Second Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar

Author: Lydia White

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

ISBN: 0521796474

Category: Foreign Language Study

Page: 338

View: 636

This authoritative 2003 textbook provides an overview and analysis of current second language acquisition research conducted within the generative linguistic framework. Lydia White argues that second language acquisition is constrained by principles and parameters of Universal Grammar. The book focuses on characterizing and explaining the underlying linguistic competence of second language learners in terms of these contraints. Theories as to the role of Universal Grammar and the extent of mother tongue influence are presented and discussed, with particular consideration given to the nature of the interlanguage grammar at different points in development, from the initial state to ultimate attainment. Throughout the book, hypotheses maintaining that second language grammars are constrained by universal principles are contrasted with claims that Universal Grammar is not implicated; relevant empirical research is presented from both sides of the debate. This textbook is essential reading for those studying second language acquisition from a linguistic perspective.
Investigating Second Language Acquisition

Author: Josine A. Lalleman

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

ISBN: 3110151502

Category: Intercultural communication

Page: 492

View: 881

The book concerns theoretical, interdisciplinary and methodological issues in L2 acquisition research. It gives an accurate and up-to-date overview of high quality work currently in progress in research methodology, processing, principles and parameters theory, phonology, the bilingual lexicon, input and instruction. The volume will have the purpose of a handbook for teachers, students and researchers in the area of second language acquisition. The aim is to provide the reader with an acquisition perspective on processes of second and foreign language learning.
Third Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar

Author: Yan-kit Ingrid Leung

Publisher: Multilingual Matters

ISBN: 9781847691316

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 238

View: 407

This volume presents studies which approach the relatively new field of third language (L3) acquisition from the generative linguistic perspective. It aims to bring together researchers who are interested in L3 acquisition and who are at the same time working within the generative framework i.e. Chomsky's Universal Grammar (UG) approach to language acquisition. A total of nine contributions are included, reporting research on L3 involving different combinations of source/target languages and investigating various UG-related properties.
Language Acquisition

Author: Jill G. De Villiers

Publisher: Harvard University Press

ISBN: 0674509315

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 340

View: 645

The study of language acquisition has become a center of scientific inquiry into the nature of the human mind. The result is a windfall of new information about language, about learning, and about children themselves. In Language Acquisition Jill and Peter de Villiers provide a lively introduction to this fast-growing field. Their book deals centrally with the way the child acquires the sounds, meanings, and syntax of his language, and the way he learns to use his language to communicate with others. In discussing these issues, the de Villiers provide a clear and insightful treatment of the classic questions about language acquisition: Does the child show a genetic predisposition for speech, or grammar, or semantics which makes him uniquely able to learn human language? What kinds of learning are involved in acquiring language and what kinds of experience with a language are necessary to support such learning? Is there a critical period during the child's development which is optimal for language acquisition? And what kind of psychological disabilities underlie the failure to acquire language?
Second Language Acquisition

Author: Roumyana Slabakova

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 9780199687268

Category: Education

Page: 506

View: 117

This textbook approaches second language acquisition from the perspective of generative linguistics. Roumyana Slabakova reviews and discusses paradigms and findings from the last thirty years of research in the field, focussing in particular on how the second or additional language is represented in the mind and how it is used in communication. The adoption and analysis of a specific model of acquisition, the Bottleneck Hypothesis, provides a unifying perspective. The book assumes some non-technical knowledge of linguistics, but important concepts are clearly introduced and defined throughout, making it a valuable resource not only for undergraduate and graduate students of linguistics, but also for researchers in cognitive science and language teachers.
Second Language Acquisition of Articles

Author: MAR?A DEL PILAR GARC?A MAYO

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

ISBN: 9789027253101

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 285

View: 485

Introduction : the interest of article acquisition for theories of SLA / María del Pilar García Mayo and Roger Hawkins -- Article choice in L2 English by Spanish speakers : evidence for full transfer / María del Pilar García Mayo -- Accounting for non-target like performance in L2 English article production by native speakers of Syrian Arabic and French / Ghisseh Sarko -- Questioning the validity of the article choice parameter and the fluctuation hypothesis : evidence from L2 English article use by L1 Polish and L1 Mandarin Chinese speakers / Marta Tryzna -- The processing role of the article choice parameter : evidence from L2 learners of English / Lucy Kyoungsook Kim and Usha Lakshmanan -- Accounting for patterns of article omissions and substitutions in second language production / Danijela Trenkic -- Article use and generic reference : parallels between L1- and L2-acquisition / Tania Ionin and Silvina Montrul -- Variability in the L2 acquisition of Norwegian DPs : an evaluation of some current SLA models / Fufen Jin, Tor A. Åfarli, and Wim A. van Dommelen -- Articles in Turkish/English interlanguage revisited : implications of vowel harmony / Heather Goad and Lydia White -- Article choice and article omission in the L3 German of native speakers of Japanese with L2 English / Carol Jaensch
Second Language Acquisition in Action

