SANDHI-VARIATION: A FILTER OF INPUT FOR LEARNERS OF ESL

When considering the process of second language acquisition, it is useful and important to distinguish between input and intake since, due to various factors, language learners do not take in all the language they are exposed to. Perceptual saliency—a formal characteristic of the input—is believed to be one of these factors. This experiment was conducted to determine how the presence of sandhi‐variation, a common characteristic of spoken English which reduces the perceptual saliency of many of its features, affects the comprehensibility of English input. Assuming that comprehension is dependent not only on signal clarity but also on cognitive factors, it was hypothesized that the presence of sandhi‐variation in the input would reduce comprehension less when listeners were proficient in English than when they were learning the language. The results support this hypothesis and lead to the conclusion that for those whose knowledge of English is sufficient to compensate for reduced perceptual saliency. sandhi‐variation affects the input‐to‐intake process very little. For ESL learners, however, sandhi‐variation is an important input‐intake filter. These findings are discussed in connection with the input hypothesis of second language acquisition. Implications include the possible benefits of modified input and formal instruction for ESL learners.