ESL Term:

Monitor Hypothesis

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monitor hypothesis:  According to Krashen's acquisition-learning hypothesis, there are two ways to approach language learning: acquisition and learning. Acquisition helps us produce natural, rapid, and fluent speech.  Learning, which is a conscious study of form, helps us edit this speech. In other words, when we learn something it won't help us produce fluent communication, but it will help us monitor our communication and correct minor errors.  However, in order for a learned system to be effective as a monitor, a learner must have sufficient time, and knowledge of the rules.