| Specifications |
 |
Publisher: International School Of Dravidian Linguistics, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Author V. Syamala | |
| Language: English | |
| Pages: 284 | |
| Cover: HARDCOVER | |
 |
9x5.5 inch |
 |
Weight 470 gm |
| Edition: 1993 | |
| ISBN: 8185691053 | |
 |
HBT667 |
| Delivery and Return Policies |
 |
Ships in 1-3 days |
 |
Returns and Exchanges accepted within 7 days |
 |
Free Delivery |
Prof. V. Syamala's book Language Acquisition: Theory and Practice when handed over to me for writing a few lines as Foreword, I was hesitant to accept because I had several commitments which would not allow sufficient time to read new books. But this book being thoroughly readable, I got engrossed in the chapters. Her case study, division of the developmental stages, classification of the responses of children, the tabulated statements and the conclusions in the eighth chapter on the acquisition of English by children who speak Malayalam as their mother-tongue are methodically presented.
The first chapter, Theories of Language Acquisition is a competent summary of the findings in the field. The work of Indian authors has not been glossed over. Her criticism on the existing strategies in that chapter and the following ones is balanced.
There are striking similarities of error patterns, developmental stages, and learning strategies of the L2 learners of English and of native English children, observes Prof. Syamala. The possibility of still greater similarities in the errors of cognate language speaking children will confirm an carlier attempt by a group of scholars in the Dept. of Linguistics, University of Kerala to work on a hypothesis that cognate languages can be learnt quickly. The cognate grammar which was formulated with a grant from the NCERT, New Delhi unfortunately could not be completed due to administrative difficulties.
The summary of findings in the last chapter is pleasing to any reader. The need for the universal study of errors, the instruction in the formal and natural settings, the remedies suggested for improvement, and fossilization in the formal setting alone are some of the findings outlined in that chapter.
Language teaching is a complex process. The disposition for acquisition and learning varies from one child to another. In a for-malised class room situation, the individual variations are levelled and the shared capacity of the children is taken into consideration and the lessons and teaching are shaped accordingly.
If education for all is to be attempted, the role of the brain and memory in language acquisition and learning need to be taken into consideration. This field of investigation is in its infancy and hence Prof. Syamala could not draw information from this area.
The book is enjoyable to read and soon will become a stimulant for similar studies to be undertaken in India and elsewhere.
Send as free online greeting card
