This book presents a radical turn in Second Language Acquisition research by introducing a conceptual paradigm that challenges rationalist, instrumental and empiricist approaches to language learning theory. It argues for a shift in focus from measuring the effectiveness of language learning processes to humanising the language learning experience. This new paradigm explores the force of affect, the imagination and creativity and their roles in assembling language learners' intimate worlds. 'The personal' is reclaimed and acts as driving force for language learning and the sphere in which learners engage both their minds and bodies in a constant socialization of feelings and emotions. The author provides examples from real language learners using a variety of modern languages to provide insights on the kind of personal worlds that languages compel us to inhabit. This book will be of interest to those working with language learning and language education theory, language teachers, and researchers and students who are interested in issues of identity and intercultural communication in language learning.

In this book the authors address five central problems in the study of second language acquisition: transfer, staged development, cross-learner systematicity, incompleteness and variability. The book begins with a definition of each of these areas and an indication of why they are important for understanding SLA. In Chapters 2-4 attempts to explain these phenomena via early linguistic, sociolinguistic, and cognitive approaches are examined. It is argued that they all fail because they attach insufficient importance to the nature of language. In Chapters 5-9 the central problems are approached from the perspective of Universal Grammar and parametric variation: it is considered that this approach provides greater insights into transfer, staged development, cross-learner systematicity and into some aspects of completeness, but that it has difficulty accounting for variability. Variability, it is then argued in Chapters 10-13, is more attributable to factors related to language use and language processing. The most important of these are: the learner's need to develop hypotheses from data where Universal Grammar may not be accessible or applicable; the learner's need to transform linguistic knowledge into the productions required for language processing in real-time; and the learner's need to communicate effectively with an incomplete linguistic system. The variability observed in second language learners who began learning after the age of seven is attributed to the use of multiple knowledge sources and the different kinds of productions which may underlie second language use. The strands making up this argument are then brought together in Chapter 14 in a single model and indications of further directions for research are provided.

This book presents a general overview of our current knowledge of language development in children. All the principal strands of language development are covered, including phonological, lexical, syntactic and pragmatic development; bilingualism; precursors to language development in infancy; and the language development of children with developmental disabilities, including children with specific language impairment. Written by leading international authorities, each chapter summarises clearly and lucidly our current state of knowledge, and carefully explains and evaluates the theories which have been proposed to account for children's development in that area.

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This volume is a concise introduction to the lively ongoing debate between formalist and functionalist approaches to the study of language. The book grounds its comparisons between the two in both historical and contemporary contexts where, broadly speaking, formalists' focus on structural relationships and idealized linguistic data contrasts with functionalists' commitment to analyzing real language used as a communicative tool. The book highlights key sub-varieties, proponents, and critiques of each respective approach. It concludes by comparing formalist versus functionalist contributions in three domains of linguistic research: in the analysis of specific grammatical constructions; in the study of language acquisition; and in interdisciplinary research on the origins of language. Taken together, the volume opens insight into an important tension in linguistic theory, and provides students and scholars with a more nuanced understanding of the structure of the discipline of modern linguistics.

The importance of the early years in young children's lives and the rigid inequality in literacy achievement are a stimulating backdrop to current research in young children's language and literacy development. This book reports new data and empirical analyses that advance the theory of language and literacy, with researchers using different methodologies in conducting their study, with both a sound empirical underpinning and a captivating analytical rationalization of the results. The contributors to this volume used several methodological methods (e.g. quantitative, qualitative) to describe the complete concept of the study; the achievement of the study; and the study in an appropriate manner based on the study's methodology. The contributions to this volume cover a wide range of topics, including dual language learners; Latino immigrant children; children who have hearing disabilities; parents' and teachers' beliefs about language development; early literacy skills of toddlers and preschool children; interventions; multimodalities in early literacies; writing; and family literacy. The studies were conducted in various early childhood settings such as child care, nursery school, Head Start, kindergarten, and primary grades, and the subjects in the studies represent the pluralism of the globe - a pluralism of language, backgrounds, ethnicity, abilities, and disabilities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

This mixed-methods study investigates the link between accent and identity in an English as a lingua franca setting. The subjects, German and French university students living in Scandinavia, pursue their study programmes and every-day lives in English. A quantitative speech data analysis of eight phonetic features describes the speakers' accents, while a qualitative analysis of introspective interview data exhibits how they differ in terms of identity. The results provide an in-depth understanding of individuals using English as a lingua franca. Do the German and French speakers of English alter or keep their foreign accents in order to express identity in the seemingly neutral Scandinavian setting?

This publication is dedicated to the memory of Associate Professor Pavlos Pavlou, a distinguished language testing and assessment researcher, ELT practitioner, sociolinguist and esteemed faculty member at the University of Cyprus. The chapters included in the volume, written by distinguished scholars, researchers and practitioners in the field of language testing and assessment, are papers selected from presentations made at the 1st International Conference of Language Testing and Assessment (ICLTA), which was dedicated to Pavlos' memory. The conference was hosted at the University of Cyprus, Nicosia (3-5 June, 2011; http://www.iclta2011.com/cms/).

