Which hypothesis proposes that language is acquired in a predictable order that all learners tend to internalize?

Which hypothesis proposes that language is acquired in a predictable order that all learners tend to internalize?

• A. Natural Order Hypothesis
• B. Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
• C. Poverty of Stimulus
• D. Comprehensible input

Answer: (A)

The natural order in which language structures tend to be acquired is the idea behind this concept. It says learners typically pick up grammatical features in a relatively fixed sequence, and this progression is common across many learners regardless of how they are taught. Because of that, the progression shows up again and again—for example, simpler forms and basic verb forms appear before more complex ones like certain auxiliary constructions or irregular past tense. This emphasis on a universal, predictable sequence distinguishes it from other theories: the Acquisition-Learning distinction talks about different kinds of knowledge (what we pick up naturally versus what we study explicitly) but not about a shared order of acquisition; Poverty of the Stimulus argues that some language features can’t be learned from input alone; and Comprehensible Input focuses on understanding language that’s just beyond the learner’s current level to drive learning, not on an invariant acquisition order.

The natural order in which language structures tend to be acquired is the idea behind this concept. It says learners typically pick up grammatical features in a relatively fixed sequence, and this progression is common across many learners regardless of how they are taught. Because of that, the progression shows up again and again—for example, simpler forms and basic verb forms appear before more complex ones like certain auxiliary constructions or irregular past tense. This emphasis on a universal, predictable sequence distinguishes it from other theories: the Acquisition-Learning distinction talks about different kinds of knowledge (what we pick up naturally versus what we study explicitly) but not about a shared order of acquisition; Poverty of the Stimulus argues that some language features can’t be learned from input alone; and Comprehensible Input focuses on understanding language that’s just beyond the learner’s current level to drive learning, not on an invariant acquisition order.