Short description:

Second Language Acquisition introduces the key areas in the field, including multilingualism, the role of teaching, the mental processing of multiple languages, and patterns of growth and decline.

Long description:

Second Language Acquisition:

• introduces the key areas in the field, including multilingualism, the role of teaching, the mental processing of multiple languages, and patterns of growth and decline


• explores the key theories and debates and elucidates areas of controversy


• gathers together influential readings from key names in the discipline, including: Vivian Cook, William E. Dunn and James P. Lantolf, S.P. Corder, and Nina Spada and Patsy Lightbown.

'The book is characterized by an ambitious scope, a well-thought out structure, and a balanced approach. It follows a clear progression from fundamental concepts in linguistics to models of acquisition to practical applications in language teaching. Complex information is presented in an easily accessible format without resorting to oversimplification or generalizations and without losing sight of the intended audience.' ? Studies in Language

'[De Bot, Lowie and Verspoor] have written a rare advanced SLA text: very readable, yet intriguing and challenging. This is a text for anyone with an interest in second language acquisition, applied linguistics, or Dynamic Systems Theory, and undoubtedly is a text that can profitably be read numerous times.' ? Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language

'...an impressive acheivement.' - Claire Foley, Boston College

Table of Contents:

Part A1: Defining the Field  2. Dynamic Systems Theory  3. Historical Perspectives  4. The Multilingual Mind  5. The Developing System  6. Learner's Characteristics  7. The Role of Instruction  8. The Dynamics of SLA Extended  Part B1: Multi-Competence and the Learning of Many Languages  2. What Counts in the Acquisition and Attrition of Numeral Classsifiers  3. Brain Imaging of Language Plasticity in Adopted Adults: Can a Second Language Replace the First?  4. Chaos/Complexity Science and Second Language Acquisition  5. Historical Perspectives Extended  6. The Significance of Learners' Errors  7. What Fruit Can Tell us About Lexico-Semantic Transfer: A Non-Structural Dimension to Learner's Perceptions of Linguistic Relations  8. Krashen's Monitor and Occam's Razor  9. The Multilingual Mind  10. Category Interference in Translation and Picture Naming  11. The Bilingual Lexicon 12. Making Sense of Polysemous Words  13. Bilingual Speech: From Concepts to Articulation  14. The Developing System Extended  15. The Role of Input and Interaction in Second Language Acquisition  16. Problems in Output and the Cognitive Processes they Generate: A Step Towards Second Language Learning  17. Learners' Characteristics Extended  18. Ultimate Attainment in ?2 Pronunciation: The Case of Very Advanced Late ?2 Learners  19. Towards a Full Model of Second Language Learning: An Empirical Investigation  20. Foreign Language Learning Differences: Affective or Native Aptitude Differences?  21. The Role of Instruction Extended  22. Form Focussed Instruction and Second Langauge Acquisition: A Review of Classroom and Laboratory Research  23. The Effects of Inferrring, Verifying and Memorising on the Rentention of ?2 Word Meanings: An Experimental Comparison of the Meaning-Inferred Method and the Meaning Given Method  24. Input, Interaction and Second Language Development: An Empirical Study of Question Formation in ESL  Part C1: Dynamic Systems Theory Explored  2. Historical Perspectives Explored  3. The Multilingual Mind Explored  4. The Developing System Explored, Second Language Acquisition and the Competition Model  5. Learner's Characteristics Explored  6. The Role of Instruction Explored