In two minds about grammar: On the interaction of linguistic and metalinguistic knowledge in performance

The investigation and discussion of metalinguistic ability requires a firm theoretical foundation if it is to contribute to a proper account of its role in L1 and L2 performance. A framework for elaborating more rigorous accounts of this and other major issues of language acquisition and performance will be presented here as a prerequisite to discussing the role of metalinguistic knowledge. In this framework, language performance is seen as involving two parallel language systems, one subserved by systems largely controlled by the principles of Universal Grammar (UG), the other, a metagrammar, existing outside the UG-controlled zone. To all intents and purposes they are quite divorced from one another but somehow have to act in concert to serve the various aims of the speaker. © The Philological Society 2004.