What is meant by "rules" is, of course, dependant on the definition, but in the field of SLA (second-language acquisition), "rules" are commonly understood to b

What is meant by "rules" is, of course, dependant on the definition, but in the field of SLA (second-language acquisition), "rules" are commonly understood to be like rules presented in language classrooms, and separate from "some kind of internal systematic (implicit) knowledge of language". What's the role of rules in language acquisition is being debated. Check this essay Against "rules" by SLA researchers Jason Rothman and Bill VanPatten. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263791085_Against_rules https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263791085_Against_r... EDIT: This non-expert article by the same author is more approachable: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/images/TLE/TLE_OctNov14_Article.pdf https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/images/TLE/TLE_Oct...