Chapter 6 INPUT

Input, interaction and Second Language Acquisition  There are three different views on the role of the input in language acquisition. In this chapter the terms input, interactions and intake will be used with specific meanings: Input: is used to refer to the language that is addressed to the L2 learner either by a native speaker or by another L2 learner. Moreover input is the result of interaction Interaction: consists of the discourse jointly constructed by the leaner and his interlocutors. Intake:  That part of the input that is processed or “let in” will be referred to as INTAKE.
Three Views on input in language acquisition It IS axiomatic (ES-indiscutible) that in order for SLA to take place, there must be Some L2 data made available to the learner as input A set of internal learner mechanisms to account for how the L2 data are processed. A mayor issue in the study of SLA, however, has been to decide what weight to allot to 1 and 2. On the other hand it is possible to conceive of the learner as “a language-producing machine” who automatically and effortlessly learns a L2, provided he gets the right input data. On the other hand, the learner can be seen as “a grand initiator”, that is, he is equipped with just those abilities that are needed to discover the L2, no matter how impoverished the L2 data are. Also, of course, there are intermediate positions in which the learner is seen as actively contributing to SLS, but dependent on the provision of appropriate input.
	Behaviorist	Nativist	Integrationist
	Learner: is a language producing machine. Input comprises the language made available to the learner in the form of stimuli and also that which occurs as feedback. The learner have to imitate  to professor Behaviorist theories emphasis the need to regulate the stimuli by grading the input into series of steps. Feedback has two purposes: It indicates when the learner are correct and so reinforces them It indicates when the utterances are ill formed by correcting them. Feedback: shape the learning that takes place and lead to the formation of habits.	Learner: is like a Grand Initiator They maintain that exposure to language cannot account satisfactorily for acquisition. Input: is seen as merely as a trigger which activates the internal mechanisms. Chomsky: argued that the imperfect nature of the mother´s speech input in first language acquisition made it  unlikely  that any child could successfully internalize the rule system of a language if he worked on this alone.  “Degenerate” input was inadequate for acquisition. The Nativist view minimizes the role of the input and explains language development primarily in terms of the of the learner´s internal processing mechanisms.	The interactions view sees language development as the result both of input factors and of learner´s mechanisms. Language acquisition derives from the collaborative efforts of the learner and his interlocutors and involves a dynamic interplay between external and internal factors.

“Motherese” Sachs shows tune the pitch, intonation, and rhythm to the perspective sensitivity of the child. These adjustments were considered to constitute a special use of language or register. The functions of”motherese” Ferguson suggests that there are three main functions: An aid to communication, A language teaching aid A socialization function Mothers seek to communicate with their children, and this exchange of meanings. Mothers pay little attention to the facilitate the exchange of their children`s speech, but instead  attend to the social  appropriateness of their  utterances. Brown describes the primary motivation as “to communicate, to understand and to be understood, to keep two minds focused on the same topic”. Thus if motherese also serves to teach language and to socialize the child into the culture of the parents, it does so only indirectly as offshoots of the attempt to communicate. How does the input affect first language acquisition? Wells says the general principal involved seems to be one of constructing a linguistics representation on the basis of the speech signal that he(the child) hears,  and comparing that which he believes the spoken message applies, using any available cues to help him along with the task.   Input and interaction in natural settings. The study of natural linguistics environments comprises two related approaches
	The study of foreigners talk I.e. The register used by native speakers when they address non-native speakers.	The study of discourse involving conversations between native speakers and L2 learner.
Foreigner Talk Can be identified: 1)      Foreigner Talk consisting only of interactional adjustments. i.e there are no formal simplification 2)      Foreigner talk consisting of interactional and grammatical input adjustments i.e there are no ungrammatical simplifications. 3)      Foreigners talk consisting of interactional adjustments as well as both grammatical and ungrammatical input adjustments.   I t has two characteristics: Formal and Informal Formal-------------------Input and it has two features: 1) Those that involves simplifications within the grammatical rule structure of the language 2) Those that involve simplifications leading to ungrammatical speech. INFORMAL------------------Output has one feature:  Consist of the specific discourse functions performed by native speaker.

  

Answer the following questions: How exactly does acquisition take place? Which conversational tactics are used in a Native Speaker – Non Native speaker talks? Why is output  important  in  second language acquisition? Why is the reflective role of output important? Match the teacher’s behavior with the proper correction techniques A: Ignore the mistake. B: Use finger correction. C: Draw a time line on the board. 1.- You are working with a class of ten-year-old who are doing a fluency activity. One of the learners is talking to the class about her pet. She says: ‘My rabbit eat lettuce.’ You let her continue talking. ______ 2.- You are doing a controlled practice activity. One of the learners says: ‘I have been working last week.’ You show her a diagram. ______ 3.- You are focusing on spoken language and the use of contractions. A learner says: ‘I’m going swimming tomorrow.’ You want to show him where the mistake is. You use your hand.

Interaction Analysis

A number of different ways exist for investigating the effect of input and interactions in SLA. Many these, however, necessitate a leap from description of input language to explanation of its effects. There is little hard research showing whether input and interaction does affect SLA, what features of input and interactions are important, and what aspects of SLA are affected.

With regard to the route of SLA, input may facilitate development by

1)       Proving the learner with ready-made chunks of language to memorize and later analyze,

2)       Helping the learner  to build vertical constructions,

3)       Modeling specific grammatical forms with high frequency,

4)       Ensuring that the input is one step ahead of the learner´s existing knowledge(by providing  comprehensible input),

5)       Providing the right affective climate to ensure that input becomes intake.

With regard to the rate of SLA, a number of studies have investigated the effects of input and interaction, with mixed success. However, there are grounds for thinking that both the quantity and the quality of input are important.