The Output Hypothesis: Theory and Research

In the 1980s, the word “output” was used to indicate the outcome, or product, of the language acquisitiondevice.Outputwas synonymouswith “what the learner/system has learned.” In the decades that have followed, therefore, it is perhaps not surprising that the second language learning literature has been slow to take on the concept of output as part of the process of learning, not simply the product of it. In this chapter, my intent is to provide a description of the “the output hypothesis”: the context in which itwasproposed, supporting researchand theoretical underpinnings, and future directions. This review will show that though an uphill battle, there has been a shift in meaning from output as a noun, a thing, or a product to output as a verb, an action, or a process.