1、1The Study on Second Language Acquisition based on Cognitive ProcedureAbstract. This paper describes the theoretical foundation, the main content, and the significance of the CPSLA, and its specific application in SLA as well. To bring about procedural knowledge of the target language is the core of
2、 the CPSLA. Procedural knowledge is obtained mainly through language input and output, rather than learning rules by rote. Of course, appropriate attentional teaching activities are advocated. Language input and output are behavioral and procedural process, while rote learning is feeding process. Pe
3、rhaps humans were engaged in procedural cognitive activities earlier than they were engaged in feeding cognitive activities, therefore, human organs in charge of procedural cognitive activities are developed better than those in charge of feeding cognitive activities, thus, procedural cognitive acti
4、vities are more lasting and efficient. Key words: second language; cognition; cognitive procedure Introduction Since the 60s and 70s of the twentieth century, when SLA 2was emerging as an independent subject1, it has been examined by a variety of theoretical assumptions from different perspectives.
5、This paper puts forward a new assumption on SLA: Cognitive Procedure in Second Language Acquisition (CPSLA). The Speech Act Theory of British philosopher J. L. Austin (1962) argues that speaking is the implementation of an act 2, and the CPSLA also maintains that SLA is the implementation of an act.
6、 The difference is that Austin is talking about semantics and pragmatics, while the CPSLA is discussing SLA. The theoretical basis of the CPSLA The theoretical basis of the CPSLA is Chomskys “Universal Grammar“ and Andersons (1976, 1980, 1983) Adaptive Control of Thought, referred to as ACT. In Chom
7、skys view, the corpus which children have access to is not enough for acquisition of mother tongue, and this is his “the poverty of stimulus argument“. He then proposed “universal grammar“ hypothesis and that linguistic creativity comes from universal grammar with which children are born. Universal
8、grammar is composed of a number of principles and parameters. British scientist Richard Dawkins created the word “meme“ in his book The Selfish Gene3, which refers to the thing that plays the similar role in the transfer of such things as 3languages, ideas, beliefs, behaviors and so on to the role t
9、he gene plays in the process of biological evolution. That is to say, meme is the social inheritance of the human culture through imitation from one generation to another. In this study, we enrich the connotation of the word to have it also include the physiological inheritance of the human culture
10、and intelligence. The fact that each new generation excels the last one should be caused by inheritance of physiological meme of human culture and intelligence within the human body. Andersons Adaptive Control of Thought (ACT) distinguishes between declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge of S
11、LA. Declarative knowledge is knowledge of facts themselves, which is static; procedural knowledge is knowledge about how to use declarative knowledge, which is dynamic. Anderson pointed out that in the process of learning the language the rule-bound declarative knowledge will be transformed into aut
12、onomous procedural knowledge. That is, when learners keep using the same knowledge of the language, their performance will become programmed, and the error will disappear. In the early stages of learning, learners might use declarative knowledge consciously as a learning strategy, but after a period
13、 of language practice, declarative knowledge could possibly be 4transformed into procedural knowledge. Anderson (1983) also noted that the transition of declarative knowledge to procedural knowledge has three stages: the cognitive stage, the integrative phase, and the automated stage. Both the CPSLA
14、 and the ACT accept the statement that declarative knowledge is static and procedural knowledge is behavioral and dynamic, but the scopes of the study of the two models are different. The ACT focuses on how the rule-bound declarative knowledge is transformed into autonomous procedural knowledge. It
15、studies explicit language rules. The study scope of the CPSLA includes both explicit and implicit language rules. It examines the entire procedural memory of how vocabulary is connected into sentences and how sentences are connected into paragraphs and articles. The main content of the CPSLA The CPS
16、LA maintains that the process of SLA is just like swimming, playing balls, or building a house. It is a behavior, an action. It is to do things. The only difference is that hands or feet are used when swimming, playing, or building a house and mouth is used in SLA. Construction materials need to be
17、connected by a certain sequence when building a house; in SLA, you need to connect vocabulary (including words and 5phrases) into a sentence and further into paragraphs and articles according to certain rules. The Stoics and Leibniz thought that the language and the world have the same structure. La
18、nguages are used to express the world. The same structure provides a great convenience for the understanding and acquisition of the language. The existing perception of the world (genetic and acquired) and language capability (genetic and acquired) of Second language learners provide basic rules of
19、grammar for people to understand and acquire the second language. The existing perception of the world and language capability is equivalent to Noam Chomskys “universal grammar.“ It must be mainly through language practice or language behaviour that peripheral grammar is transformed into procedural
20、knowledge. In the sentence I like the beautiful flower, the reason why the beautiful flower forms a noun phrase while like the doesnt form a phrase is that the property beautiful is attached to the flower. So is the structure of the world. The language which is used to describe the world should be m
21、uch in the same way. Thus, the three words the beautiful flower form a phrase. Similarly, the whole structure of a sentence is also the subject of human cognition to the world and the structure of the world. Such a sentence as 6I beautiful like flower the is absolutely impossible. As the world is no
