Key Topics in Second Language Acquisition (MM Textbooks, 10)

Similar in approach to Brown and Larson-Hall's Second Language Acquisition Myths, Key Topics in Second Language Acquisition offers brief and accessible chapters that can serve as an introduction for those new to the field, or as a review and update for practitioners, especially second language teachers. The topics are framed as questions, such as "Is there a best age for learning a second language?" and "How important is grammar in acquiring and using a second language?" and the authors' informal, conversational style, which thankfully avoids the unwieldy literature reviews found in Brown and Larson-Hall's book, is an effective way of tackling the questions for the general reader.Readers should be aware as they get into the first chapter, "How do different languages connect in our minds?" that this topic is Vivian Cook's favorite but is not especially a mainstream topic in SLA. Without naming it, Cook espouses his notion of multicompetence, which represents languages existing together in the mind on a continuum, not as separate entities. The bilingual, in Cook's view, is not simply two monolinguals in one mind, but 'a different kind of person,' in whom the second language can influence the first, and for whom both (or all) languages are active in the mind even in the context of a supposedly monolingual (such as English-only) classroom. Cook's idea has been embraced by some in the field (such as Diane Larsen-Freeman - who herself is not in the mainstream) but is not a mainstay of second language acquisition studies in general, and is technically not an 'acquisition' topic at all. Nonetheless, I think it is very welcome in a book that is likely to be read by teachers.In fact, a great strength of this book is that it tackles topics that may not be found in overviews of SLA, but which are of interest to teachers. Much of SLA has focused on the acquisition of specific forms, measured by learners' oral output, so it is refreshing to find a chapter devoted to second language writing that includes directionality, letter-sound correspondence, and the connection between pronunciation and writing. The chapter on attitude and motivation updates the classic conceptions (integrative vs. instrumental; extrinsic vs. intrinsic) with a more variable, dynamic notion of motivation, and introduces Dornyei's idea of present self vs. ideal self as a way of thinking about motivation.Best of all in my view, the authors take SLA researchers to task (in the politest way possible) for failing to link their work to that of the people trying to impart language knowledge and skills to learners in classrooms (otherwise known as teachers). Based on my experience, most teachers ignore or are alienated by the majority of SLA research, which fails to address their concerns. And, according to the authors, teaching methodology has not drawn from SLA research in the past, nor does it do so today: "As for the debt of the communicative approach to SLA research...to look for such a debt is to court disappointment" (p. 120). Their argument continues, "before SLA research can aspire to contribute usefully and meaningfully to the development of language teaching methodology, it will need to embed itself with much more will and enthusiasm in the everyday realities of the language classroom" (p. 122). What the SLA researchers of university departments will make of this, I don't know, but I find it extremely refreshing and unexpected in an introductory book like this. The message for new teachers is: don't be awed by the esoteric, 'pure' research studies of those in the academy; seek out what is relevant.For such a slim book, there is a really sound underlying philosophy here, and I recommend it to language teachers in training and anyone new to the field.

I had to read this for my major, but I was engaged throughout the book and I learned a lot of very useful information.

This was a great collection of written works that outline key topics that current teachers or future language students want to know or wish to find out the current perspectives of the modern outlook of second language acquisition (SLA). As a current university student, this text has reinforced my awareness of SLA and provide new insights that will be valuable in future research and teaching practices in the field. Another great text of a long line of books in this collection that have helped me be a much more wiser student of Second language learning.

Item arrived in timely manner with no problems!!!

I didn't buy

Boa leitura

Beside all the thick books I'm using for a research on SLA, this one is absolutely handy - full of relevant info in concise form and with very detailed bibliography. Very useful!

Very interesting as an introduction to Second Language Acquisition. It is also well organised and easy to follow. I recommend it

This book is for the beginners of learning second language acquisition. This is very easy to understand and we can discuss some topics through this book.