- Second Language Acquisition

Complexity theory of language:

As the name suggest, complexity theory of language is complex.

Chomskyan idea ( the observable phenomena of language (E-language) are caused by neural-based symbolic computations of inner language (I-language)) is thereby replaced.

Saying that language is simply caused by brains, or language is simply caused by social context are all reduction of the multifaceted reality.

"In a complex reality, brains, bodies, interactions, social norms, external artifacts and sociocultural resources all function as enabling conditions that we draw on as, in Cowley’s (2011c) terms, we take a language stance." (Steffensen&Fill,2014)

In short, biological system and social context collabote together to make language aquisition possible. This phenomena corresponds with the definition of cognitive ecology of language:

Language is enabled by the dynamics between biological organisms and their environment (Steffensen&Fill,2014).

How environment affect second language acquisition (Muriel,2005)

- cultural environment (social interaction, group identity)

- political environment (why to learn another language? Whether the political environment

encourages acquiring a specific second language)

- educational environment (why some learners are more successful than others? how it is

acquired?)

How biological system affect second language acquisition

Chomsky-Universal Grammar:

The theory suggests that some rules of grammar are hard-wired into the brain, and manifest without being taught.

How human brains enable second language acquisition:

An article: what brain areas control language and speech

https://jackwestin.com/resources/mcat-content/language/brain-areas-that-control-language-and-speech#:~:text=Wernicke%E2%80%99s%20area%2C%20located%20in%20the%20cerebral%20cortex%2C%20is,results%20in%20receptive%20aphasia%20%28also%20called%20Wernicke%E2%80%99s%20aphasia%29.

How learning a second language benefits our brain:

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/how-learning-a-language-benefits-your-brain

- growing the brain:

the areas that grew were the hippocampus — the brain structure involved in memory and emotion — as well as three areas in the cerebral cortex.

- Tuning our distractions:

bilingual comes with two cognitive advantages.

1. "the ability to filter out unnecessary information, which is key to increasing focus. "
2. "being bilingual is like constantly doing a puzzle because the brain is always switching between two languages. This means you’re exercising your brain even without actively doing anything.

- Delaying Alzheimer’s Disease And Dementia

Delaying the disease for an average 4 years