Issues In Second Language Acquisition Research Articles

Handbook of Second Language Acquisition

W.C. Ritchie and T.K. Bhatia, Second Language Acquisition: Introduction, Foundations, and Overview. Research and Theoretical Issues in Second Language Acquisition: K.R. Gregg, The Logical and Developmental Problems of Second Language Acquisition. Issues of Maturation and Modularity in Second Language Acquisition: L. White, Universal Grammar and Second Language Acquisition: Current Trends and New Directions. S. Flynn, A Parameter-Setting Approach to Second Language Acquisition. J. Schachter, Maturation and the Issue of Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition. F.R. Eckman, A Functional-Typological Approach to Second Language Acquisition Theory. B. McLaughlin and R. Heredia, Information-Processing Approaches to Research on Second Language Acquisition and Use. D. Preston, Variationist Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. Second Language Speech and the Influence of the First Language: J. Leather and A. James, Second Language Speech. S. Gass, Second Language Acquisition and Linguistic Theory: The Role of Language Transfer. Research Methodology and Applications: D. Nunan, Issues in Second Language Acquisition Research: Examining Substance and Procedure. A. Sorace, The Use of Acceptability Judgments in Second Language Acquisition Research. Modality and the Linguistic Environment in Second Language Acquisition: M.H. Long, The Role of the Linguistic Environment in Second Language Acquisition. G.P. Berent, The Acquisition of English Syntax by Deaf Learners. The Neuropsychology of Second Language Acquisition and Use: L.K. Obler and S. Hannigan, Neurolinguistics of Second Language Acquisition and Use. Language Contact and its Consequences: R.W. Anderson and Y. Shirai, The Primacy of Aspect in First and Second Language Acquisition: The Pidgin-Creole Connection. S. Romaine, Bilingualism. H.W. Seliger, Primary Language Attrition in the Context of Bilingualism. T.K. Bhatia and W.C. Ritchie, Bilingual Language Mixing, Universal Grammar, and Second Language Acquisition. Glossary. Author Index. Subject Index.

PSYCHOLINGUISTIC APPROACHES TO SLA

These are exciting times for research into the psychological processes underlying second language acquisition (SLA). In the 1970s, SLA emerged as a field of inquiry in its own right (Brown 1980), and in the 1980s, a number of different approaches to central questions in the field began to develop in parallel and in relative isolation (McLaughlin and Harrington 1990). In the 1990s, however, these different approaches began to confront one another directly. Now we are entering a period reminiscent, in many ways, of the intellectually turbulent times following the Chomskyan revolution (Chomsky 1957; 1965). Now, as then, researchers are debating basic premises of a science of mind, language, and learning. Some might complain, not entirely without reason, that we are still debating the same issues after 30–40 years. However, there are now new conceptual and research tools available to test hypotheses in ways previously thought impossible. Because of this, many psychologists believe there will soon be significant advancement on some SLA issues that have resisted closure for decades. We outline some of these developments and explore where the field may be heading. More than ever, it appears possible that psychological theory and SLA theory are converging on solutions to common issues.

Linguistics, Language Acquisition, and Language Variation: Current Trends and Future Prospects

This volume examines linguistics, language acquisition, and language variation, emphasizing their implications for teacher education and language education. A majority of the essays consider issues in second language acquisition, dealing specifically with learners and instructors, or concentrating on the larger social and societal context in which learning and acquisition occur. Topics highlighted include the current and often controversial debate over bilingual education, language variation, and the past, present, and future role of linguistics in language pedagogy.

Current issues in second language acquisition and development

This book provides the most updated discussion of the most important issues facing students, scholars, and researchers in second language acquisition research and development. Contents: Current Issues in Second Language Acquisition and Development: An Introduction, Carol A. Blackshire-Belay; Section 1: Language Development and Transfer. Native Language Transfer and Universal Simplification, Robin Sabino; Aspect Transferability (Or: What Gets Lost in the Translation-and Why?), Terence Odlin; Creole Verb Serialization: Transfer or Spontaneity? Frank Byrne; Section 2: Learner Variables in Second Language Acquisition. Contexts for Second Language Acquisition, Elsa Lattey; Language Acquisition, Biography and Bilingualism, Ulrich Steinmuller; Acquisition of Japanese by American Businessmen in Tokyo: How Much and Why? Yoshiko Matsumoto; Section 3: Issues in Interlanguage Development. Abrupt Restructuring Versus Gradual Acquisition, Hanna Pishwa; Variability in Grammatical Analysis: On Recognizing Verbal Markers in Foreign Workers' German, Carol A. Blackshire-Belay; Sketch of an Interlanguage Rule System: Advanced Nonnative German Gender Assignment, Joe Salmons.

Analysis and Control in the Development of Second Language Proficiency

This paper describes a cognitive framework for explaining the acquisition and use of a second language. The framework is based on the identification of two cognitive processing components, calledanalysis of knowledgeandcontrol of processing, that jointly function to develop proficiency in the language. The framework is explained briefly and then applied to five issues in second language acquisition: the similarity of first and second language learning, the starting point for second language acquisition, consciousness, variability, and instruction.

