Within applied linguistics, which area focuses on how learners acquire language?

• A. Language acquisition
• B. Corpus linguistics
• C. Sociolinguistics
• D. Phonology

Answer: (A)

Language acquisition is the field that investigates how learners come to know and use a language, tracing the development from initial exposure to fluent use. It covers both first-language and second-language learning, focusing on the processes that drive how grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation are built over time, including input, interaction, cognitive mechanisms, and the role of age and motivation. This understanding guides teaching approaches by explaining typical learner progress, common error patterns, and stages like interlanguage. The other areas study different things—corpus linguistics analyzes large collections of real texts to reveal language use patterns, sociolinguistics looks at language in social contexts and variation, and phonology studies the sound systems of language. So the area that directly focuses on how learners acquire language is language acquisition.