FROM RULES TO DEVELOPMENT: GRAMMAR AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/gph2026.858-859.292-302Keywords:
second language acquisition, grammar instruction, explicit and implicit learning, form-focused instruction, explicit and implicit knowledgeAbstract
This article examines the role of grammar in second language (L2) learning and teaching by critically reviewing major theoretical and empirical developments in second language acquisition (SLA) research. It argues that traditional approaches to grammar instruction, often grounded in rule memorization and decontextualized practice, fail to adequately reflect how grammatical knowledge develops in the learner’s mind and how it is gradually integrated into communicative use. The article first explores competing conceptions of grammar, including traditional, structuralist, generative, usage-based, and functional perspectives, highlighting how each frames grammatical knowledge in fundamentally different ways. It then reviews key SLA theories concerning interlanguage development, input and intake, implicit and explicit knowledge, and the relationship between consciousness and acquisition, with particular attention to how these frameworks conceptualize learning mechanisms. The article argues that although explicit instruction and attention to form may support certain aspects of linguistic performance and metalinguistic awareness, durable grammatical development depends primarily on sustained exposure to meaningful input and repeated engagement with language in communicative contexts over time. It further suggests that gains observed in controlled instructional settings do not necessarily translate into spontaneous language use. The discussion concludes by emphasizing the need for conceptually coherent and evidence-based pedagogical approaches that clearly distinguish between teaching grammatical descriptions and fostering genuine grammatical development in second language learners.
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