... of language. The behaviourists approach views language acquisition as a result of the child's interaction with the environment. Skinner's explanation of language was "Any acquisition was due to a learning process involving the shaping of grammar into a correct form by the reinforcement of other stimulus, where correct grammar is positively reinforced and will be used in the future and incorrect grammar is negatively reinforced and will not be used again" (Chomsky vs. Skinner on Language: www.ecs.soton.ac.uk). This is otherwise known as operant conditioning where the child imitates adult language through the process of positive and negative reinforcements e.g. encouragement such as 'well done' from parents, for the use of correct grammar. Skinner however argued that the process of reinforcement is only successful when and if a child is reinforced progressively. In other words the child's initial vocalisations which approximate words are reinforced, as the child develops, gradual reinforcement is given ...

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