This paper questions whether second language (L2) acquisition
research lives up to its claim to deal with the learner’s language as an
independent system. First the paper describes the original assumption
that learners have independent grammars and sees whether the terminology
of L2 acquisition research fits with this. Then it measures some
typical L2 research methodologies against this assumption. It argues
that the independence of the L2 user is a necessary tenet for L2 acquisition
research that has to be properly accommodated within the field,
adopting the practice of bilingualism research.
