Structuralism and Behaviorism in Language Acquisition

Structuralism in Linguistics

Structuralism is based on the work of key authors in linguistics: Saussure, Bloomfield, and Sapir. Their work marked the birth of modern linguistics and laid the foundations of structuralism.

In the 1940s, the movement established several core ideas:

• Every language is an independent system distinct from others.
• Language is a system of linguistic signs that interact to form basic structures.
• Language is primarily oral and aural.
• Language is a system of structurally related elements that encode meaning.

Behaviorism (Skinner, 1957)

This was the first attempt to offer a scientific explanation for the process of language acquisition.

• Structuralism supports the ideas set forth by behaviorism.
• Language is learned through a process of habit formation:

1. The child receives a stimulus.
2. The child imitates the sounds and structures heard to respond to the stimulus.
3. People around the child recognize the effort to imitate the adult model and provide a reward.
4. To obtain a reward, the child continues imitating and practicing these sounds until they become linguistic habits.

• Language learning is based on imitation and analogy.
• Behaviorism significantly influenced American structuralism.

The behaviorist conception of language learning remained prominent until the end of the 1950s.

Key Linguistic Concepts

• Universal Grammar: A linguistic theory by Chomsky that seeks a general structure common to all human languages, rather than relying solely on speech performance.
• Information Gap: A genuine exchange of information that creates a functional need for communication.
• L2 / LE: Languages acquired after the first language (L1).
• Realia: Samples of the external world brought into the classroom for teaching purposes.
• Drills: Structural exercises used for listening, phonetics, and strengthening grammar. Types include repetition, replacement, transformation, and questioning. Disadvantage: Lack of contextualization.
• Feedback: A process where the sender provides information or an incentive to the receiver, who reacts or produces a response that serves as information for the issuer.