About the Book

'Students trained with this book will have a comprehensive background in the important areas, questions and methodologies of second language acquisition research and in the historical development of ideas about second language acquisition, and will have encountered some of the key papers at first-hand. In approach this is very different from other available introductions to SLA research in its concentration upon the development of the various parts of the learner’s mind rather than on research conducted around specific linguistic areas or dependent on particular linguistic theories and in its careful organisation for use as a course-book. I look forward to using it with my next generation of SLA students.'

- Prof. Vivian Cook, Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne

Routledge Applied Linguistics is a series of comprehensive resource books, providing students and researchers with the support they need for advanced study in the core areas of English language and Applied Linguistics.

Each book in the series guides readers through three main sections, enabling them to explore and develop major themes within the discipline. Section A, Introduction, establishes the key terms and concepts and extends readers' techniques of analysis through practical application. Section B, Extension, brings together influential articles, sets them in context, and discusses their contribution to the field. Section C, Exploration, builds on knowledge gained in the first two sections, setting thoughtful tasks around further illustrative material. This enables readers to engage more actively with the subject matter and encourages them to develop their own research responses. Throughout the book, topics are revisited, extended, interwoven and deconstructed, with the reader's understanding strengthened by tasks and follow-up questions.

Second Language Acquisition:

• introduces the key areas in the field, including: multilingualism, the role of teaching, the mental processing of multiple languages, and patterns of growth and decline
• explores the key theories and debates and elucidates areas of controversy
• gathers together influential readings from key names in the discipline, including: Vivian Cook, William E. Dunn and James P. Lantolf, S. P. Corder, and Nina Spada and Patsy Lightbown

Written by experienced teachers and researchers in the field, Second Language Acquisition is an essential resource for students and researchers of Applied Linguistics.