First-Language Acquisition

Language Acquisition Definition

Language acquisition is the human process of developing the ability to perceive, understand, produce, and use language for communication. It involves learning the structures and rules of language, including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and vocabulary. Language may be spoken or signed, and the human capacity for recursion allows people to create and understand an effectively unlimited number of sentences. The term usually refers to first-language acquisition, including the development of a child’s native spoken or sign language and the simultaneous acquisition of two native languages. Speech perception generally develops before speech production, and language knowledge develops gradually, beginning with distinctions between sounds. Researchers explain acquisition through competing and complementary perspectives, including innate linguistic abilities, environmental input, social interaction, statistical learning, and general cognitive processes. This distinguishes first-language acquisition from second-language acquisition, which concerns learning additional languages.

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Components of Language Knowledge

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