Abstract
There are many internal as well as external factors which influence second language acquisition (SLA). Among them, the language input that learners receive in SLA is one of the external factors which plays a fundamental role. In this regard, Corder (1967) is one of the pioneers among SLA researchers who underscored the importance of language input for SLA by drawing a distinction between input and intake. According to Corder, language input refers to what is available to be utilized by language learners for SLA which should be differentiated from intake which is that part of the input which is comprehended by the language learners. In the same line, the present paper is an attempt to highlight the role of language input from the viewpoints of different SLA theories. The paper also focuses on Krashens input hypothesis as one of the influential hypothesis with regard to the role of language input in SLA development.
Highlights
The review of the literature on language input and second language acquisition (SLA) reveals that much work in this area of research has been concerned with the importance, the role, and the processing of linguistic input (Doughty & Long, 2003; Ellis, 1994; Ellis, 1997; Gass & Selinker, 1994; Gass, 1997; Grady, Lee & Lee, 2011; Hart & Risley, 1995; Long, 1982; Nasaji & Fotos, 2010; Patten & Benati, 2010; Pica, Young & Doughty, 1987; VanPatten & Williams, 2007; Williams, Ritchie & Taj, 1999)
While the importance and the role of language input have been advocated by various theories of language learning, there has been a difference between those theories which attribute a small or no role to language input and those attributing it a more important role
What has been changed in relation to the role of input in language learning from the viewpoint of various language learning theories is the conceptualization of how language input is processed by language learners (Doughty & Long, 2003)
Summary
The review of the literature on language input and SLA reveals that much work in this area of research has been concerned with the importance, the role, and the processing of linguistic input (Doughty & Long, 2003; Ellis, 1994; Ellis, 1997; Gass & Selinker, 1994; Gass, 1997; Grady, Lee & Lee, 2011; Hart & Risley, 1995; Long, 1982; Nasaji & Fotos, 2010; Patten & Benati, 2010; Pica, Young & Doughty, 1987; VanPatten & Williams, 2007; Williams, Ritchie & Taj, 1999). According to Ellis (1994; 2008), SLA theories attach different importance to the role of input in the language acquisition process but they all acknowledge the need for language input. Besides the role of language input in SLA which has been considered from the perspectives of different language learning theories and models, language input has been given the initial role to provide the necessary data for SLA in some frameworks.
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