Understanding the way in which learners differ from one another is of fundamental concern to those involved in second-language acquisition, either as researchers or teachers. This account is the first to review at book length the important research into differences, considering matters such as aptitude, motivation, learner strategies, personality and interaction between learner characteristics and types of instruction.
(a) by responding positively to the given learning opportunities, or by identifying
and seeking preferred learning environments and exploiting them. (b) by adding
related language learning activities to the regular programme, and/or intensifying
...
From the ancient Mediterranean world to the present day, our conceptions of what is universal in language have interacted with our experiences of language learning. This book tells two stories: the story of how scholars in the west have conceived of the fact that human languages share important properties despite their obvious differences, and the story of how westerners have understood the nature of second or foreign language learning. In narrating these two stories, the author argues that modern second language acquisition theory needs to reassess what counts as its own past. The book addresses Greek contributions to the prehistory of universal grammar, Roman bilingualism, the emergence of the first foreign language grammars in the early Middle Ages, and the Medieval speculative grammarians efforts to define the essentials of human language. The author shows how after the renaissance expanded people's awareness of language differences, scholars returned to the questions of universals in the context of second language learning, including in the 1660 Port-Royal grammar which Chomsky notoriously celebrated in Cartesian Linguistics. The book then looks at how Post-Saussurean European linguistics and American structuralism up to modern generative grammar have each differently conceived of universals and language learning. Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition is a remarkable contribution to the history of linguistics and will be essential reading for students and scholars of linguistics, specialists in second language acquisition and language teacher-educators.
This chapter depicts second language learning and conceptualization of the
shared properties of languages between the fourth or fifth century CE until the
end of the first millennium. Because Christianity influenced the evolution of both
topics ...
On Second Language Writing brings together internationally recognized scholars in a collection of original articles that, collectively, delineate and explore central issues with regard to theory, research, instruction, assessment, politics, articulation with other disciplines, and standards. In recent years, there has been a dramatic growth of interest in second-language writing and writing instruction in many parts of the world. Although an increasing number of researchers and teachers in both second-language studies and composition studies have come to identify themselves as specialists in second-language writing, research and teaching practices have been dispersed into several different disciplinary and institutional contexts because of the interdisciplinary nature of the field. This volume is the first to bring together prominent second-language writing specialists to systematically address basic issues in the field and to consider the state of the art at the end of the century (and the millennium).
Joan G. Carson Georgia State University Considering the intersection of second language acquisition (SLA) and second language (L2) writing is no easy task.
SLA theory aims to describe and explain learners' competence. L2 writing
focuses ...
Strategies in Learning and Using a Second Language examines what it takes to achieve long-term success in languages beyond the first language. Distinguishing language learning from language-use strategies, Andrew D. Cohen disentangles a morass of terminology to help the reader see what language strategies are and how they can enhance performance. Particular areas of research examined in the book include: - links between the use of task-specific strategies and language performance - how multilinguals verbalise their thoughts during language learning and use strategies that learners use in test-taking contexts In this fully revised and substantially rewritten second edition, every chapter has been reworked, with material either updated or replaced. Entirely new material has also been developed based on examples of specific strategies supplied by actual learners, mostly drawn from a website featuring these strategies in the learning of Spanish grammar.Strategies in Learning and Using a Second language will be an invaluable resource for language teachers and researchers, as well as for administrators of second language programmes and for students of applied linguistics.
language. of. thought. 6.1. Introduction. S. ofar in thisvolume, wehave defined
languagelearner strategies and strategy instruction, lookedat ways to measure
strategies, offered some ideas as to how strategy instruction can be delivered, ...
The age for early language learning has dropped dramatically in the past decade to include children under 6 years old, yet very little published research exists to support the implementation of such programmes. Drawing on a synthesis of theory, research and practice, this edited volume makes an innovative contribution to literature concerning language education for very young children. It explores language learning in a wide range of geographical contexts with reference to second and foreign language learning, bilingualism and plurilingualism with children under the age of 6 years old. Chapters present discussion around teacher education, policy-making, international case studies, school and home-based projects, code switching and language use, and methodologies and approaches. Early Years Second Language Education: International perspectives on theory and practice will be essential reading for researchers, academics, teacher trainers, and post-graduate students in the fields of early years education, foreign and second language education, language didactics and teacher education.
Introduction The introduction of early second language (L2) learning has been
increasingly promoted in Europe during the last decade. European policies
emphasize the importance of multilingual competences asa vital factor for
personal ...
