The use of formulaic speech is seen as a learning strategy in children's first language (L1) acquisition to a limited extent, and to an even greater extent in their second language (L2) acquisition. While the first utterances of the child learning L1 are mostly one-word constructions, many of them are routine words or phrases that the child learns as unanalyzable wholes. These units have specific semantic function and only later can their parts be altered to fit the situation. The utterances are limited, however, by phonological and memory limitations of the child. Once the child has these strategies and is well into learning L1, their use can be even more apparent in second language acquisition. Chronological age is of less importance than stage of linguistic development in L1 in determining whether a child will transfer the formulaic strategy to learning L2. The formulaic strings in L2 differ from those built from scratch by the child learner in that they are not filtered through the child's L1 phonology, and no situational meaning is attached to them. Competition from L1 causes the errors in L2 speech that are not formulaic. (PJM)