Longman Dictionary of

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language achievement
by different people are described in terms of regional and social variation
(see DIALECT, SOCIOLECT). In some cases, there is a continuum from
one language to another. Dialect A of Language X on one side of the
border may be very similar to Dialect B of Language Y on the other side
of the border if language X and language Y are related. This is the case
between Sweden and Norway and between Germany and the
Netherlands.
see also REGISTER
language achievement n
a learner’s mastery, in a SECOND LANGUAGE and FOREIGN LANGUAGE, of
what has been taught or learned after a period of instruction. Language
achievement may be contrasted with LANGUAGE APTITUDE, which is measured
before a course of instruction begins.
language acquisition n
also language learning
the learning and development of a person’s language. The learning of a
native first language is called FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION, and of a
second or foreign language, SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. Some theorists
use “learning” and “acquisition” synonymously. Others maintain a
contrast between the two terms, using “learning” to mean a conscious
process involving the study of explicit rules of language and MONITORING
one’s performance, as is often typical of classroom learning in a FOREIGN
LANGUAGE context, and using “acquisition” to refer to a nonconscious
process of rule internalization resulting from exposure to comprehensible
input when the learner’s attention is on meaning rather than form, as is
more common in a SECOND LANGUAGE context. Still others use “acquisition”
only with reference to the learning of one’s first language.
language acquisition device n
also LAD
another term for LANGUAGE FACULTY. The term is seldom used nowadays,
having been replaced by the concept of UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR.
language across the curriculum n
(in the teaching of English and in LANGUAGE ARTS) an approach that
emphasizes the teaching of language skills in relation to their uses in the
total school curriculum, particularly in the CONTENT AREAS rather than in
isolation from the school curriculum. This approach reflects a functional
view of language and one which seeks to teach language through activities
which are linked to the teaching of other school subjects. A similar
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