The Role of Input in Second Language Acquisition

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.