Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course, 4th Edition

The fourth edition of this bestselling introductory textbook, a cornerstone volume for the study of second language acquisition (SLA).

Its chapters provide a comprehensive yet accessible overview of the field and its related disciplines. Included are ections on using learner corpora, semantics and morphosyntax (within formal approaches to SLA), sociocultural approaches, gesture, priming research, and chaos theory have been added. Students will also find expanded discussions of heritage language learning, bilingualism, pragmatics, and much more.

The fourth edition of Second Language Acquisition retains the features that students found useful in previous editions but also provides pedagogical tools that encourage students to reflect upon the experiences of second language learners. As with previous editions, discussion questions and problems at the end of each chapter help students apply their knowledge, and a glossary defines and reinforces must-know terminology. This clearly-written, comprehensive, and current textbook, by expert Sue Gass, is the ideal textbook for the introductory SLA course in second language studies, applied linguistics, linguistics, TESOL, and language education programs.

Contents

1. Introduction 2. Second and Foreign Language Data 3. Where do Data Come From? 4. The Role of the Native Language: An Historical Overview 5. The Transition Period 6. Alternative Approaches to the Role of Previously Known Languages 7. Formal Approaches to SLA 8. The Lexicon 9. Typological and Functional Approaches 10. Looking at Interlanguage Processing 11. Interlanguage in Context 12. Input, interaction, and Output 13. Instructed Second Language Learning 14. Non-Language Influences 15. Related Disciplines 16. An Integrated View of Second Language Acquisition