Author: Andrea Nava

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781474274890

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 240

View: 461

Despite the key role played by second language acquisition (SLA) courses in linguistics, teacher education and language teaching degrees, participants often struggle to bridge the gap between SLA theories and their many applications in the classroom. In order to overcome the 'transfer' problem from theory to practice, Andrea Nava and Luciana Pedrazzini present SLA principles through the actions and words of teachers and learners. Second Language Acquisition in Action identifies eight important SLA principles and involves readers in an 'experiential' approach which enables them to explore these principles 'in action'. Each chapter is structured around three stages: experience and reflection; conceptualisation; and restructuring and planning. Discussion questions and tasks represent the core of the book. These help readers in the process of 'experiencing' SLA research and provide them with opportunities to try their hands at different areas of language teachers' professional expertise. Aimed at those on applied linguistics MA courses, TESOL/EFL trainees and in-service teachers, Second Language Acquisition in Action features: · Key Questions at the start of each chapter · Data-based tasks to foster reflection and to help bridge the gap between theory and practice · Audiovisual extracts of lessons on an accompanying website · Further Reading suggestions at the end of each chapter
Cognitive Processing in Second Language Acquisition

Author: Martin Pütz

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

ISBN: 9789027288325

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 373

View: 812

This edited volume represents state of the field research linking cognition and second language acquisition, reflecting the experience of the learner when engaged in noticing, input/output processing, retrieval, and even attrition of target forms. Contributions are both theoretical and practical, describing a variety of L1, L2 and L3 combinations from around the world as observed in spoken, written, and computer-mediated contexts. The book relates conditions of language, task, medium or environment to how learners make decisions about language, with discussions about the application or efficacy of these conditions on linguistic success and development, and pedagogical implications.
Studies of Fossilization in Second Language Acquisition

Author: ZhaoHong Han

Publisher: Multilingual Matters

ISBN: 9781788920445

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 226

View: 241

This volume, as a sequel to Fossilization in Adult Second Language Acquisition by Han (2004), brings together a collection of most recent theoretical and empirical studies on fossilization, a classic problem of second language acquisition. It covers a wide range of perspectives and issues. The analyses discussed herein address key concerns of many second language researchers and teachers with regard to just how far anyone can go in learning a new language.
Third Language Acquisition in Adulthood

Author: Jennifer Cabrelli Amaro

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

ISBN: 9789027241870

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 321

View: 852

Provides an overview of present trends in the study of adult additive multilingualism from formal, psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives, adding new insights into adult multilingual epistemology. This book includes critical reviews of L3/Ln morphosyntax, phonology, and the lexicon.
International Handbook of Language Acquisition

Author: Jessica Horst

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781351616621

Category: Psychology

Page: 568

View: 962

How do children acquire language? How does real life language acquisition differ from results found in controlled environments? And how is modern life challenging established theories? Going far beyond laboratory experiments, the International Handbook of Language Acquisition examines a wide range of topics surrounding language development to shed light on how children acquire language in the real world. The foremost experts in the field cover a variety of issues, from the underlying cognitive processes and role of language input to development of key language dimensions as well as both typical and atypical language development. Horst and Torkildsen balance a theoretical foundation with data acquired from applied settings to offer a truly comprehensive reference book with an international outlook. The International Handbook of Language Acquisition is essential reading for graduate students and researchers in language acquisition across developmental psychology, developmental neuropsychology, linguistics, early childhood education, and communication disorders.
An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research

Author: Diane Larsen-Freeman

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781317869245

Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

Page: 416

View: 750

Understanding how people learn and fail to learn second and foreign languages is increasingly recognised as a critical social and psycholinguistic issue. Second languages are vitally important to diverse groups of people, ranging from refugees to college students facing foreign language requirements. This book provides a synthesis of empirical findings on second and foreign language learning by children and adults, emphasising the design and execution of appropriate research.