second and foreign language learners is one of the main questions investi-
gated in formally orientated second language acquisition.initiation-response-evaluationn
see exchange
initiation-response-feedback n
see exchange
innateness positionn
another term for innatist hypothesis
innatist hypothesisn
also innatist position, nativist position, innateness position, rationalist
position
a theory held by some philosophers and linguists which says that human
knowledge develops from structures, processes, and “ideas” which are in
the mind at birth (i.e. are innate), rather than from the environment, and
that these are responsible for the basic structure of language and how it is
learned. This hypothesis has been used to explain how children are able
to learn language (see language acquisition device). The innatist hypo-
thesis contrasts with the belief that all human knowledge comes from
experience (see empiricism).
see also mentalism
inner circlen
a term coined by Kachru to characterize the status of English in different
parts of the world. The inner circlerefers to countries where English is
spoken as a first language, such as the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia.
This may be compared with the status of English in countries where it is
regarded as a second language (e.g. Singapore, India, Nigeria), where it is
used in such domains as education, administration, and business, where
there is a high degree of individual bilingualism. This is referred to as the
outer circle. Both contexts are compared with contexts known as the
expanding circle, i.e. nations in which English has not had a central role in
the past but where it is currently largely used for purposes of business and
technology (e.g. China, Russia).
See also world Englishes
inner speechn
a type of “speech” discussed by the Russian psychologist Vygotsky, who
distinguished between external speechand inner speech.
inner speech