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Language is best acquired not learned.

Yes, I agree with that statement, but it is important to understand the difference between language acquisition, in which language is acquired, and language learning, in which language is learned. Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive, produce and use words to understand and communicate. Language acquirers are not consciously aware of the grammatical rules of the language, but rather develop a "feel" for correctness. In non-technical language, acquisition is 'picking-up' a language. Language learning, on the other hand, refers to the "concious knowledge of a second language, knowing the rules, being aware of them, and being able to talk about them." Thus language learning can be compared to learning about a language. There is an important distinction between language acquisition and language learning. Children acquire their mother tongue through interaction with their parents and the environment that surrounds them. Their need to communicate paves the way for language acquisition to take place. This falls under the theory of language which states that humans are born with the innate ability for acquiring language (McGilvray, 2005). If the child does not learn its first language during this period, then it will never attain full "native-like mastery" of any language (Smith, 1999). This suggests that it is through exposure to the language and meaningful communication that a first language is acquired, without the need of systematic studies of any kind. Language learning, on the other hand, is not communicative. In language learning, students have conscious knowledge of the new language and can talk about that knowledge. They can fill in the blanks on a grammar page. A student who has memorized the rules of the language may be able to succeed on a standardized test of English language but may not be able to speak or write correctly. Although learning of the basic structure of a language is important, learning grammar by rote accomplishes little. Children learn to speak purely through natural communication. Once they have acquired general fluency in their own language, their mastery of it is fine-tuned when they attend school and learn the rules. In order to acquire language, the children needs a source of natural communication. How could someone be expected to communicate if they are never given the chance to speak with a real person? Language without real communication is useless.

Language is best acquired, because if children are not exposured to language they cannot understand it. Children need some form of exposure, be it in the form of speech, signs, writing or touch before language learning can occur. One example is Genie, a child who was abused and prevented from speaking or hearing language spoken until she was thirteen years old. After the time of her discovery, Genie was not able to acquire a normal level of language despite receiving a great amount of care and attention. Her language ability, both in terms of understanding and production, remained below normal and her speech continued to be ungrammatical. In reviewing the case of Genie, one thing is certain that without exposure to language, children without any exposure of language will remain below normal of the language ability. Therefore, language is best acquired not just simply learned.

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