Theories in Second Language Acquisition: An Introduction

by Bill VanPatten (Editor), Gregory D. Keating (Editor), Stefanie Wulff (Editor)

Overview

This third edition of the best-selling Theories in Second Language Acquisition surveys the major theories currently used in second language acquisition (SLA) research, serving as an ideal introductory text for undergraduate and graduate students in SLA and language teaching.

Designed to provide a consistent and coherent presentation for those seeking a basic understanding of the theories that underlie contemporary SLA research, each chapter focuses on a single theory. Chapters are written by leading scholars in the field and incorporate a basic foundational description of the theory, relevant data or research models used with this theory, common misunderstandings, and a sample study from the field to show the theory in practice.

New to this edition is a chapter addressing the relationship between theories and L2 teaching, as well as refreshed coverage of all theories throughout the book. A key work in the study of second language acquisition, this volume will be useful to students of linguistics, language and language teaching, and to researchers as a guide to theoretical work outside their respective domains.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138587373
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/09/2020
Series:	Second Language Acquisition Research Series
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	324
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Bill VanPatten was a professor of Spanish at Michigan State University, where he was also an affiliate faculty in the Department of Cognitive Science. He is currently an independent scholar while he also pursues fiction writing in both English and Spanish. His primary areas of research within second language acquisition are the acquisition of formal properties of language, language processing and parsing, and the interface between processing and acquisition.

Gregory D. Keating is an associate professor of Linguistics at San Diego State University. His research interests include second language acquisition, heritage language bilingualism, sentence processing, and online methods. He is an associate editor of Studies in Second Language Acquisition.

Stefanie Wulff is an associate professor in the Linguistics Department at the University of Florida, and between 2019 and 2023, Professor II at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Her research interests are in second language learning, quantitative corpus linguistics, and student writing development. She is the editor-in-chief of Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory (de Gruyter Mouton).

Table of Contents

Contributors vii

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Introduction: The Nature of Theories Bill Van Patten Jessica Williams Gregory D. Keating Stefanie Wulff 1

2 Linguistic Theory, Universal Grammar, and Second Language Acquisition Lydia White 19

3 One Functional Approach to L2 Acquisition: The Concept-Oriented Approach Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig 40

4 Usage-Based Approaches to L2 Acquisition Nick C. Ellis Stefanie Wulff 63

5 Skill Acquisition Theory Robert DeKeyser 83

6 Input Processing in Adult L2 Acquisition Bill VanPatten 105

7 The Declarative/Procedural Model: A Neurobiologically Motivated Theory of First and Second Language Michael T. Ullman 128

8 Processability Theory Manfred Pienemann Anke Lenzing 162

9 Input, Interaction, and Output in L2 Acquisition Susan M. Gass Alison Mackey 192

10 Sociocultural Theory and L2 Development James P. Lantolf Matthew E. Poehner Steven L. Thorne 223

11 Complex Dynamic Systems Theory Diane Larsen-Freeman 248

12 Theories and Language Teaching Bill VanPatten 271

Glossary 291

Index 301

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the previous edition:

"VanPatten and Williams have created a thoroughly accessible, informative and authoritative introduction to mainstream theories of contemporary SLA. Written by the most distinguished scholars in the field who work on the theories surveyed, this impressive collection is a definite 'must read' for any beginning student of SLA."

Silvina Montrul, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

"VanPatten and Williams are to be commended yet again for compiling a volume whose pages are filled with the latest research and depth of accurate coverage of the major theories of SLA. Each chapter endeavors to address key SLA questions from the lens of a specific paradigm, while presenting in an accessible fashion the fundamentals of the given approach. Not only is each chapter updated, but many are also significantly improved in engaging the leitmotif questions provided in the foregrounding chapters, threading the book together in a logical and fruitful way. "

Jason Rothman, University of Reading, UK & University of Tromsø, Norway.

"This volume is required reading for every graduate student in the field of SLA. For current and future second language teachers, it provides a comprehensive and highly accessible view of past and present attempts at explaining the processes involved in how second languages are learned. VanPatten and Williams have chosen key theories and the big names that stand behind them, and the result is an absolutely outstanding volume that covers SLA with remarkable breadth and depth."

Cristina Sanz, Georgetown University, USA.

Praise for the previous edition:

"VanPatten and Williams have created a thoroughly accessible, informative and authoritative introduction to mainstream theories of contemporary SLA. Written by the most distinguished scholars in the field who work on the theories surveyed, this impressive collection is a definite 'must read' for any beginning student of SLA."

Silvina Montrul, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

"VanPatten and Williams are to be commended yet again for compiling a volume whose pages are filled with the latest research and depth of accurate coverage of the major theories of SLA. Each chapter endeavors to address key SLA questions from the lens of a specific paradigm, while presenting in an accessible fashion the fundamentals of the given approach. Not only is each chapter updated, but many are also significantly improved in engaging the leitmotif questions provided in the foregrounding chapters, threading the book together in a logical and fruitful way. "

Jason Rothman, University of Reading, UK & University of Tromsø, Norway.

"This volume is required reading for every graduate student in the field of SLA. For current and future second language teachers, it provides a comprehensive and highly accessible view of past and present attempts at explaining the processes involved in how second languages are learned. VanPatten and Williams have chosen key theories and the big names that stand behind them, and the result is an absolutely outstanding volume that covers SLA with remarkable breadth and depth."

Cristina Sanz, Georgetown University, USA.

From the Publisher