Longman Dictionary of

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learner driver may operate a car using controlled processing, consciously
thinking about many of the decisions and operations involved
while driving. Automatic processing is involved when the learner
carries out the task without awareness or attention, making more use
of information in long-term memory (see MEMORY). Many skills are
considered to be ‘learned’ when they can be performed with automatic
processing.
In language learning, the distinction between controlled and automatic
processing has been used to explain why learners sometimes perform
differently under different conditions. For example, a learner may
speak a foreign language with relatively few grammatical errors in
situations where automatic processing is being used (e.g. when talking
in relaxed situations among friends). The same learner may speak less
fluently and make more grammatical errors when controlled processing
is being used (e.g. when speaking in public before an audience).
The presence of the audience distracts the speaker, who uses more
controlled processing and this interferes with his or her accuracy and
fluency.
automatic translation n
see under COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS
automaticity n
the ability to carry out an activity or to process information without
effort or attention.
see AUTOMATIC PROCESSING
autonomous learning n
see LEARNER AUTONOMY
autonomy principle n
the idea that grammatical notions cannot be reduced to nonlinguistic concepts.
autosegmental phonology n
a theory of phonology that does not view representations as merely a
linear string of segments but in terms of tiers, each of which is
autonomous. Autosegmental phonology has been shown to be especially
relevant for the treatment of phonological TONE 1 .
auxiliary n
another term for AUXILIARY VERB
auxiliary
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