ACADEMIC ENGLISH COURSE
TOPIC
LEARNING/ ACQUISITION
GROUP MEMBERS
TUĞÇE YILMAZ
DİLARA DAL
ADVISOR
TUĞBA BOZKURT
DECEMBER-2013
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
LEARNING
AND ACQUISITION
No doubt, learning and acquisition are very similar
each other. A lot of people confuse these concepts with
each other. Although there are many differences
between learning and acquisition, many people do not
know that these differences. What do we know about
learning and acquisition?
First of all, learning is the desired behavior changes
in people, and these behaviors are that often
permanently. Learning can be explained better through
language learning. Language learning takes place in a
conscious way. That is, people are aware of everything
that takes place. Language learning is not
communicative. It is like learning a second language. If
people know about a language, they can learn better
about grammar rules, or they can write better with
grammar rules. Moreover, errors can be corrected in
learning, and learning occurs actively. As a result of
learning, there are observable changes. This is like
writing and effective speech.
Secondly, acquisition is a natural process taken
place in an unconscious way. For example children
acquire language through a subconscious process
during which they are unaware of grammatical rules.
This is similar to the way they acquire their first
language. Acquisition’s focus is on needs and interest of
individuals. For example, the learner needs a source of
natural communication, in order to acquire language.
We know that people compromise through language,
and so they acquire a language. Apart from these,
people get a feel for what is and what is not correct, so
errors are accepted as developmental, and there is no
limit for acquisition because acquisition can occur at all
age.
Moreover, there are a lot of factors affecting
learning, but many of these factors do not affect
acquisition because acquisition takes place
unconsciously. Some of the factors that affect learning
are age, intelligence, attention, motivation, worry,
physiological state, and accumulating of past. Apart
from these, there are learning strategies for effective
learning, and these are taking not and summarizing.
In conclusion, learning and acquisition are
separated by at thin line. While learning takes place in a
conscious way, acquisition occurs in unconscious way.
For example, language acquisition does not require
extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does
not require tedious drill although language learning
requires grammatical rules and knowing about
language.
Unknown Words
Take place: happen, occur (meydana gelmek)
Conscious: Processing the faculty of knowing one’s own
thoughts or mental operations. (bilinçli)
Unconscious: not conscious; having no consciousness or
power of mental perception. (bilinçsiz)
Require: to demand, to insist upon having.
(gerektirmek)
Desired: (gerekli)
Acquire: to again, usually by one’s own exertions.
(gerektirmek)
Tedious: involving tedium; tiresome from continuance
(bıktırıcı)
Separated: (alrılmış)
Get a feel: (alışmak)
Compromise: a mutual agreement to refer matters in
dispute to the decision of arbitrators. (anlaşmak)
stable: firmly fixed or not likely to move or change.
(kararlı)
permanent: lasting for a long time or for ever (kalıcı)
from scratch: (sıfırdan)
Reference:
http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html
http://www.esl-lounge.com/blog/183/difference-betweenlearning-and-acquisition-in-esl
http://www.ghaea.org/index.php?option=com_content&
view=article&id=130%3Aenglish-language-learnerssecond-language-acquisition&Itemid=43