Monolingual Bias in SLA Research

Lightbown, P. M., Spada, N., & Wallace, R. (1980). Some effects of instruction on child and adult ESL learners. In R. Scarcella & S. Krashen (Eds.), Research in second language acquisition (pp. 162-172). Rowley, MA: Newbury House. Long, M. H. (1988). Instructed interlanguage development. In L. M. Beebe (Ed.), Issues in second language acquisition: Multiple perspectives (pp. 115-141). New York: Newbury House. Long, M. H. (1989). Task, group and task group interactions. Plenary address delivered at the RELC annual conference, Singapore. Long, M. H., & Crookes, G. (1992). Three approaches to task-based syllabus design. TESOL Quarterly, 26, 27-56. Long, M. H., & Porter, P. (1985). Group work, interlanguage talk, and second language acquisition. TESOL Quarterly, 19, 207-228. Long, M. H., & Richards, J. C. (Eds.). (1987). Methodology in TESOL: A book of readings. New York: Newbury House. Mason, C. (1971). The relevance of intensive training in English as a foreign language for university students. Language Learning, 21, 197-204. Nunan, D. (1991). Language teaching methodology. New York: Prentice Hall. Pica, T. (1983). Adult acquisition of English as a second language under three conditions of exposure. Language Learning, 33, 465-497. Rutherford, E., & Sharwood Smith, M. (Eds.). (1988). Grammar and second language teaching: A book of readings. New York: Newbury House/Harper & Row. Spada, N. (1987). Relationships between instructional differences and learning outcomes: A process-product study of communicative language teaching. Applied Linguistics, 18, 137-161. Strevens, P. D. (1987). The nature of language teaching. In M. H. Long & J. C. Richards (Eds.), Methodology in TESOL: A book of readings (pp. 10-26). New York: Newbury House/Harper & Row.

Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know by Rebecca L. Oxford

115 Reviews Issues in Applied Linguistics Vol.1 No. 1 It could turn out, then, that while perhaps crucial in some respects, U G may not have much to say about some of the things which give L2 learners headaches and which language textbooks devote so much of their space to: inflectional paradigms, vocabulary (and lexical subcategorization) and language-idiosyncratic elements, such as articles in English or formal vs. informal discourse levels in Japanese. UG, as a computational system, may facilitate the relative ease of interpretation (i.e., computing ) of anaphoric relations, for example, but it may be hard-pressed to aid in the acquisition of 3rd- person-singular -s in English, a process which may rely instead on some other learning mechanism (that apparently deteriorates with increasing age!). The importance of L 2 data may thus lie in contributing, along with data from L I and neurolinguistic studies, both to a more correct description of the various levels or components of U G and their interaction as well as to delimiting the scope of UG. One of the most important contributions of this book is the introduction's rather neat delineation not only of a set of minimal requirements for a theory of second language acquisition, but also of a set of questions and issues to be addressed in future research - the right set of questions at the right level of analysis (p. 18) -¬ which the editors have distilled from the papers collected in the volume. This convergence of ideas constitutes a kind of L2 critical mass which may well ensure that many of the questions raised in this volume will set the research agenda for second language acquisition in the foreseeable future. As such it certainly establishes the book as a basic reference text for theoretical issues in second language acquisition. Clahsen, H. (1989). The comparative study of first and second language ' development. Unpublished manuscript.. University of DUsseldorf. Flynn, S. (1987). Contrast and construction in a parameter setting model of L2 acquisition. Language Learning, 37, 1, 19-62. Flynn, S. (1983). A study of the effects of principal branching direction in second language acquisition: The generalization of a parameter of universal grammar from first to second language acquisition. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Cornell University. Gass, S. & Schachter, J. (Eds.) (1989). Linguistic perspectives on second language acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Koopman, H. (1984). The syntax of verbs. Dordrecht: Foris. McLaughlin. B. (1987). Theories of second language learning. London: Edward Arnold. Schwartz. B.D. (1989). L2 knowledge: What is the null hypothesis? Paper presented at the Boston University Conference on Language Development. Schwartz B.D. (1990). The fundamental difference hypothesis: A critical evaluation. Paper presented at the 10th Second Language Research Forum, Eugene, Oregon. StoweU, T. (1981). Origins of phrase structure. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, MIT. Travis. L. (1984). Parameters and effects of word order variation. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, MIT. Donna Lardiere is a graduate student in the Program in Applied Linguistics at Boston University. (Received April 19,1990) Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know by Rebecca L . Oxford. New York: Newbury House, 1990. xxii+342 pp. Reviewed by Swathi Vanniarajan University of California. Los Angeles Notes '•All parameter references are as cited in the papers themselves. Clahsen has since modified his position somewhat, arguing that L2 learners do have access to principles of UG only insofar as these principles have instantiations in the speakers' native language (Clahsen, 1989, p. 12).. REFERENCES Bley-Vroman. R. (forthcoming). The logical problem of foreign language learning. Linguistic Analysis. Chomsky, N. (1981). Lectures on government and binding. Dordrecht: Foris. One of the most important developments in applied linguistics in recent years has been the renewed interest in cognitive strategies The strategies approach to communication/language learning seeks to discover the ways in which the learner conduces the communication/language learning processes. By analysing learners' overt forms of behavior, research on communication

Some Applications of Cognitive Theory to Second Language Acquisition

This paper describes recent theoretical developments in cognitive psychology that can be applied to second language acquisition and uses the theory to analyze phenomena discussed regularly in the second language literature. Some limitations of linguistic theories in addressing the role of mental processes in second language acquisition are identified, and current cognitive learning theory in general is outlined. The paper then examines the theoretical model developed by John Anderson (1983, 1985) as it applies to memory representation, learning, and language skill acquisition. The remainder of the paper describes possible applications of this model to issues in second language acquisition and suggests that the theory is useful both in explaining second language acquisition processes and in identifying areas in which research is needed.

REVIEW ESSAY

Some Cognitive Issues in Second Language Acquisition: A Review of Semantic and Conceptual Development: An Ontological Perspective by F. Kiel