10 Organizing Principles for Language Acquisition and Error

1.		There is an intimate relationship between language acquisition and the amount of risk-taking, vulnerability and intuition encouraged by the teacher and exhibited by the learner.
2.		'Language transfer' may be the single most common strategy deployed by language learners.
3.		'Error' (linguistic interference) is a byproduct of language transfer.
4.		An 'error' is not the same as a 'mistake'.
5.		In the language acquisition process, error is best viewed as a positive, not a negative.
6.		For all intents and purposes, 'Ideal bilingualism' is unattainable.
7.		Language teachers are responsible for a minimum of 3 languages in the classroom: L1, L2 and 'Interlanguage'.
8.		Language moves from 'non-standard' toward 'standard', with or without instructional intervention.
9.		All language 'fossilizes'.
10.		'Interlingualism' is our instructional target.