Abstract
It is argued in this article that procedural knowledge of a second language as the goal of learning is best learned through the learning of exemplars of language use as instances of connecting meaning with form. Two recent theories, ACT-R theory of cognitive skill learning by Anderson (1993) and Usage-Based Model of language acquisition by Tomasello (2003), are cited to show the importance of exemplar learning in second language learning. In discussing the role of exemplars in second language learning, a distinction is made between item-learning and category-learning. Item-learning refers to the learning of particular expressions item by item as exemplars which show how intended meanings are encoded onto forms or how the procedures connecting them are executed. Category-learning is defined as the learning of abstract rules that govern a set of different expressions of the same construction. It is stressed that category-learning occurs at all levels of language and at various stages of learning. It is also claimed that category-learning provides the source from which a whole system of grammar of an interlanguage is formed. Finally it is concluded that the learning of exemplars constitutes the most essential part of second language learning.
