THE COMPETENCE OF PROCESSING - CLASSIFYING THEORIES OF 2ND LANGUAGE-ACQUISITION

Theories of second language acquisition are frequently divided into two groups: competence theories and processing theories. These categories seem to be derived from the Chomskyan distinction between competence and performance in language use. This paper evaluates this distinction by examining Chomsky's definitions for competence and performance, and setting out criteria for competence theories. This analysis leads to the need for a reclassification of theories in these terms. 1990 TESOL International Association