ABSTRACT
Languages consist of symbols that refer to things in the world and that can be combined in systematic ways according to syntactic principles. We learn language in order to communicate: Our primary motivation is to share meanings. It is no more the aspiration of most language users to demonstrate sophisticated and elegant syntax in speaking than it is of most pedestrians to demonstrate formalized ballet technique in walking. Of course, we must, and do, acquire syntax in order to properly decode and express meanings. However, simple structures can allow the transmission of most messages, particularly when utterances are made in naturalistic contexts, so that predictable reference and redundancy of communication allow the correct interpretation of intended meaning, even from grammatically flawed language. There are lots of grammatical errors in everyday conversation, even in the native language (L1). Yet, in many naturalistic situations, an absence of syntactic sophistication is no more a handicap than is a limp; goals may be reached a little more tortuously, but they are usually attained none the less. Like 2-year-old children, foreign language (FL) learners of but a few months' experience can negotiate what they wish to eat for dinner; their artless grammar does not prejudice their survival.
