Introducing Second Language Acquisition Perspectives and Practices

Introducing Second Language Acquisition: Perspectives and Practices represents a clear and concise introduction to the main concepts, issues, and debates in second language acquisition studies aimed specifically at undergraduates encountering the topic for the first time.

• Follows six fictitious language learners throughout the text whose stories serve to introduce various concepts and issues
• Contains specific chapters on first language acquisition and bilingualism, as well as explicit references to the most recent and important research
• Covers key topics including acquisition contexts, theoretical perspectives, language teaching methods, second language development, and individual differences (such as age, aptitude, and motivation)
• Grabs student attention with lighthearted cartoons that illustrate and reinforce key ideas
• Features a full range of pedagogical tools to aid student learning, including “language learning in practice” textboxes; bolded new terms defined in the margins; an end-of-book glossary; self-assessment and classroom discussion questions; exercise and project ideas; and further online viewing sections

Kirsten M. Hummel is Professor in the Department of Languages, Linguistics, and Translation at Laval University, Quebec, Canada. She is the editor of An Introduction to Language, Fourth Canadian Edition (with V. Fromkin, R. Rodman and N. Hyams, 2010), has published in several areas of second language acquisition, and has taught as a visiting professor in Eastern Europe and Central Africa.

1 Introduction 1

2 First Language Acquisition 5

2.0 Chapter overview 6

2.1 From sound to word 6

2.2 From word to sentence 10

2.3 Theoretical views 13

2.4 First language vs second language acquisition 18

2.5 Summing up 25

Key concepts 26

Self-assessment questions 26

Discussion questions 27

Exercises/Project ideas 28

Further reading and viewing 30

References 31

3 Language Learning Contexts 35

3.0 Chapter overview 36

3.1 Naturalistic contexts 36

3.2 Instructed learning 41

3.3 Summing up 52

Key concepts 52

Self-assessment questions 53

Discussion questions 54

Exercises/Project ideas 54

Further reading and viewing 55

References 55

4 Theoretical Perspectives: Past and Present 59

4.0 Chapter overview 60

4.1 Contrastive analysis 61

4.2 Error analysis 64

4.3 Universal Grammar 67

4.4 The Monitor Model/Input Hypothesis 70

4.5 Information processing/cognitive approach 75

4.6 Processing-related hypotheses 77

4.7 Emergentism and usage-based approaches 86

4.8 The Sociocultural approach 91

4.9 Summing up 93

Key concepts 94

Self-assessment questions 95

Discussion questions 96

Exercises/Project ideas 97

Further reading and viewing 97

References 99

5 Teaching Approaches and Instructional Issues 105

5.0 Chapter overview 106

5.1 Historical and current perspectives on language teaching 106

5.2 Classroom instructional issues 118

5.3 Summing up 129

Key concepts 130

Self-assessment questions 130

Discussion questions 131

Exercises/Project ideas 132

Further reading and viewing 132

References 133

6 Second Language Development 137

6.0 Chapter overview 138

6.1 Common processes and infl uences 138

6.2 L2 development across linguistic sub-areas 144

6.3 Investigating learner language: Language corpora 159

6.4 Summing up 159

Key concepts 160

Self-assessment questions 160

Discussion questions 161

Exercises/Project ideas 162

Further reading and viewing 162

References 163

7 The Age Factor 169

7.0 Chapter overview 170

7.1 The  critical period hypothesis 170

7.2 Abnormal instances: Children raised in isolation 173

7.3 Empirical studies 174

7.4 Exceptional cases 184

7.5 Summing up 185

Key concepts 186

Self-assessment questions 186

Discussion questions 187

Exercises/Project ideas 188

Further reading and viewing 188

References 189

8 Individual Differences 193

8.0 Chapter overview 194

8.1 Intelligence 194

8.2 Language learning aptitude 195

8.3 Attitudes and motivation 201

8.4 Personality 205

8.5 Learning style and cognitive style 208

8.6 Learning strategies 211

8.7 Summing up 214

Key concepts 214

Self-assessment questions 215

Discussion questions 216

Exercises/Project ideas 216

Further reading and viewing 217

References 217

9 Bilingualism 223

9.0 Chapter overview 224

9.1 Who is a bilingual? Defi nitions of bilingualism 224

9.2 Bilingual development 228

9.3 Bilingual lexical representation and lexical access 234

9.4 Bilingual cognition 241

9.5 Summing up 242

Key concepts 243

Self-assessment questions 243

Discussion questions 244

Exercises/Project ideas 244

Further reading and viewing 245

References 246

10 Concluding Words 251

Epilogue 252

Glossary 255

Index 267

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