Modified input refers to the systematic adjustments native or proficient speakers make when addressing less proficient interlocutors. Ferguson (1971) coined the term foreigner talk for this register; in classroom contexts it is called teacher talk. These modifications operate at every linguistic level and serve to increase comprehensibility.
| Level | Modifications |
|---|---|
| Phonological | Slower rate, clearer articulation, longer pauses, exaggerated intonation |
| Lexical | Higher-frequency vocabulary, fewer idioms, paraphrase of low-frequency items |
| Syntactic | Shorter utterances, less subordination, more declaratives, canonical word order |
| Discourse | More repetition, self-paraphrase, comprehension checks, topic fronting |
A critical distinction in SLA research (Long, 1983; Pica, 1994):
Research consistently finds that interactionally modified input is more beneficial for acquisition than pre-modified input (Pica, Young & Doughty, 1987; Long, 1996). The learner's active participation in making input comprehensible, rather than passive reception of simplified language, appears to be the acquisitional mechanism.
Over-simplification can deprive learners of the complex input they need for development. The goal is not minimal input but elaborated input: maintaining linguistic complexity while adding redundancy, paraphrase, and interactional support. This aligns with TBLT's preference for authentic or near-authentic materials combined with interactional scaffolding.