The Role of Length of Exposure on the Grammatical Learning of EFL Learners

The paper reports on the findings of the role of the length of exposure on the grammatical learning offoreign language learners. Language input and linguistic exposure are regarded as influential factors inlanguage learning process, both in second and foreign language settings. It is believed that withsufficient amount of input, even the hardest part of language can be easily learnt by adults. Accordingto Usage-Based theory, input exposure affects lexical acquisition but not grammatical acquisition. Thispaper also presents an examination on whether grammatical learning is usage-based. A grammaticalityjudgment test is administered to female Iranian learners with each having different instructionalexposure to English. The results can be specifically useful for foreign language learners because, unlikein second language settings, Iranian learners have limited access to language input.

Keywords:

linguistic exposure , usage-based theory , input , grammatical learning