directrelationshipInput and Second Language Acquisition

Input and Second Language Acquisition

[Abstract] The behaviorist, the mentalist and the interactionist have differentemphases on the role input in Second Language Acquisition. In order to protrude theimportance of second language teaching, it is indispensible to discuss thecharacteristics of input and to explore its effects.

[Key words] InputSecond Language AcquisitionC haracteristicsEffects

1.Different emphases on the role input in Second Language Acquisition

Ellis distinguishes three different views about the role of input: the behaviorist,the mentalist and the interactionist.

Behaviorists reject the idea of ‘mind’ as an object inquiry; they ignore theinternal processing which takes place inside the learner. They propose a directrelationship between input and output.With stimuli, the person speaking to the learnergives the models of specific linguistic forms and patterns which the learnerinternalize s by imitating them.Children are considered to study through intimating.Feedback takes the form of positive reinforcement or correction, depending onwhether the learner’ s output is perceived to be target-like.

Mentalist theories emphasize the importance of the learner’ s black box.Everylearner is equipped with a LAD including innate knowledge of essence and structureof human language.Although input is the vital condition for L2 acquisition, it only atrigger that set off internal language processing instead of having no direct effects. Inother words mentalists believe that input triggers the internal general grammaticalsystem of learners to make acquisition.

The interactionist theories are divided into two different types.One is cognitiveinteractionist theories and the other is social interactionist theories. The formerfocuses on the complex interaction of the linguistic environment and the learner’ sinternal mechanisms and believes that acquisition is seen as a product of interaction ofthe learners’ psychological ability and language input.A common assumption is thatinput does have a determining function in language acquisition,but only within theconstraints imposed by the learner’ s internal mechanism.The social interactionisttheories emphasize that verbal interaction is of crucial importance for languagelearning and acquisition is made through communication between learners.However,many cognitive interactionist theories also see social interaction as the primarymechanism of mental reorganization.

2.The characteristics of the input in SLA