The Psycholinguistics of the Output Hypothesis
Abstract
In this article I attempt to elucidate the psycholinguistic mechanics of Swain's “output hypothesis”. Taking the information processing approach as a starting point and relating that to Levelt's model of language production and Anderson's learning theory, I argue that output serves an important role in second language acquisition, in particular because it generates highly specific input the cognitive system needs to build up a coherent set of knowledge. Output also plays a direct role in enhancing fluency by turning declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge. Output can also play an indirect role in the acquisition of declarative knowledge by triggering input that the learner can use for the generation of new declarative knowledge. On the basis of an analysis of think‐aloud protocols, I hypothesize that the locus of the effect of output is in the transition of declarative to procedural knowledge.
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The present analysis supports the comprehensible output hypothesis proposal that comprehensible output contributes to L2 acquisition, in that as learners try to produce comprehensible output, various means of construction described in Section 4 potentially come into play in the development of accuracy and fluency.
“The present analysis supports such proposals in that, as learners try to produce comprehensible output, the various means of construction described in Section 4 potentially come into play in the development of accuracy and fluency ~De Bot, 1996;Izumi, 2003!+”
From AT THE INTERFACE: DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS OF EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE (2005) · cites this paper as De Bot, 1996
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Acquisition of cognitive skill
Anderson, J. R. (1982) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.89.4.369 · Cited by 3,663 · see citing works
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AT THE INTERFACE: DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS OF EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE
Ellis, N. C. (2005) · Studies in Second Language Acquisition · doi:10.1017/s027226310505014x · Cited by 893 · see citing works
INCIDENTAL FOCUS ON FORM AND SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING
Loewen, S. (2005) · Studies in Second Language Acquisition · doi:10.1017/s0272263105050163 · Cited by 381 · see citing works
Interaction and instructed second language acquisition
Loewen, S., & Sato, M. (2018) · Language Teaching · doi:10.1017/s0261444818000125 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Prompts and recasts: Differential effects on second language morphosyntax
Ammar, A. (2008) · Language Teaching Research · doi:10.1177/1362168807086287 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
SYNTACTIC PRIMING AND ESL QUESTION DEVELOPMENT
McDonough, K., & Mackey, A. (2008) · Studies in Second Language Acquisition · doi:10.1017/s0272263108080029 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Research on form-focused instruction in immersion classrooms: implications for theory and practice
LYSTER, R. (2004) · Journal of French Language Studies · doi:10.1017/s0959269504001826 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
VAN DE GUCHTE, M., BRAAKSMA, M., RIJLAARSDAM, G., & BIMMEL, P. (2015) · The Modern Language Journal · doi:10.1111/modl.12211 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
- Authors
- de Bot, K.
- Venue
- Language Learning
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1996-09
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 529-555
- ISSN
- 0023-8333 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9922
- OpenAlex
- W2142908500
- Cited by
- 236
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 24.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Language Learning (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Keywords
- output hypothesis, second language acquisition, language production, information processing, declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, fluency, think-aloud, Swain
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