmental language impairments and their remedial treatment. A particular focus is on the prospects of designing training tasks in a non-linguistic domain of behavior, which may have motivational advantages compared to general language training. The studies reviewed are discussed in relation to Ullman’s procedural/ declarative model and are related to Saffran’s constrained statistical learning framework.»/><meta name=

Role of socialisation in the development of phonological, syntactical and lexical aspects of language

Rapid linguistic development is believed to occur in early childhood because of the malleability of this period (Hutterlocher, et al., 1991; Maccoby, 1992). The aim of this paper is to evaluate the role of socialisation as a contributor to first-language acquisition in terms of the phonological, lexical and syntactical aspects of language. The relative importance of nativist-and usage-based approaches to language is examined. Following from that, the role of the amount, type and period of exposure to speech in the process of learning English as a first-language. This paper explores a number of studies of typical and atypical children in the relevant literature. It concludes that language acquisition is driven both by innate ability and by environmental factors, i.e. society, or social elements are significant as activators of the human being’s innate ability to acquire language. According to this paper, the deprivation of socialisation is critical to many aspects of language development, most importantly syntactic, and least importantly phonological. Deficits in phonological aspects are only seen in the case of atypical children, and the cases of autistic children, while lexical development can be seen in both cases; typical and atypical. The results of the studies investigated in this paper suggest that syntax is aspect of language most affected by inadequate exposure to language. It also concluded that these three aspects of language acquisition are also likely to be influenced by a critical period, which is a proposal of nativism.

PERSISTENCE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN NATURAL SCIENCES STUDENTS

The article discusses the results of empirical study of the association between variables of persistence and academic achievement in foreign languages. The sample includes students of the Faculty of Physics, Mathematics and Natural Science at the RUDN University ( n = 115), divided into 5 subsamples, two of which are featured in the present study (the most and the least successful students subsamples). Persistence as a personality trait is studied within A.I. Krupnov’s system-functional approach. A.I. Krupnov’s paper-and-pencil test was used to measure persistence variables. Academic achievement was measured according to the four parameters: Phonetics, Grammar, Speaking and Political vocabulary based on the grades students received during the academic year. The analysis revealed that persistence displays different associations with academic achievement variables in more and less successful students subsamples, the general prominence of this trait is more important for unsuccessful students. Phonetics is the academic achievement variable most associated with persistence due to its nature, a skill one can acquire through hard work and practice which is the definition of persistence. Grammar as an academic achievement variable is not associated with persistence and probably relates to other factors. Unsuccessful students may have difficulties in separating various aspects of language acquisition from each other which should be taken into consideration by the teachers.

Atypical audiovisual word processing in school-age children with a history of specific language impairment: an event-related potential study.

BackgroundVisual speech cues influence different aspects of language acquisition. However, whether developmental language disorders may be associated with atypical processing of visual speech is unknown. In this study, we used behavioral and ERP measures to determine whether children with a history of SLI (H-SLI) differ from their age-matched typically developing (TD) peers in the ability to match auditory words with corresponding silent visual articulations.MethodsNineteen 7–13-year-old H-SLI children and 19 age-matched TD children participated in the study. Children first heard a word and then saw a speaker silently articulating a word. In half of trials, the articulated word matched the auditory word (congruent trials), while in another half, it did not (incongruent trials). Children specified whether the auditory and the articulated words matched. We examined ERPs elicited by the onset of visual stimuli (visual P1, N1, and P2) as well as ERPs elicited by the articulatory movements themselves—namely, N400 to incongruent articulations and late positive complex (LPC) to congruent articulations. We also examined whether ERP measures of visual speech processing could predict (1) children’s linguistic skills and (2) the use of visual speech cues when listening to speech-in-noise (SIN).ResultsH-SLI children were less accurate in matching auditory words with visual articulations. They had a significantly reduced P1 to the talker’s face and a smaller N400 to incongruent articulations. In contrast, congruent articulations elicited LPCs of similar amplitude in both groups of children. The P1 and N400 amplitude was significantly correlated with accuracy enhancement on the SIN task when seeing the talker’s face.ConclusionsH-SLI children have poorly defined correspondences between speech sounds and visually observed articulatory movements that produce them.

Vocabulary size and auditory word recognition in preschool children.

Recognizing familiar words quickly and accurately facilitates learning new words, as well as other aspects of language acquisition. This study used the visual world paradigm with semantic and phonological competitors to study lexical processing efficiency in 2-5 year-old children. Experiment 1 found this paradigm was sensitive to vocabulary-size differences. Experiment 2 included a more diverse group of children who were tested in their native dialect (either African American English or Mainstream American English). No effect of stimulus dialect was observed,. Results showed that vocabulary size was a better predictor of eye gaze patterns than maternal education, but that maternal education level had a moderating effect; as maternal education level increased, vocabulary size was less predictive of lexical processing efficiency.

How to study second language acquisition: a cross-sectional method

This paper describes a cross-sectional method, which is employed when conducting research on acquisition of Lithuanian as a second language. This is one of the most optimal methods to study the process of language acquisition in adults, since it does not demand a long-term commitment on the part of the studied subjects. On the basis of the method, a specific research protocol has been designed in the framework of various second language acquisition research projects conducted in Europe. One of its advantages is that language data can be collected in a fairly small group (10-30 people) of learners of different acquisition levels. The data collected in this way is later analysed and compared between learners in order to determine the acquisitional sequence and other aspects of interest. The main corpus for this study is constituted by language data collected during a semi- structured (socio)linguistic interview, which is a free talk with a participant, who is encouraged to talk. The talk includes some specific questions. During the interview, not only the language data but also some important information about other relevant sociolinguistic factors is collected, such as age, period of stay in the country, language attitudes and motivation. To be able to better compare the participants and to study specific linguistic aspects that might fail to appear in spontaneous speech, all the participants are given the same additional tasks. The tasks described in this paper are of different types: film retelling, storytelling according to a sequence of pictures, describing two similar pictures and indicating differences between them, giving a recipe and repeating sentences. Different competences are required in these tasks but most attention is given to language production. The paper also offers some practical advice and observations based on the study. The specific study where the method was applied for Lithuanian aims at researching the development of acquisition of Lithuanian with the focus on the development of the verb system. The data collected in this manner could be used to study other aspects of language acquisition as well.

First language acquisition research and theories of language acquisition

In principle, a child can seemingly easily acquire any given language. First language acquisition follows a certain pattern which to some extent is found to be language independent. Since time immemorial, it has been of interest why children are able to acquire language so easily. Different disciplinary and methodological orientations addressing this question can be identified. A selective literature search in PubMed and Scopus was carried out and relevant monographies were considered. Different, partially overlapping phases can be distinguished in language acquisition research: whereas in ancient times, deprivation experiments were carried out to discover the "original human language", the era of diary studies began in the mid-19th century. From the mid-1920s onwards, behaviouristic paradigms dominated this field of research; interests were focussed on the determination of normal, average language acquisition. The subsequent linguistic period was strongly influenced by the nativist view of Chomsky and the constructivist concepts of Piaget. Speech comprehension, the role of speech input and the relevance of genetic disposition became the centre of attention. The interactionist concept led to a revival of the convergence theory according to Stern. Each of these four major theories--behaviourism, cognitivism, interactionism and nativism--have given valuable and unique impulses, but no single theory is universally accepted to provide an explanation of all aspects of language acquisition. Moreover, it can be critically questioned whether clinicians consciously refer to one of these theories in daily routine work and whether therapies are then based on this concept. It remains to be seen whether or not new theories of grammar, such as the so-called construction grammar (CxG), will eventually change the general concept of language acquisition.