Monitor hypothesis
INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTIC
Before we get started, who is Krashen?
Stephen Krashen
 Linguist
 Educational Researcher
 Activist
 SLA Realist
 Educator
 Proposed the Monitor Model as his theory of second language acquisition in his influential text
Principles and practice in second language acquisition in 1982.
 Since 1980’s, Krashen has been publishing books and articles on his findings and theories of
second language leaning.
What is Monitor Hypothesis?
 It is one of the five hypothesis developed by the linguist Stephen Krashen.
 It explain the relationship between acquisition and learning.
 The acquisition is the utterance initiator, while the learning system performs the role of the
‘initiator’ or the ‘editor’.
 It asserts that a learner’s learned system acts as a monitor to what they are producing. In
other words, while only the acquired system is able o produce spontaneous speech, the
learned system is used check what is being spoken.
So, if we have enough…
 Time- Second language learners need enough time to think
 Focus on Grammatical Form
 We know the rules
 We can effectively monitor ourselves.
Three Types of Monitor Users
 The monitor Over User
- so concerned with the correctness of speech, they never really speak with any real
fluency.
-uses the monitor all the time.
They edit their speech too much.
-A study conducted in 1978 describes a monitor over-user to have accurate written English,
but the user was unable to communicate verbally (Safford & Covitt, 1978)
Some Characteristics:
1. They know many rules of the English Language.
2. They are not able to communicate in Speech.
3. Their written English might be quite accurate.
4. They don’t have speaking fluency because they are too concerned with being
grammatically correct.
5. When speaking, these language learners make many pauses, repetitions and speech repair.
The Monitor Under-user
-Usually appears speak fluently, but pays attention to form and has little knowledge
of rules.
-They may believe form and rules are important, but hey do not know the correct
form or rules.
--Does not care about correcting.
-They monitor themselves on how ‘’it feels’’ when they say it.
-Some Characteristics:
1. They don’t use monitor under any conditions even when they have the opportunity.
2. They don’t use conscious linguistic knowledge in their speaking performance.
3. These learner aren’t able to correct their own errors in written English.
4. These students might not like grammar.
5. They believe that grammar rules are important but hardly use when they speak.
6. These learners tend to rely on instinct to spot errors in their second language
performances.
7. These student are not embarrassed to make mistake.
The Monitor Optimal User
-They uses the monitor when it is appropriate and does not interfere with
conversation.
-They do not use their conscious of grammar in normal conversation but will use it
in writing and planned speech.
Some Characteristics are:
1. They have fluency and accuracy when they speak or write.
2. These learners are able to correct errors and mistakes in their own language
performance.
3. They know the rules and use them when they communicate.