Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning

not exist and performers rely solely on patterns and routine to communicate.

Prefabricated routines may evolve into patterns, but at the same time, independently, the creative construction process develops. This implies that in some situations propositional language may "catch up" with automatic speech--that is, the language acquisition process may "reanalyze" patterns and routines as creative constructions.

Prefabricated routines may evolve into prefabricated patterns (as in position 1) and these patterns may evolve directly into creative language. In other words routines and patterns may be ingredients of the creative process.

The following sections will briefly review the literature on routine and patterns in neurolinguistics, child first language acquisition, child second language acquisition, and adult second language. We interpret this literature as fully consistent with only position 2.

Van Lancker (1972, p.25) defines automatic speech as "conventional greetings, overused and overlearned expressions (such as 'be careful' and 'first things first'), pause fillers such as 'you know' and 'well', certain idioms, swearing, and other emotional language, perhaps stereotyped questions and answers, commands, ...". Automatic speech (AS) thus appears to share some of the characteristics of routines and patterns.

The most striking neurolinguistic fact about automatic speech is that AS, as contrasted with propositional language, which is lateralized to the left hemisphere (see Krashen, 1976b, for a review), may be represented in both sides of the brain. That is, automatic speech is localized in both the right and left cerebral hemispheres.

The primary evidence for this is the fact that routines and patterns are often preserved in case of nonfluent (syntactic) aphasia and after left hemispherectomy. Patients who have suffered left brain damage, who have lost the ability to speak, can often use automatic speech, as can those who have undergone removal of the left hemisphere during