Two Readers Comment on Stephen Krashen's Input Hypothesis: Testing the Relationship of Formal Instruction to the Input Hypothesis

Abstract

Of the many theories put forth to account for the processes of second language acquisition (SLA), few have been subjected to empirical testing. The present study examines the difficulties facing an empirical validation of theoretical claims in SLA. It attempts to determine the reasons for the lack of empirical support for the hypotheses emanating from the various theoretical positions. One of the most interesting accounts of SLA is the Monitor Theory defined by Krashen (1981). It embodies many hypotheses concerning the basic processes of second language acquisition and maintains that grammatical structures learned formally are stored in a separate cognitive system from those acquired through natural exposure. This leads to the postulation of two types of language internalization: language acquisition and language learning. Only the former leads to real communication.