| Author(s) | Ali Shehadeh |
| Affiliation | Associate Professor, Language Unit, College of Languages and Translation, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Title | Functions of Learner Output in Language Learning, Language Pedagogy, and Classroom Interaction |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Languages & Translation. Volume 17, No 1. (2005/1425) |
| Abstract | This paper identifies the different theoretical perspectives on learner output and its role in second language (L2) learning. Three main perspectives on learner output will be identified and examined separately. First, output enhances learners’ fluency in the L2. Second, it generates more comprehensible input through feedback. Third, it promotes L2 learning and facilitates the internalization of linguistic knowledge in three ways: (a) promoting noticing, (b) serving as a metalinguistic function for language learners, and (c) serving the second language learning process through hypothesis testing. It will be argued that learner output must be considered not just a product of acquisition or a means by which to practice one’s language for greater fluency, but rather it plays a potentially important role in the acquisition process. It will be further argued, as a consequence, that language planners, syllabus and curriculum designers as well as language teachers must view learner output as more actively implicated in L2 learning. Finally, the paper suggests ways in which the L2 teacher can encourage learner output in order to promote language learning and make classroom interaction more effective. |
