Handbook of Second Language Acquisition is what its title suggests, a very
thorough guide through the field of SLA. Indeed, the first chapter, an overview, is quite
extensive in summarizing the history of SLA and the current issues in SLA. In addition to the
lengthy overview, the handbook is divided into seven major sections: I. Research and theoretical
issues in second language acquisition, II. Issues of maturation and modularity in second
language acquisition, III. Second language speech and the influence of the first language, IV.
Research methodology and applications, V. Modality and the linguistic environment in second
language acquisition, VI. The neuropsychology of second language acquisition and use, and VII.
Language contact and its consequences. These sections are thorough, well researched, and
accessible. Section I includes one chapter by Gregg, which sets the tone and bias of the text with
his claim that theoretical considerations that are central to SLA are those that address the issue
of knowledge; that is, competence within the Chomskyan framework of Universal Grammar.
Gregg makes it clear that he is not suggesting that other theories of acculturation or variation are
uninteresting but rather that what is central to developing a theory of SLA is a theory that
explains competence as the work done within the principles and parameter framework, not, for
example, one that explains communicative competence. Section II, the core of the text, consists
of six chapters on the various models, approaches, and frameworks of SLA. The first two
chapters, by White and Flynn, support the principles and parameters framework for SLA and are
followed by a well-reasoned challenge by Schachter.
Second Language Acquisition as a Discipline: A Historical Perspective
