Noticing Function Of Language Output And Second Language Acquisition

The present study examines the noticing function of output proposed by Merrill Swain(1994, 1995, 1998), which claims that the activity of producing the target language mayprompt L2 learners to consciously recognize their linguistic problems and bring their attentionto the relevant aspects of the L2. This study attempts to answer the following two questions:1). Does learner output promote the noticing of linguistic features when input is subsequentlyprovided? 2) Does output facilitate the acquisition of the relevant linguistic features?By the experiment on the 72 subjects, who are divided into Experimental Group (EG) andComparison Group (CP), the study reveals that:1.The EG underlined a higher percentage of hypothetical-conditional-related items out ofthe total items underlined.2.The EG demonstrated a significant rate of uptake of the target form in theirreproduction immediately following the exposure.3.Both groups demonstrated significant increase in their test scores from the pretest tothe posttest. However, the EG achieved more significant improvement in the score of clozeand Chinese-English translation than the CG.The above findings prove that the EG focuses more attention on the target form andprocesses the target sentences more deeply and elaborately so that it enhances theiracquisition of the target language.Findings of the present study have significant implications both theoretically andpedagogically. They support Swain's Output Hypothesis and provide empirical support forSchmidt's claim that "task demands are a powerful determinant of what is noticed". Thefindings also have positive influence on practice. They imply asking learners do some relatedoutput before they are presented the input material will help learners to acquire the targetlanguage syntactically, semantically and pragmatically.