Characteristics of First and Second
Language Acquisition
- The child understands more than he/she can say,
- The child learns language through observation and
interaction,
- The child learns language in meaningful, supportive, and
communicative settings,
- The child learns language by "figuring out" the system,
- Errors often indicate that learning is taking place,
- The child will learn certain aspects of language in a
relatively predictable order, and
- The child will require a lot of time to become fluent.
