There Is More to Learning Words than Meets the Conscious Eye

Abstract

This study focuses on the role of attention in learning new language items. These include elements of varying size and schematicity, ranging from single morphemes, through words, phrases, partially-filled sequences, to entirely schematic grammatical patterns. Following cognitive-linguistic usage-based models, it is assumed that language learning takes place by observing examples of use found in the input and whose elements must be memorised. Given the nature of linguistic use and the deluge of information to which the learner is exposed at any moment, learning is highly unlikely to involve only a continuous focus of consciousness. Thus, the present contribution argues against the main claims of Richard Schmidt’s Noticing Hypothesis, under which learning is only possible when consciously attending to input elements. On the contrary, the development of proficiency is based mainly on unconscious learning mechanisms. The acquisition of phraseological compounds is particularly dependent on incidental learning.