On Routines and Patterns in Language Acquisition and Performance1

It is sometimes claimed that routines and patterns play a major role in language acquisition: specifically, that routines and patterns directly foster the development of syntactic structure. In order to determine the true status and function of routines and patterns in language acquisition and performance, we examine several explanations of routines and patterns in light of the literature on automatic speech in neurolinguistics, child first language acquisition, child second language acquisition, and adult second language acquisition. In doing this, we relate routines and patterns to what has been called “automatic speech” and the “gestalt mode”. We conclude by: 1. asserting that the use of routines and patterns may be encouraged when conversational demands are present and the acquirer is not yet competent in the second language and 2. arguing that routines and patterns, while useful in establishing and maintaining relations (Fillmore 1976), do not serve a primary role in language acquisition and performance.