The Bottleneck Hypothesis and the Language Classroom

Prof. Dr. Roumyana Slabakova, University of Southampton, UiT The Arctic University of Norway

In this presentation, I will sketch the rationale and empirical support of the Bottleneck Hypothesis (Slabakova 2006, 2008, 2016). The hypothesis identifies what is hard and what is easy to acquire in a second language. The realization that functional morphology is the hardest part of the grammar to acquire logically leads to the implication that it should be explained and practiced in the classroom. Several recently published studies will be discussed as examples.