4th Edition
Second Language Learning Theories Fourth Edition
Written by a team of leading experts working in different SLA specialisms, this fourth edition is a clear and concise introduction to the main theories of second language acquisition (SLA) from multiple perspectives, comprehensively updated to reflect the very latest developments SLA research in recent years.
The book covers all the main theoretical perspectives currently active in SLA and sets each chapter within a broader framework. Each chapter examines the claims and scope of each theory and how each views language, the learner and the acquisition process, supplemented by summaries of key studies and data examples from a variety of languages. Chapters end with an evaluative summary of the theories discussed. Key features to this fourth edition include updated accounts of developments in cognitive approaches to second language (L2) learning, the implications of advances in generative linguistics and the "social turn" in L2 research, with re-worked chapters on functional, sociocultural and sociolinguistic perspectives, and an entirely new chapter on theory integration, in addition to updated examples using new studies.
Second Language Learning Theories continues to be an essential resource for graduate students in second language acquisition.
1. Second Language Learning: Key Concepts and Issues
2. The Recent History of Second Language Learning Research
3. Linguistics and Language Learning: the Universal Grammar Approach
4. Cognitive Approaches to Second Language Learning (1): General Learning Mechanisms
5. Cognitive Approaches to Second Language Learning (2): Memory Systems, Explicit Knowledge, and Skill Learning
6. Interaction in Second Language Learning
7. Meaning-Based Perspectives on Second Language Learning
8. Sociocultural Perspectives on Second Language Learning
9. Sociolinguistic Perspectives
10. Integrating Theoretical Perspectives on Second Language Learning
11. Conclusion
Biography
Rosamond Mitchell is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Southampton, UK.
Florence Myles is Professor of Second Language Acquisition at the University of Essex, UK.
Emma Marsden is Professor at the Centre for Research into Language Learning and Use at the University of York, UK.
"This book continues to be a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the ever-growing field of Second Language Learning research. With its systematic structure and its numerous illustrations from empirical work, the book will allow students and language teachers alike to compare and to contrast the aims, the claims and the scopes of the leading L2 theories in the field today. If you want to know something about the scientific study of Second Language Learning, there is no better place to start than right here."
Jonas Granfeldt, Lund University, Sweden
"This new edition is excellent news. The combined interests and expertise of its authors ensure a very complete and balanced overview that will fascinate students and strengthen their interest in the field."
Carmen Muñoz, University of Barcelona, Spain
"Having used the previous three editions in my SLA courses, I enthusiastically welcome the fourth edition of Second Language Learning Theories. Presenting new data from a range of languages, it clearly illustrates the major theoretical approaches of the discipline."
Julia Herschensohn, University of Washington, USA
