The Importance of Input Data in Second Language Acquisition Studies

In investigating second language acquisition, most writers have concentrated on the speech production of their subjects, most frequently on the order of acquisition of a set of morphemes. Such studies are useful in descriptive terms especially if they consider acquisition of both form and function, but they leave us with many unanswered questions regarding the acquisition process. The following paper discusses the relationship between speech directed to the learner and his speech production, one of several areas which require further investigation.