Merrill-Swain

TheOutputHypothesis:TheOutputHypothesis:ItsHistoryanditsFutureItsHistoryanditsFutureMerrillSwainMerrillSwainOntarioInstituteforStudiesinEducationoftheOntarioInstituteforStudiesinEducationoftheUniversityofTorontoUniversityofTorontoLanguageLearningDistinguishedScholarinResidenceLanguageLearningDistinguishedScholarinResidenceoftheNationalResearchCenterforForeignLanguageoftheNationalResearchCenterforForeignLanguageEducationofBeijingForeignStudiesUniversityEducationofBeijingForeignStudiesUniversityIntroductionIntroductionInthe1980s,thewordInthe1980s,theword““outputoutput””wasusedtoindicatetheoutcome,wasusedtoindicatetheoutcome,ororproductproduct,,ofthelanguageofthelanguageacquisitiondevice.Outputwasacquisitiondevice.Outputwassynonymouswithsynonymouswith““whatthewhatthelearner/systemhaslearnedlearner/systemhaslearned””..OutlineOutline„„thecontextinwhichtheoutputthecontextinwhichtheoutputhypothesiswasproposedhypothesiswasproposed„„threefunctionsofoutput,alongthreefunctionsofoutput,alongwithadescriptionofsomeofwithadescriptionofsomeofthesupportingresearchthesupportingresearch„„futuredirectionsfuturedirectionsTherehasbeenashiftinmeaningTherehasbeenashiftinmeaningfromthe80fromthe80’’stonowfromoutputstonowfromoutputbeingunderstoodasanoun,athing,beingunderstoodasanoun,athing,aproducttooutputbeingaproducttooutputbeingunderstoodasaverb,anaction,aunderstoodasaverb,anaction,aprocess.process.WhatisTheOutputHypothesis?WhatisTheOutputHypothesis?TheoutputhypothesisclaimsTheoutputhypothesisclaimsthattheactofproducingthattheactofproducinglanguage(speakingorwriting)language(speakingorwriting)constitutes,undercertainconstitutes,undercertaincircumstances,partofthecircumstances,partoftheprocessofsecondlanguageprocessofsecondlanguagelearning.learning.ThreefunctionsofoutputinThreefunctionsofoutputinsecondlanguagelearning:secondlanguagelearning:1)thenoticing/triggeringfunction1)thenoticing/triggeringfunction2)thehypothesis2)thehypothesis--testingfunctiontestingfunction3)the3)themetalinguisticmetalinguistic(reflective)(reflective)function.function.WhatwasthecontextinwhichtheWhatwasthecontextinwhichtheoutputhypothesiswasformulated?outputhypothesiswasformulated?TwoaspectsofthecontextthatareTwoaspectsofthecontextthatareimportanttomention.importanttomention.1.Thedominanttheoreticalparadigm1.Thedominanttheoreticalparadigmforsecondlanguageacquisitionforsecondlanguageacquisition(SLA)researchatthattime(1980s):(SLA)researchatthattime(1980s):informationinformation--processingtheory.processingtheory.2.Thewidespreadgrowthof2.ThewidespreadgrowthofFrenchimmersionprogramsinFrenchimmersionprogramsinCanada,theevaluationsofCanada,theevaluationsofwhichwereshowingsomewhichwereshowingsomeratherunexpectedfindings.ratherunexpectedfindings.InformationInformation--processingtheoryprocessingtheoryIntheearly1980Intheearly1980’’s,thes,theburgeoningfieldofSLAwasburgeoningfieldofSLAwasdominatedbytheconceptofdominatedbytheconceptofinput.input.““SecondSecond--languageacquisitionlanguageacquisitiontheoryprovidesaverycleartheoryprovidesaveryclearexplanationastowhyimmersionexplanationastowhyimmersionworks.Accordingtocurrenttheory,works.Accordingtocurrenttheory,weacquirelanguageinonlyoneweacquirelanguageinonlyoneway:whenweunderstandway:whenweunderstandmessagesinthatlanguage,whenwemessagesinthatlanguage,whenwereceivecomprehensibleinput.receivecomprehensibleinput.””((KrashenKrashen,1984,p61).,1984,p61).FrenchimmersionprogramsinFrenchimmersionprogramsinCanadaCanada--theFrenchproficiencyofthetheFrenchproficiencyoftheimmersionstudentswasmoreimmersionstudentswasmoreadvancedthanthatofstudentsadvancedthanthatofstudentstaking20to30minutesadaytaking20to30minutesadayofFSL.ofFSL.--onsometestsofFrenchlisteningonsometestsofFrenchlisteningandreadingcomprehension,andreadingcomprehension,FrenchimmersionstudentsFrenchimmersionstudentsobtainedscoressimilartothoseobtainedscoressimilartothoseobtainedbyfrancophonestudentsobtainedbyfrancophonestudentsofthesameage.ofthesameage.--tothesurpriseofsome,thetothesurpriseofsome,thespeakingandwritingabilitiesspeakingandwritingabilitiesofFrenchimmersionstudentsofFrenchimmersionstudentswere,inmanyways,differentwere,inmanyways,differentfromthoseoftheirFrenchfromthoseoftheirFrenchpeers.peers.TheselatterfindingsraiseddoubtsTheselatterfindingsraiseddoubtsformeaboutthevalidityoftheinputformeaboutthevalidityoftheinputhypothesis(Swain1985),mosthypothesis(Swain1985),mostparticularlyabouttheargumentthatparticularlyabouttheargumentthatcomprehensibleinputwascomprehensibleinputwas““theonlytheonlytruecauseofsecondtruecauseofsecond--languagelanguageacquisitionacquisition””((KrashenKrashen1984:61).1984:61).Alternativeexplanationsweresought.Alternativeexplanationsweresought.--Oneexplanation,basedonbothOneexplanation,basedonbothinformalandformalobservationsinformalandformalobservationsinimmersionclassrooms,wasinimmersionclassrooms,wastheoutputhypothesis(Swaintheoutputhypothesis(Swain1985).1985).--ObservationsrevealedthattheObservationsrevealedthattheimmersionstudentsdidno