Input and SLA

Input and sla

Facultad de Humanidades

Escuela de Ciencias del LenguajeSeminario de Lingüística Aplicada

Prof. Carlos Mayora

Octubre 2014

introduction

• In your process of learning a foreign language, what has been the main source of exposure to the target language?

• Apart from classes, where else can you get in touch with the language?

• How important do you think that contact is?

input

Any samples of the target language the learner is exposed to.

Types of input

Input

Medium

Oral

Written

Multimodal

Nature

Authentic

Modified

Instructional

Oral input

Written input

Characteristics of input

Spoken language Written language

Faster.

Phonological processes (addition, elision, aspiration, etc.)

Ephemeral

Delivery rate control by speaker/source

More redundant (usually)

Permanent

Graphic representation

Delivery rate control by reader.

Less redundant.

More lexically dense

Multimodal input

Characteristics of input

Multimodal Language

Combines different media (text, audio, image).

Advantages: it may facilitate acquisition in as much thedifferent media contribute to meaning.

It might enhance interest (activating attention).

Disadvantages: it may hamper acquisition in as muchdifferent media compete for attentional resources.

If text, sound and image do not agree, it might makecomprehension difficult.

Types of input

Input

Authentic

Produced in the course of

communication

Real (spoken or written) language

Modified

Baby talk

Foreigner talk

InstructionalText book language

Characteristics of foreigner talk

• Slow speech rate.• Loud speech.• Long pauses.• Simple vocabulary (fewer slang, high

frequency words).• More repetitions.• Elaborations (definitions and explanations).

Gass and Selinker, 2008.

Related concepts

• Comprehensible input

• Apperceived input

• Intake

• Noticing

Comprehensible input is…

• …engaging.• …interesting.• …relevant to the learner.• …just a notch above the

learner current level of competence (i+1)

• …abundant.Krashen, 1985.

apperCeived input is…

…any structure in the input that is “noticed” because itis identified and related to some form of prior knowledge.

Gass and Selinker, 2008.

Factors that influence apperception

Gass and Selinker, 2008.

Apperceived input

Prior knowledge

Attention

Affect

Frequency

Saliency

Language Learner

Linguistictypology

Delivery

intake is…

What is actually internalized from the input… the samples from the input that are actually integrated by the learner into his or her “grammar”

Corder, 1967 (cited in Gass and Selinker, 2008).

From input to intake

• Attention is neccessary for input to become intake.

• Learners process input for meaning first.

• Learner usually process the first and last elements in an utterance.

• Meaning and grammar compete for attentional resources.

VanPattern, 2002 (cited in Mitchell and Myles, 2004).

notiCing is…

The process of bringing elements in the input to focal attention and the condition that allows conversion of input to intake…

Schmidt, 2002 (cited in Mitchell and Myles, 2004).

conclusions

Foreign language teachers should…

references

• Gass, S. & Selinker, L. (2008). Second languageacquisition. An introductory course (thirdedition). New York: Routledge.

• Krashen, S. (1985). The Input Hypothesis. New York: Longman.

• Mitchell, R. & Myles, F. (2004) Second language learning theories (second edition). London: Hodder Arnold.

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