Language Acquisition Theories and Their Applications in Modern Language Education

Abstract

Language acquisition is one of the most significant and complex fields in linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, and education. It examines how children acquire their first language and how adolescents and adults learn additional languages in formal, informal, multilingual, and technology-mediated environments. During the last century, several influential theories have attempted to explain this process, including behaviorist, innatist, cognitive, interactionist, sociocultural, input-based, and output-oriented approaches. Each theory focuses on a different aspect of language development, such as imitation, reinforcement, biological predisposition, mental growth, comprehensible input, social interaction, scaffolding, motivation, identity, and cultural context. This article reviews the main theories of language acquisition, compares their central principles, evaluates their limitations, and discusses their pedagogical applications. It argues that language acquisition should not be understood as a purely biological, psychological, or social process alone. Rather, it is a dynamic and multidimensional process shaped by the interaction of internal capacities and external learning conditions. The article also considers the growing influence of digital technologies, online platforms, artificial intelligence, and multimedia resources on contemporary language learning. It concludes that effective language teaching requires an integrated approach that combines structured practice, meaningful exposure, interaction, learner autonomy, emotional support, and responsible technological integration.