Schmidt, Richard W.2015-12-152015-12-151983http://hdl.handle.net/10125/38650The purpose of this paper is to describe the progress made in learning English by a learner who has pursued the acquisition option over a period of five years. I will first describe the learner, "W," attempting to provide a fairly rich characterization of his personality, background, work and the social world he lives in. I will then provide a fairly broad (though partial) characterization of what has been acquired by W, as well as what has not been acquired. Finally, I will try to evaluate some current theories of second language acquisition, by discussing the degree to which they would predict or explain W's strengths and weaknesses in language learning.12 pageslanguage acquisitionunconsciousconsciousleaning environmentlearning interactionWorking Paperreformatted digitalLanguage acquisitionSubconsciousnessSocial interaction