The Natural Order Hypothesis
From what is known about language acquisition in the explanations above, it can be concluded that 1 acquisition is more important than learning, 2 people
acquire language by receiving a comprehensible input and with optimal attitudes, and 3 the inputs can be provided primarily by listening to other people‘s speech,
either directly or through media like television programs, songs, movies, etc. This section will briefly discuss how other factors can affect language
acquisition. There are four factors, namely language teaching, exposure, age, and acculturation.
a Language teaching in the classroom can help acquisition as long as
comprehensible input is provided and the condition allows optimal attitudes. b
Exposure does not necessarily mean acquisition. Trying to expose oneself to a language does not guarantee the person acquisition if the input is not
comprehensible. It should be noted, however, that the higher amount of exposure grants more chance of comprehensible input to be available.
c The younger is not always the better. Children seem to acquire faster than
adults because the inputs that they receive are relatively simpler, hence more comprehensible.
d Acculturation may allow people to adapt to the language community and get
comprehensible input. A good relationship between the learner and the community may also provide low affective filter.
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