Elicited imitation (EI) is a data collection technique in which participants hear a sentence and must repeat it as accurately as possible. Errors in repetition are not random: they reveal the structure of the learner's Interlanguage grammar, because learners can only accurately repeat structures they have acquired or automatised.
If repetition were simple mimicry, learners would reproduce any sentence they heard clearly. But EI research consistently shows that learners systematically alter sentences to match their own interlanguage grammar, omitting morphemes they have not acquired, restructuring syntax, and substituting forms. This suggests that the input is parsed through the learner's linguistic system before being reproduced, making EI a window into underlying competence.
Because EI is performed under time pressure (participants must repeat immediately), it is argued to tap implicit knowledge: the automatised, procedural knowledge used in real-time communication. This contrasts with untimed grammaticality judgement tests, which allow time for explicit reflection.
R. Ellis (2005) included EI as part of a battery of tests designed to separately measure implicit and explicit L2 knowledge. The EI task loaded with other implicit knowledge measures (timed GJT, oral narration) rather than with explicit knowledge measures (untimed GJT, metalinguistic knowledge test).
EI has been validated as a measure of global oral proficiency. Sentences increase gradually in length and complexity; the total accuracy score correlates strongly with independent proficiency assessments. This makes EI useful as a quick, standardised proficiency screening tool in SLA research.
| Parameter | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Sentence length | Grade from short (6-7 syllables) to long (19-20 syllables) |
| Structures | Target specific grammatical features at varying developmental levels |
| Delivery | Natural speech rate; each sentence heard once |
| Scoring | Exact repetition, meaning-preserving repetition, or structural accuracy |
| Time pressure | Immediate repetition (no delay) for implicit knowledge; delayed for memory |