Made or trained to speak? One of the distinctive features of the human race is language. Humans have a complex system of communication (language), a system learned by all humans during the first two or three years of our lives. Language is what differentiates us from animals and other means of communication. Language acquisition can be defined as a process by which humans acquire the ability to produce and understand language. Language acquisition generally refers to first language acquisition, which studies a child's acquisition of their native language. The ability to successfully use a language requires the acquisition of a range of instruments, including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and an extensive vocabulary. Over the years, many theories and approaches to language acquisition have emerged. Three theories of language acquisition can mainly be identified: imitation theory, reinforcement theory and innateness theory. For explanation, the three theories will be briefly described below. First, the main idea of ​​reinforcement theory is that children learn to speak like adults because they are taught to do so by being praised and rewarded for doing things correctly. Additionally, they are helped because parents “correct” them when they make mistakes. Second, imitation theory states that children learn grammar by memorizing words and phrases from their language. Finally, the theory of innateness states that the human brain is genetically predisposed to language. Just as we are made to have two arms and to walk, we are made to talk. After defining this, we will focus and compare the last two theories mentioned. Imitation theory......middle of article......questions such as why some children have language disorders or how children and adults learn a second language, and we We still don't understand what happens when there is a stroke or an illness like Alzheimer's or any other mental illness seems to erase a person's knowledge of language. Clarifying the process of language acquisition promises not only to help scientists answer these questions, but also to explain basic features of learning and the human brain.ReferencesFisher, N. (nd). Language Acquisition for Children, University of Michigan. Retrieved from: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/nicolesling/theories_of_lingual_acquisition Buitrago, M. (nd). Behaviorist theory of language learning and acquisition. Available at: http://soda.ustadistancia.edu.co/enlinea/MAURICIO_BUITRAGO_ingles_PSYCHOLINGUISTICS_PRIMER_MOMENTO/Behaviorist_theory_on_lingual_acquisition.pdf