Second Language Learning Theories is an introduction to the field of second language learning for students without a substantial background in linguistics. Drawing on the expertise of both a specialist in the teaching of second languages and a linguist specializing in second language acquisition, this textbook provides an up-to-date introductory survey of the most active and significant perspectives on the subject. In this new edition, the authors have revised and updated the text throughout to reflect the substantial developments that have taken place in the field in recent years. New studies have been incorporated as examples and there is more material on work in L2 phonology and lexis, as well as syntax. The evaluation sections in each chapter have been expanded and generally the book is rebalanced in favour of newer material. The first edition quickly established itself as the textbook of choice for students new to second language learning. The updates and revisions in this new edition ensure that the book remains as fresh, engaging and useful as the day it was first published.
Other contemporary theorists continue to lay stress on the 'practice' function of language production, especially in building up fluency and control of an
emergent second language system. For example, informationprocessing
theorists ...
Addressing a rapidly growing interest in second language research, this hands-on text provides students and researchers with the means to understand and use current methods in psycholinguistics. With a focus on the actual methods, designs, and techniques used in psycholinguistics research as they are applied to second language learners, this book offers the practical guidance readers need to determine which method is the best for what they wish to investigate as well as the tools that will enhance their research. Each methods chapter is written by a leading expert who describes, discusses, and comments on how a method is used and what its strengths and limitations are for second language research. These chapters follow a specific format to ensure cohesion and a predictable structure across all chapters. The chapters also inform the novice researcher on such key issues as ease of use, costs, potential pitfalls, and other related matters, each of which impact decisions that researchers make about the paths they take. With the most reliable information available from experienced reseachers, Research Methods in Second Language Psycholinguistics is an essential resource for anyone interested in conducting second language reserach using psycholinguistic methods.
Some researchers study the mental lexicon in monolinguals, or individuals who
speak only one language. Other psycholinguists study bilinguals, or individuals
who speak more than one language. Studying bilinguals allows researchers to ...
The second edition of Theories in Second Language Acquisition seeks to build on the strengths of the first edition by surveying the major theories currently used in second language acquisition research. This volume is an ideal introductory text for undergraduate and graduate students in SLA and language teaching. Each chapter focuses on a single theory, written by a leading scholar in the field in an easy-to-follow style – a basic foundational description of the theory, relevant data or research models used with this theory, common misunderstandings, and a sample study from the field to show the theory in practice. This text is designed to provide a consistent and coherent presentation for those new to the field who seek basic understanding of theories that underlie contemporary SLA research. Researchers will also find the book useful as a "quick guide" to theoretical work outside their respective domains.
As a field, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is vibrant. It began in the late
1960s, with key initial developments during the decade of the 1970s. Most
scholars agree that the coming of age as an autonomous discipline happened
some time ...
Lexical Processing and Second Language Acquisition provides a comprehensive overview of research on second language lexical processing, integrating converging research and perspectives from Cognitive Science and Second Language Acquisition. The book begins by introducing the dominant issues addressed by research in the field in cognitive science and discussing the relevant models in the literature. It later moves toward exploring the different factors that impact second language lexical processing as well as cognitive neuroscientific approaches to the study of the issues discussed throughout the book. A concluding chapter offers a global summary of the key issues and research strands, in addition to directions for future research, with a list of recommended readings providing students and researchers with avenues for further study.
As already alluded to in the preceding chapters, several characteristics of the
learner may have an impact on second language lexical processing. In this
chapter, we will consider three specific learner characteristics that may prove
important ...
The purpose of this workbook is to provide students with practice in analyzing second language data. For the student of second language learning, "hands-on" experience with actual data is essential in understanding the processes involved in learning a second language. Working through exemplars of the kinds of interlanguages that learners do and do not create brings about a clearer understanding of the principles underlying these interlanguages, as well as the universal principles of language learning (those that are independent of particular languages and interlanguages). The goal in this workbook is to present data organized in such a way that by working through pedagogically presented data-sets, students are led to a discovery and understanding of theoretical and/or methodological issues. In addition, they acquire the ability to interpret data and to begin to draw conclusions from them. The authors intend that students should go from the data to a conclusion that includes a 3-part statement: *what else you should want to know about these data; *why this, specifically, and not something else; and *how one can empirically research what you want to find out. This sequence of questions forces students to constantly keep in mind the important question of falsification: What kind of data would it take to falsify the particular conclusions the students come to? As with the earlier edition of this workbook (Sorace, Gass, & Selinker), two audiocassettes provide language samples for use in the exercises. These cassettes and the teacher's manual are offered free of charge on adoption of the workbook for classroom use; a three-part set (workbook/manual/tapes) is also available.
L2 acquisition and the ontology of language universals. In W. Rutherford (Ed.),
Second Language Acquisition and Language Universals (pp. 33 68); Data from E
. Broselow, Nonobvious transfer: on predicting epenthesis errors, in S. Gass & L.
