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Currently there are multiple theories on second language acquisition, among the most accepted are Krashen’s “comprehensible input” hypothesis, his “affective filter” hypothesis, the theory of continuum learning, and Cummin’s “distinction” between interpersonal communication and academic proficiency. These theories are based on research in multiple fields including linguistics, neurology, psychology, sociology and anthropology.
Krashen’s "comprehensible input" hypothesis focuses on the fact that learners are able to acquire a language through direct interaction with it. By always taking in the language at a level above their comprehension, the person learning the language is able to apply previous knowledge to the situation. This is just a single part of Krashen's 5 step theory to second language aquisition
The theory of continuum learning revolves around the sequence of language development which separates itself into four predictable stages. In these states students learning the new language go through the process of first listening to a language, them speaking simple one or two word phrases before moving onto short dialogue, before reaching relative proficiency in the second language
In Cummins theory, he distinguishes (BICS) basic interpersonal communications skills from (CALP) cognitive academic language proficiency as two “types” of language. According to Cummins, BICS entails ordinary everyday conversation with words that children would use on a daily basis, while CALP is the more technical and academic language which uses difficult concepts and complex sentence structure which would be used in papers written by native students engaged in higher education.