UNIT 3 – THE ROLE OF INPUT

OUTLINE
3.1. Input, intake, output and interaction
3.2. Input in language acquisition theories
3.3. Foreigner talk, Teacher talk and Interlanguage talk

3.1. Input, intake, output and interaction

a) Input. We cannot acquire a language without it. It is the indispensable component in L2
acquisition, since without input no acquisition can take place to feed the growing language
system. It is basically the language to which learners are exposed. There are different types of
input:
Moreover, input’s characteristics may
vary both in spoken and written
language.
In spoken language, the input is
faster and more redundant, and the
learner acquires phonological skills.
In written language, the input is
permanent, more lexically dense and
hence less redundant. The learner does
not acquire phonological skills, but
orthographic skills.
b) Intake: the input that actually goes
into the learner’s mind. The part of the input that the learner actually successfully and
completely processes. The distinction between input and intake originated in SLA with Corder
(1967). Input: language available. Intake: what is actually internalized, or “taken in” by the
learner. It can only appear intake once the input becomes integrated into the learner’s
developing system.
c) Interaction: it consists in the discourse made both by the learner and his interlocutor.
Interaction simply refers to conversations in which learners are engaged.
Negotiation of meaning in interactions: the way listeners react to the message
d) Output: The speaker’s production without repeating the utterance of another individual.
e) Attention: The story of Wes (Schmidt, 1983)
Wes became adept at imitating, maintaining and regulating relationships and living in his
additional language but remained unable to master the L2 grammar despite what seemed to be
sufficient time and an ideal environment.
Near the end of the study, Schmidt found Wes’ development to be remarkable. How did he
become such a competent English speaker in a relatively short period of time?
Schmidt developed a case-study of Wes to follow his progress during his 3 years-stay in
Hawaii. He focused on 4 competences:
a) Grammatical competence: grammar accuracy
b) Socio-linguistic competence: pragmatic awareness
c) Discourse-competence: communication beyond the single utterance level (tales)
d) Strategic competence: knowledge of verbal and non-verbal strategies to facilitate
conversation
Analysis of Wes’ language production
- Stagnation in the area of grammatical competence: over use of -ing to certain activities
denoting activities and use of past in only high-frequency irregular forms that can be
memorized as items, among others.
- Development a certain sociolinguistic repertoire that enabled him to issue requests,
hints and make suggestions. He is very indirect. This preference may have been
transferred from his L1 (Japanese is known for its indirect politeness)
- His strategic competences developed rapidly. He never used kinds of strategies such as
consulting dictionaries or asking his interlocutors metalinguistic questions.
- He does not incorporate into his utterances new language or more precise wording that
are offered by interlocutors.

a) How can we explain Wes’ success?

b) Why did Wes have so much trouble with grammatical competence?
c) Why, if surrounded by an optimal environment for learning the second language, and
an extremely positive attitude towards the host culture, his grammatical competence
continued to stagnate?

“Sensitivity to form” or the drive to pay attention to the language code seems to be
the single ingredient missing in Wes. He prioritizes getting his main message across,
and doesn’t really care so much how “correct” it was. “Interest and attention are
additional minimum requirements in SLA and most language learners would agree that
hard work is involved as well.”

Multimodal input
How can learners have access to multimodal input (see+listen)? Through audiovisual material,
for example.
Audiovisual material in the classroom is a source of comprehensible input, but it can also be
used in the classroom to make learners produce output through collaborative activities.
a) Bi-modal multimodal input: the simultaneous presentation of matching aural and
orthographic stimuli. I.e: someone watching a subtitled film.
DUAL CODING THEORY (1986) by Allan
Pavio’s exposed the idea that 2 sources of input
may lead to better learning outcomes.
Dual coding theory: The brain processes verbal
and non-verbal stimuli via 2 different cognitive
systems. These systems interact with one another
when both are activated, resulting in better memory recall. I.e: When L2 learners of English
are presented with an image of a tiger (non-verbal stimuli) whilst being told “this is a tiger”
(verbal stimuli), they are later better able to recall the word “tiger” compared to learners
who are only exposed to one from of stimuli.
Audiovisuals aids enrich the effectiveness of SLA, given the multisensorial components
offered. Information from working memory is transferred to long-term memory if the input
we receive is accessed both visually and aurally. However, when dealing with audiovisual
material, we also need to discuss the role of authenticity.
Authentic materials are those materials produced by a real speaker or writer for real
audience and designed to convey a real message. Language presented in textbooks is a poor
representation of real-world conversations. They lack of informal language structures.
Authentic VS Educational videos
Educational videos are created to be used in the classroom and are aimed at non native
speakers. The advantages are the following ones:
- They are created with a certain age and level in mind.
- They are revised in terms of content and duration.
- Accompanied by multimedia resources, extra exercises.
- Guarantee the accuracy of the grammatical and lexical structures.
Authentic videos are aimed at native speakers of the target language. These are some of the
advantages:
- Contain non-simplified language, pronounced at a real speed, in real contexts of
communication.
- Contain diverse and genuine native voices
- Informal language, familiar language, hesitations
- Different accents, dialects, voice pitches
- Authentic use of the language out of the grammar norms
- Language is not artificially manipulated
- They can be more motivating
- Authentic look at the culture
But it can lead to frustration if it is too challenging to understand. Moreover, it may appear
culture and age appropriateness.

SUBTITLES
The use of subtitles can help in the Language acquisition process because they offer a rich
context for foreign language acquisition as the information is presented via images, and
both oral and written language. The 3 channels seek to complement each other.
What can we learn?
- Word meaning
- Meaning of expressions and the context of use
- Pronunciation
- Distinguish different accents
- Construct correct sentences
- Distinguish informal and colloquial connotations