Which hypothesis claims that language learning occurs only for the features learners notice in the input?

• A. Noticing hypothesis
• B. Processability theory
• C. Processing instruction
• D. Recast

Answer: (A)

Noticing in the input is what determines what learners actually acquire. The Noticing hypothesis states that for a linguistic feature to enter a learner’s developing knowledge, the learner must notice it in the input. Exposure alone isn’t enough; attention to form is required. If a learner never notices a form, it won’t be learned, even if it appears in the language they hear or read. This helps explain why tasks or activities that direct attention to specific forms can boost learning, whereas simply providing language exposure may not lead to acquisition of unattended features. The other concepts focus on different aspects of how learning can be supported—guiding processing to reveal forms, using feedback to repair utterances, or describing the order forms are learned due to processing limits—without claiming that learning happens exclusively for features that are noticed.