The Role of Linguistic Input in the First Hours of Adult Language Learning

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Abstract
In the field of SLA, the dominant view of the starting point of SLA holds that the properties of the learner's first language (L1) grammar form the basis for the initial state of interlanguage development. It is assumed therefore that second‐language (L2) input processing happens through the lens of the L1 and that the perception of a discrepancy between the configuration of the L1 grammar and the L2 input triggers a restructuring of the developing system. This article takes a different approach to the analysis of the earliest stages of language learning. Based on results from an empirical study of the linguistic input (Polish) addressed to adult learners (French native speakers) in the first seconds, minutes, and hours of exposure to a novel target language as well as learners’ analysis of this input, it is argued that learners use a combination of knowledge stores, including but not limited to their L1 knowledge, to process the novel target language input to which they are exposed.

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