Mental representation is not amenable to direct explicit instruction because UG and parsers operate only on input data¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r3 · q1
Currency · newest study 2010 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q1 i? UG-related aspects of acquisition are not susceptible to external influences such as explicit information, drilling, or correction, because the language faculty operates only on processed input data. → Bill VanPatten 2010

Evidence¶

Bill VanPatten 2010¶

Bill VanPatten. (2010). The Two Faces of SLA: Mental Representation and Skill. International Journal of English Studies, 10(1), 1-18. https://www.um.es/ijes doi:10.6018/ijes/2010/1/113951

q1 · i? · theoretical · r3

Theoretical argument in section I.3: the author reasons that UG and parsers/processors respond only to input data, like a bar-code scanner reading only what it is designed to read, so abstract features such as +/-STRONG cannot be taught explicitly. This is an argument, not a tested result; the article offers no direct empirical evidence here.

"UG—as part of the language faculty— operates only on processed data from the input; it cannot operate on information about the language"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Explicit L2 grammar instruction leads to larger learning effects than implicit instruction, as reported in the reviewed synthesis literature — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• A 2010 narrative review reports that processing-instruction studies show structured input without explicit information can change learner knowledge — related
• A 1982 bilingual-education teacher-training packet asserts, citing Krashen, that repetitive drill and grammar-focused instruction are ineffective for second language acquisition — a broader claim this one bears on
• Comprehensible input in natural language contexts is presented as essential to second language acquisition — related
• Learners show no first-language transfer for manner adverbs, judging sentence-final placement acceptable and pre-verbal placement unacceptable despite Chinese word order — related
• A 1999 conference paper reports, citing White (1991) and Schwartz and Gubala-Ryzak (1992), that explicit negative evidence on English adverb placement produced only superficial change in French learners — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Causal knowledge cannot be derived from data analysis alone but requires outside information about the data-generation process — related
• A 1999 conference paper reports, citing Ellis and LaPorte (1997), that instruction has little or no effect on the route of L2 acquisition — related
• Successes of form-focused manipulation of input in adult L2 are illusory with respect to linguistic competence, affecting only performance — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Form-focused instruction can contribute to the acquisition of second language implicit knowledge, as shown in studies measuring learners' free production — reports the opposite
• Applying skill theory to grammar conflates constructs: pedagogical rules are not what exists in learners' mental representation — related
• Second-study results corroborate the first study despite a shorter drill period of 20 versus 30 recitations — related