Post 88: Schumann's Theory of SLA

Post 88: Schumann's Theory of SLA

In Schumann's theory of SLA which is an outgrowth of the Swain Output Theory, the Krashen Input Theory and the Halliday Social Interaction Model,  Schumann states that social distance can hinder language development. If the student does not have much contact with mainstream American culture, then that student won't learn English.

My grandparents lived with their children. My grandparents came from China in their 60's and 70's. They spoke very little English. I do remember my grandmother tried to learn to read and write English in her 80's, but due to her age and her lack of contact with native speakers of English, she never learned much English. Instead, my grandmother relied on her children to translate from English into Chinese. My grandparents lived among other Chinese people. They rarely intermingled or socially interacted with native speakers of English bc they were too embarrassed to speak English, which chimes with Krashen's Affective Filter and Monitor Theory of SL learners being too anxious to immerse themselves in American culture.

Schumann theory stipulates that the more a non native speaker interacts with native speakers of the target language, the faster the student learns the target language. I was impressed that my grandmother did try to learn English in her 70's and tried to get her American citizenship as well in her 80's. She never got beyond a first grade knowledge of written English and less than a 2 year old knowledge of spoken English. However, I sometimes wonder if my grandparents had come at a younger age, would they have acquired more English? Does age play a factor in language acquisition? In my next blog post, I will explore The Critical Period Hypothesis which asks if age plays a role in language acquisition.