First Language Acquisition

AL BARAA

Al Baraa is mainly exposed to Arabic in verbal and written form. Though his father knows and talks a little bit of French, Arabic is the primary language spoken at home. Having his father a manager of a book publishing company, he is exposed to a panoply of Arabic books, which he sometimes tries to open to see the pictures or illustrations. As the son of the researcher’s friend, whom he privately teaches Business English course at the comfort of his own home, Al Baraa is always around whenever the researcher teaches his Dad, playing around with his toys, disturbing his Dad, and talking to him whenever he pleases. According to his father, he can speak in basic Arabic at his age, though he speaks with grammatical errors.

Al Baraa’s first language acquisition is mainly innate or biological (Innateness Theory). His possession of a standard and functional human brain enables him to perceive or receive linguistic inputs and produce communicative outputs. His overt behaviours are embodied in several linguistic tasks that confirm Lenneberg’s nativist theory of first language acquisition of a child, Chomsky’s innateness hypothesis, and McNeill’s Language Acquisition Device (LAD) (Orillos, 1998). For example, possessing a human brain capable of processing inputs allows him to respond suitably to a given communicative situation. It would then be impossible for him to understand or utter words without a central processing unit – the brain, which contains specific parts with corresponding linguistic functions.

It was also observed that the subject learned some Arabic words and sentences (though sometimes faulty) without undergoing any formal instruction. Considering his very young age, the amount of his linguistic knowledge (vocabulary, grammar, phonology, syntax, etc.) can be surprising to someone. According to his father, he learned some words on his own. He also establishes his linguistic codes and systems. This could reflect the naturalness of language acquisition and learning. Language acquisition happens as a person grows or matures, hence, Chomsky’s innateness hypothesis (Orillos, 1998).

Aside from biological aspects playing significant roles in Al Baraa’s language acquisition, other factors are considered, which include neurological, psychomotor, cognitive, and affective considerations (Orillos, 1998). By the age of 3, it is already clear that language acquisition is controlled by his left hemisphere as manifested by his right-handedness. His inability to pronounce words with “r” sound is also explained by Krashen’s (in Orillos, 1998) theory that lateralization is only complete by the age of 5. It is only after five that a child masters the original articulation. Since Al Barraa is only 3, body parts and mechanisms responsible for producing the “r” sound are not yet fully developed (psychomotor considerations). Hence, this evidence proves the relation between the topic of first language acquisition and the real-world example provided.

The child that is being studied is named Al Baraa. He is a 3-year-old Muslim Lebanese born to a middle-class Arabic family in Saudi Arabia. He is the first child of a couple who is educated up to Bachelor’s degrees in Lebanon. He has a brother and a sister who are in their babyhood and babyhood stages. His father is headquartered in Lebanon, while his mother is simply a housewife. A physically, mentally, and socially healthy boy loves playing with toy cars, running inside the house, watching Youtube videos, and touching every strange thing he sees. Still, on his way to acquiring his first language, he always tries to question his mother or father the names of things, actions, or ideas as he observes inside and outside the house.

Language of any sort is exceedingly complex, yet it is utterly amazing how children at a very young age (0-5 years old) can acquire or master it on their very own. During their Linguistic Period (1-5 years old), children subconsciously accomplish complex tasks like linking sentences, asking questions, using appropriate pronouns, negating sentences, forming comparative clauses, and inflecting verbs and nouns (Fromkin, Rodman, and Hyams, 2010). However, sometimes, with some lapses or imperfections, they can orally answer questions and participate in conversations and argumentations. Some clever children can also tell whether an adult is lying or not.

This event makes anyone particularly keen on language learning wonder how young children learn such complex structures and functions of a language without going to school or experiencing any formal instruction. A number of linguists are attempting to explain such a humanly overwhelming phenomenon. For instance, Lenneberg, Chomsky, and McNeill (in Brown, 2007; Orillos, 1998; Erneling, 1993; Green and Peil, 2016; Islam, 2013; Heidar, 2012) share the common belief that language is a “specific” behaviour which is inborn in every individual. However, Bloomfield, Skinner, Fries, Hymes, Halliday, and Oller (in Brown, 2007; Orillos, 1998; Johnson, 2004; Ingram, 1989; Tahriri, 2013; Islam, 2013; Heidar, 2012; Ipek, 2009) believe that language is an acquired behaviour through conditioning and reinforcement, and that is learned through interaction in various situations and applications. Based on these opposing views, language acquisition is impacted and controlled by two influential factors – heredity (nature) and environment (nurture). The underlying query is which one is more influential over the other.

The fact that Al Baraa is right-handed is indeed interesting, as it indicates the dominant brain hemisphere being the left hemisphere, the region where the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is harboured (Orillos, 1998). Even though the researcher could not physically inspect the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) or the left hemisphere of the child's brain, they could still determine if the parts were present and functioning faultlessly by observing the linguistic behaviours associated.

Al Baraa also speaks clearly except for the sound of "r" which is expected at his age. He does not have any speech imperfection; thus, his Broca's area is working well. He can also hear and recognize sounds, symbols, or letters and respond well when asked. He can understand words and utterances and intercommunicate meaningfully; thus, his Wernicke's area is also functioning well.

In general, Al Baraa has the biological (innate) facilities that allow him to comprehend and utilize a language. Without these, it would be unattainable for him to acquire, understand, and use language. No matter how healthy the environment is, if his body parts responsible for language learning are impaired, he cannot acquire any language. Thus, it has been proven that Chomsky's innateness theory (Orillos, 1998) has played a role in Al Baraa's language acquisition and development.

First language acquisition is shaped and influenced mainly by biological and environmental factors. As manifested in the case of Al Baraa, he acquired his first language with the presence and aid of his Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Without such brain aptitude, it would have been inconceivable for him to acquire his first language – the Arabic language. There are several considerations in the natural acquisition of his speech – neurological, psychomotor, cognitive, and practical. The maturation of his brain parts is responsible for discharging linguistic functions, growing his muscles liable for producing speech sounds and eliminating emotions that delay the process of his language acquisition. These contributed to the natural evolution of his first language. Although his ability to acquire his first language might seem ingrained, the environment further contributed in his development and improvement in mastering his first language.