Comprehensible Input

Comprehensible input is a central part of the input hypothesis developed by linguist Stephen Krashen in th 1970s. The main point is that a brain that is exposed to comprehensible input will learn new language, and the input must be comprehensible for the learner to gain new language. In the video link to the right, Krashen demonstrates the difference between receiving language input that is totally incomprehensible versus that which is comprehensible. A listener is capable of understanding a completely unknown language with additional scaffolds and support, as evidenced by Krashen's hand signals, drawings, and repetitions in the video.