French second language acquisition research: setting the scene

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
FLORENCE MYLES
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Research Setting ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Introductory Article ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Empirical Investigations

This introductory article introduces the field of second language acquisition (SLA) to specialists in French linguistics who are not familiar with it. Its purpose is to present a map of the field which will then enable the reader to better situate the following in depth articles which present focused theoretical and empirical investigations as they apply to French. The first part summarises recent, and sometimes apparently contradictory, research findings. The second part explores the theoretical approaches which have been most influential in recent investigations, outlining where each of these approaches originates, and which aspects of the SLA process it investigates.

Research meets practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZhaoHong Han
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
The Other ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Instruction And Learning ◽  
The Relationship

At the recent CLTA-S2 conference, a spirited debate occurred between critics of second language acquisition (SLA) research and researchers who embraced it. Fascinating as it was, neither camp appeared to have convinced the other, but, more important, the debate left much of the audience flummoxed. In this paper, I intend to provide a follow-up, attempting to clarify a) the relationship between research and teaching in the context of Chinese as a second language (CSL), b) misunderstandings on the part of critics over research findings, and c) potential pitfalls in interpreting the SLA literature. My goal is to encourage, as well as contribute to, further communication between the two camps, for the ultimate good of CSL instruction and learning.

Second Language Acquisition Research and Language Pedagogy: A Critical View

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Talebinejad ◽  
Aasa Moattarian
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Language Research ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
Research Findings

<p class="1"><span lang="X-NONE">Over the past several decades, a substantial body of research on second language acquisition has been provided. The current study was an attempt to investigate language teachers’ views on applying research findings in their every day practice of language teaching through a critical lens. Data for this qualitative study was collected by means of a semi structured interview with 10 language teachers teaching English at different language institutes in Iran. Analyses of data revealed that, although teachers find second language acquisition research a useful tool for their professional development; they do not usually consult bodies of research in their every day teaching practice. They report problems in applying second language research in their practice due to problems with practicality, particularity, and possibility. The findings suggest that language teachers need to be exposed to insight from SLA research and practice.</span></p>

Review article: A tree in the wood: A review of research on L2 Chinese acquisition

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Review Article ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
L2 Chinese ◽  
Research Findings

There has been considerable research in Chinese as a second language (L2) in recent years, particularly in its morphological and syntactic aspects. This article reviews research in these aspects with reference to the broader discipline of second language acquisition (SLA) and suggests that L2 Chinese research has contributed to SLA through verification, modification or posing challenges to research findings in the L2 acquisition of other languages. On the basis of these studies, the author points out the limits of current L2 Chinese research and discusses the prospects for future development, arguing that L2 Chinese is to be investigated against hypotheses based on other L2s so that theoretical contributions can be made to the discipline of SLA.

scholarly journals Introductory Article: French in Second Language Acquisition Research

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Martin Howard
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Independent Field ◽  
Introductory Article ◽  
Breaking Work

Emerging in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the ground-breaking work of Stephen Pit Corder, followed by Larry Selinker’s (1972) conceptualisation of ‘interlanguage’, second language acquisition (SLA) has developed into a highly buoyant independent field within the wider terrain that is applied linguistics [...]

L2 acquisition in childhood, adulthood and old age

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Singleton ◽  
Simone E. Pfenninger
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Age Factor ◽  
Research Findings

Abstract This article deals with some misunderstandings about the age factor in second language acquisition which result from a reliance on an incomplete interpretation of relevant research findings. It begins with an exploration of the work of Penfield and Lenneberg and goes on to weigh recent evidence for and against the hypothesis of a “critical period” in the context of naturalistic second language acquisition. It then turns to the question of the effects of early instructed second language learning. Finally, it addresses the issue of second language learning in late adulthood, summarizing the results of such empirical investigation as has been undertaken to date on this topic and arguing for more attention to be devoted to this area in the future.

Reconciling Beliefs about L2 Learning with SLA Theory and Research

RELC Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-237
Author(s):  
Aek Phakiti ◽  
Luke Plonsky
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
English Learner ◽  
Learning Beliefs ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
L2 Learning

This article aims to discuss ten beliefs that teachers hold about second language (L2) learning and to relate these to relevant theories and approaches in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). It is especially written for L2 teachers who would like to know more about theoretical approaches that seek to explain L2 learning. Preliminary responses to L2 learning beliefs from L2 teachers and some L2 English learner reflections are used to guide the discussion of these beliefs.

Second Language Acquisition of Japanese

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiko Minami
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Research Findings

Empirical and theoretical research on language has recently experienced a period of extensive growth. Unfortunately, however, in the case of the Japanese language, far fewer studies—particularly those written in English—have been presented on adult second language (L2) learners and bilingual children. As the field develops, it is increasingly important to integrate theoretical concepts and empirical research findings in second language acquisition (SLA) of Japanese, so that the concepts and research can be eventually applied to educational practice. This article attempts to: (a) address at least some of the gaps currently existing in the literature, (b) deal with important topics to the extent possible, and (c) discuss various problems with regard to adult learners of Japanese as an L2 and English–Japanese bilingual children. Specifically, the article first examines the characteristics of the Japanese language. Tracing the history of SLA studies, this article then deliberately touches on a wide spectrum of domains of linguistic knowledge (e.g., phonology and phonetics, morphology, lexicon, semantics, syntax, discourse), context of language use (e.g., interactive conversation, narrative), research orientations (e.g., formal linguistics, psycholinguistics, social psychology, sociolinguistics), and age groups (e.g., children, adults). Finally, by connecting past SLA research findings in English and recent/present concerns in Japanese as SLA with a focus on the past 10 years including corpus linguistics, this article provides the reader with an overview of the field of Japanese linguistics and its critical issues.

Sociolinguistics and Second Language Acquisition

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Howard ◽  
Raymond Mougeon ◽  
Jean-Marc Dewaele
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Linguistic Variation ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Functional Value ◽  
Research Findings

While the focus on sociolinguistic and sociopragmatic variation is relatively new, linguistic variation continues to be an important issue that SLA research has grappled with. By linguistic variation, one understands the learner’s variable use of two or more L2 forms to express the same functional value, where one or all forms are nonnative. This chapter focuses on type II variation and presents an overview of the research findings that illuminate the challenge to the learner of developing sociolinguistic and sociopragmatic competence in the L2. While the application of sociolinguistic variationist methods to the study of type II variation has been relatively recent in SLA research, such methods have also been fruitfully used by some SLA researchers in relation to type I variation.

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