ABSTRACT
The structuralist theories that dominated the field of linguistics during the twentieth century advocated a separation of language use from the more abstract knowledge of language structure. For Saussure this distinction went under the labels of langue (knowledge of language) and parole (speech) (de Saussure, 1915/1966). In Chomskian theory the distinction is made between competence (tacit knowledge of language structure) and performance (the actual use of language) (Chomsky, 1965). Because knowledge of structure was taken to be the main object of study, there was little interest in the potential effects that usage might have on cognitive structures. However, common sense tells us that for second language learners, repeated exposure and practice are essential to the development of the cognitive structures that lead to fluent and grammatical speech.
