Question

According to Krashen's Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis, what defines 'acquisition'?

• A. A conscious, formal process involving learning explicit rules and error correction.
• B. A natural, subconscious process where individuals acquire language through meaningful interaction, focusing on understanding meaning.
• C. The process of memorizing vocabulary lists and grammatical paradigms.
• D. A less effective method of language mastery compared to 'learning'.

Answer 1

Answer:

B. A natural, subconscious process where individuals acquire language through meaningful interaction, focusing on understanding meaning.

Krashen's Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis: Understanding 'Acquisition'

• Stephen Krashen's Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis is one of the central tenets of his renowned Monitor Model, a widely discussed theory in second language acquisition (SLA).
• Acquisition refers to the natural, subconscious process of developing language ability. It is analogous to how children acquire their first language, often without formal instruction or conscious effort.
• This process is primarily driven by meaningful interaction where the focus is on understanding and conveying meaning, rather than on the grammatical correctness of the language form itself.
• Acquired language knowledge is spontaneously available for communication and is responsible for fluency in the target language. It's often described as 'picking up' the language naturally.
• Crucially, acquisition is promoted by comprehensible input (as per Krashen's Input Hypothesis), where learners are exposed to language that is slightly beyond their current level of competence (i+1).
• The process is implicit; learners may not be consciously aware that they are learning or internalizing new linguistic structures.

Key Distinctions and Related Hypotheses (Important for Competitive Exams)

• In contrast to acquisition, learning, according to Krashen, is a conscious process involving formal instruction, explicit knowledge of grammar rules, and error correction. Learned knowledge primarily serves as a 'monitor' or editor for language output but does not initiate spontaneous communication.
• The Monitor Hypothesis explains that consciously learned rules are used to monitor or edit the output of the acquired system.
• The Natural Order Hypothesis suggests that language features are acquired in a predictable sequence, largely independent of instruction.
• The Affective Filter Hypothesis proposes that emotional factors (like motivation, anxiety, self-confidence) can either facilitate or impede language acquisition by affecting the intake of comprehensible input. A 'low affective filter' is conducive to acquisition.
• Krashen argues that acquisition is the far more important process for achieving genuine fluency and communicative competence in a second language.