22、t so. The structure of the world is not so messy, neither is the sentence which is used to describe the world. The CPSLA argues that SLA is a memory of behaviors, a memory of behaviors of hearing organs, visual organs, speech organs and the brain. When the learners procedural knowledge of the target
23、 language is near to perfection in the guidance of universal grammar and marginal grammar，the task of SLA is complete. The significance of The CPSLA The CPSLA has a distinct value of innovation. It has important theoretical and practical significance: The CPSLAs criticism to the aural-oral approach
24、The theoretical base of the aural-oral approach is structuralism linguistics and behavioral psychology. Although the aural-oral approach began to meet with more and more challenges from the 60s of the 20th century, so far, it still appeals to many who lose sight of its weakness. Thus, it still makes
25、 important significance to evaluate the aural-oral approach. One of the main features of the aural-oral approach is: in order to make the learners second language habitual in the shortest possible time, he is encouraged and even forced to repeat the learning 7material and do some learning activities
26、 mechanically. The repetition frequency in the aural-oral approach is much higher than in other approaches. Undue mechanical repetition can lead to protective inhibition of the cerebral cortex and the learners psychology of tiredness and reduce acquisition efficiency. The CPSLA is based on humanism
27、and cognitive psychology, stressing the forming of language habit based on physical and mental easiness，innovation and emotion involvement and pursuing the best combination of consciousness and unconsciousness. The CPSLA maintains that SLA doesnt have to rely on excessive mechanical repetition becau
28、se the learner has the support of universal grammar. Interlanguage is just natural and normal in some stages of learning4. The CPSLA pursues the effect of “approaching perfection gradually in the language practice“5. The CPSLAs transcendence over the cognitive approach Cognitive approach is raised b
29、y cognitive psychologists and applied linguists in the 60s of the 20th century, and its representatives are J. B. Carroll, and K. Chastain 6. The theoretical foundation of the cognitive approach is Gestalt psychology. This approach advocates the functional integrity of 8SLA. Because people can creat
30、e sentences they have never heard of, the cognitive approach emphasizes the creativity of the language and denies the statement that SLA is just the formation of the habit of the target language. The cognitive approach regards SLA as the acquisition of rules and systems of knowledge rather than the
31、formation of language habits. The CPSLA admits that the process of SLA inevitably involves the formation of habits. SLA is composed of a series of actions, including actions of hearing organs, visual organs, speech organs and conation of the brain. Language input and output are a process, in which t
32、here is naturally inertia, namely, language habits. In addition, the so-called rules and system of knowledge in the cognitive approach also need to be attached to the habit-oriented language process, which is an entity, to exist. The CPSLAs development to the natural approach Montaigne in the 16th c
33、entury, Gouin and Sauveur in the 18th century, all have done pioneering explorations to the natural approach. The Natural Approach by Krashen and Terrel published in 1983 is an important development and innovation of the natural approach.7. Krashen stresses sufficient quantities of language input, 9
34、but ignores the importance of language output. As a matter of fact, language output plays an important role in the formation of language habits and mastering of language rules and vocabulary. Perhaps Krashen worries that if language output is involved too early, affective anxiety will be caused. In
35、fact, appropriate use of language output in SLA will speed up the process of SLA. In the first language acquisition, language output is involved as early as at around 1 year old. The combination of language input and output can enrich language activities. Their alternative work or their work in para
36、llel can also avoid excessive tension of cognitive organs, which is conducive to acquisition efficiency. The CPSLAs enrichment to universal grammar The CPSLA enriches Chomskys concept of “universal grammar“. In the CPSLA, universal grammar is the sum of the inheritance of physiological meme of human
37、 cognition to the world and language capability and those newly acquired. Human cognition to the world and language capability help the learner understands and acquires the second language in the general direction. As for in what form the existing perception of the world and language capability (bot
38、h genetic and acquired) exist in the human brain or any other parts of the body, whether they exist in the 10form of symbols of mathematical logic just like information in the computer, or whether they are the same as Chomskys principles and parameters of Universal Grammar, scientific experiments or
39、 further study in validation logic someday in the future may solve the riddle. The specific application of the CPSLA in SLA The CPSLA, taking in the advantages of various SLA models and discarding their negative factors, is a highly efficient mode of learning. The acquisitioned mode of the CPSLA is:
40、 “Input - Attention - Output - Quantitative control.“ Input Second language input should be gradual. Curricular and extracurricular input, specified and autonomous input should be organically combined. Currently available information technology and audio-visual-reading facilities and other condition
41、s should be made full use of. Attention Attention can be divided into natural attention and conscious learning attention. During natural input, the learners unintended attention to the language rules is natural attention. When learners teach themselves the grammar, memorize vocabulary, listen to the teacher explaining, read after the teacher, or do sentence imitation exercises, etc., they are paying conscious learning attention. The CPSLA stresses
