^{PRINCIPLES of}

LANGUAGE LEARNING 
AND TEACHING

FOURTH EDITION

H.   DOUGLAS BROWN 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CONTENTS

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION……………………………………………………………  7

1 LANGUAGE, LEARNING, AND TEACHING………………………………………….10

CURRENT ISSUES IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION……………………..……10

LANGUAGE…………………………………………………………………………………..12

LEARNING AND TEACHING………………………………………………………………14

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION…………………...15

Structuralism/Behaviorism……………………………………………………………...15

Rationalism and Cognitive Psychology………………………………………………...16

Constructivism…………………………………………………………………………..17

LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY………………………………………………19

In the Classroom: The Grammar Translation Method…………………………………………… 20

TOPICS AND QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION………………………………… 21

SUGGESTED READINGS…………………………………………………………………………… 22

LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: JOURNAL ENTRY 1………………………………  23

2 FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION……………………………………………………24

THEORIES OF FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION………………………………………24

Behavioristic Approaches………………………………………………………………25

The Nativist Approach………………………………………………………………….27

Functional Approaches…………………………………………………………………29

Cognition and Language Development………………………………………….29

Social Interaction and Language Development…………………………………30

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION…………………………………………...32

Competence and Performance………………………………………………………….32

Comprehension and Production………………………………………………………...34

Nature or Nurture?.........................................................................................................35

Universals……………………………………………………………………………….35

Systematicity and Variability…………………………………………………………...37

Language and Thought………………………………………………………………….37

Imitation ………………………………………………………………………………..38

Practice………………………………………………………………………………….39

Input……………………………………………………………………………………..40

Discourse………………………………………………………………………………..40

In The Classroom: Gouin and Berlitz – The First Performer…………………………………… 42

Topics and Questions for Study and Discussion……………………………………………………44

Suggested Readings…………………………………………………………………………………… 44

Language Learning Experiment: Journal Entry 2…………………………………………………45 

3 AGE AND ACQUISITION…………………………………………………………………46

DISPELLING MYTHS………………………………………………………………………..46

TYPES OF COMPARISON AND CONTRAST……………………………………………..48

THE CRITICAL PERIOD HYPOTHESIS……………………………………………………49

NEUROLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS…………………………………………………….49

Hemispheric Lateralization……………………………………………………………..49

Biological Timetables………………………………………………………………….50

Right-Hemispheric Participation……………………………………………………….51

Anthropological Evidence……………………………………………………………...52

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ACCENT…………………………………………………………52

COGNITIVE CONSIDERATIONS…………………………………………………………..54

AFFECTIVE CONSIDERATIONS…………………………………………………………...56

LINGUISTIC CONSIDERATIONS…………………………………………………………..58

Bilingualism…………………………………………………………………………….59

Interference Between First and Second Languages…………………………………….59

Interference in Adults…………………………………………………………………...59

Order of Acquisition…………………………………………………………………….60

ISSUES IN FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION REVISITED……………………………..61

In the Classroom: The Audiolingual Method………………………………………………………  64

TOPICS AND QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION…………………………………  65

SUGGESTED READINGS…………………………………………………………………………… 66

LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: JOURNAL ENTRY 3…………………………………66 

4 HUMAN LEARNING……………………………………………………………………. 68

LEARNING AND TRAINING……………………………………………………………….68

PAVLOV'S CLASSICAL BEHAVIORISM………………………………………………….69

SKINNER’S OPERANT CONDITIONING…………………………………………………69

AUSUBEL'S MEANINGFUL LEARNING THEORY………………………………………71

     Systematic Forgetting…………………………………………………………………..74

ROGERS'S HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY……………………………………………….. 76

TYPES OF LEARNING………………………………………………………………………78

TRANSFER, INTERFERENCE, AND OVERGENERALIZATION………………………..79

INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE REASONING……………………………………………82

APTITUDE AND INTELLIGENCE………………………………………………………….82

In the Classroom: The "Designer" Methods of the 1970s…………………………………………86

TOPICS AND QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION………………………………… 91

SUGGESTED READINGS…………………………………………………………………………… 92

LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: JOURNAL ENTRY 4…………………………………92 

5 STYLES AND STRATEGIES…………………………………………………………….93

PROCESS, STYLE, AND STRATEGY………………………………………………………93

LEARNING STYLES ………………………………………………………………………...94

Field Independence……………………………………………………………………..94

Left- and Right-Brain Functioning……………………………………………………..97

Ambiguity Tolerance……………………………………………………………………98

Reflectivity and Impulsivity…………………………………………………………….99

Visual and Auditory Styles……………………………………………………………100

STRATEGIES………………………………………………………………………………..100

Learning Strategies…………………………………………………………………….101

Communication Strategies…………………………………………………………….103

Avoidance Strategies……………………………………………………………..104

Compensatory Strategies………………………………………………………..105

STRATEGIES-BASED INSTRUCTION…………………………………………………..106

In the Classroom: Styles and Strategies in Practice…………………………………………… 109

TOPICS AND QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION……………………………… 112

SUGGESTED READINGS…………………………………………………………………………  113

LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: JOURNAL ENTRY 5………………………………114 

6 PERSONALITY FACTORS……………………………………………………………..115

THE AFFECTIVE DOMAIN………………………………………………………………..115

Self-Esteem……………………………………………………………………………117

Inhibition………………………………………………………………………………118

Risk – Taking………………………………………………………………………….120

Anxiety………………………………………………………………………………...121

Empathy………………………………………………………………………………..122

Extroversion…………………………………………………………………………...124

MYERS-BRIGGS CHARACTER TYPES…………………………………………………..125

MOTIVATION……………………………………………………………………………….128

Instrumental and Integrative Orientations…………………………………………….130

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation…………………………………………………….131

THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF AFFECT………………………………………….…………...133

MEASURING AFFECTIVE FACTORS……………………………………………………..134

In the Classroom: Putting Methods into Perspective……………………………………………  135

TOPICS AND QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION…………………………………138

SUGGESTED READINGS……………………………………………………………………………139

LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: JURNAL ENTRY 6…………………………………139 

7 SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS…………………………………………………………141

FROM STEREOTYPES TO GENERALIZATIONS………………………………………..142