Second Language Acquisition Theories and How They Contribute to Language Learning

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic review of second language acquisition (SLA) theories and how these theories and ideas could contribute to language teaching. It briefly presents SLA theories related to most language teaching approaches, such as behaviorism, interactionism, sociocultural, and comprehension theory. Then it examines some errors and non-systematic errors and how they affect language learning, as well as how to provide learners with the best kind of feedback on different language skills. It also presents first language interference and its positive or negative influence on acquiring the target language. The paper then discusses the comprehensible input in SLA, the role of interactive communication and social interaction in SLA, and how they could improve learners’ linguistics competence. Furthermore, it presents the difference between language learning and language acquisition and what could be done to help improve the learning process. Finally, it discusses the differences between foreign language learning and second language learning and how that could affect SLA refereeing to some skills and aspects that would help learners to use language appropriately.