Comprehensive and evidence-based, this book presents the best practices for designing and sustaining study abroad programs to maximize the outcomes and benefits of education abroad for all students. Distilling the history, research, and variations of study abroad programs, Goertler and Schenker provide a clear-eyed analysis of the lessons learned and the common obstacles associated with education abroad. Organized in three parts - the state of education abroad in the US; research on education abroad outcomes; and best practices - Goertler and Schenker demonstrate the benefits of long-term study abroad for the development of advanced language skills and intercultural competence, and the need for diversity in participation. Chapters offer theory-based, practice-proven recommendations to invigorate, innovate, and implement successful study abroad programs that are sustainable and ethically engage with the local community. The authors discuss design features to maximize language proficiency and intercultural competence. Grounded in up-to-date research and theory, the book responds to the challenges associated with long-term education abroad programs and provides recommendations on (re)invigorating long-term programs and diversifying participation in education abroad. From Study Abroad to Education Abroad is vital reading for academics, researchers, and students in the fields of language education and education policy, as well as practitioners, such as language program coordinators and education abroad administrators.

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Corpora is a state-of-the-art collection of cutting-edge scholarship at the intersection of second language acquisition and learner corpus research. It draws on data-driven, statistical analysis to outline the background, methods, and outcomes of language learning, with a range of global experts providing detailed guidelines and findings. The volume is organized into five sections: Methodological and theoretical contributions to the study of learner language using corpora - setting the scene Key aspects in corpus design, annotation, and analysis for SLA Corpora in SLA theory and practice SLA constructs and corpora Future directions This is a ground-breaking collection of essays offering incisive and essential reading for anyone with an interest in second language acquisition, learner corpus research, and applied linguistics.

This unique volume offers a comprehensive discussion of essential theoretical and methodological issues concerning the pivotal role of working memory in second language learning and processing. The collection opens with a foreword and introductory theoretical chapters written by leading figures in the field of cognitive psychology. Following these are three research sections containing chapters providing original data and innovative insights into the dynamic and complex relationships between working memory and specific areas of second language processing, instruction, performance and development. Each section concludes with a commentary which is written by a noted SLA researcher and which charts the course for future research. This book provides a fascinating collection of perspectives on the relationship between working memory and second language learning and will appeal to those interested in the integration of cognitive psychology with SLA research.

Developing Notetaking Skills in a Second Language combines theoretical perspectives with an analysis of empirical classroom studies and offers a detailed discussion that increases pedagogical awareness of factors impacting second language (L2) notetaking performance and instruction. Based on original research and including descriptions of classroom practices and samples of student work, the book provides insights on a range of topics relevant to L2 notetaking. The book emphasizes the challenges that many students from different international backgrounds face when taking notes in an L2 and outlines a five-stage pedagogic cycle for notetaking that can be applied to any listening text. It also explores the dialogic potential of notes for stimulating class discussion about notetaking strategies. This book will be of great interest for teachers, academics, scholars, and postgraduate students in the fields of applied linguistics, L2 and foreign language education. It will also be a useful resource for those in charge of teacher education and postgraduate TESOL, L1, and L2 listening researchers and psycholinguists.

This unique volume offers a comprehensive discussion of essential theoretical and methodological issues concerning the pivotal role of working memory in second language learning and processing. The collection opens with a foreword and introductory theoretical chapters written by leading figures in the field of cognitive psychology. Following these are three research sections containing chapters providing original data and innovative insights into the dynamic and complex relationships between working memory and specific areas of second language processing, instruction, performance and development. Each section concludes with a commentary which is written by a noted SLA researcher and which charts the course for future research. This book provides a fascinating collection of perspectives on the relationship between working memory and second language learning and will appeal to those interested in the integration of cognitive psychology with SLA research.

This book offers a general introduction to reaction time research as relevant to Second Language Studies and explores a collection of tasks and paradigms that are often used in such research. It provides a lucid explanation of the technical aspects of collecting reaction time data and outlines crucial research principles and concepts that will ensure accurate data. In addition, Conducting Reaction Time Research in Second Language Studies provides step-by-step instructions for using DMDX, a software program widely used for conducting reaction time research. From general guidelines to techniques to working with data, this complete "why and how" guide for conducting reaction time research is ideal for both students/beginners and more seasoned researchers.

This book presents a comparative study on plurilingual code-switching (CS) in Italy, Croatia and Scotland-UK, based on Italian in contact with four standard varieties (Spanish, English, Philipino and Croatian) and five non-standard varieties (Arbereshe, Occitan, Calabrese, Istrovenetian and Chakavski). It intends to fill a gap in the literature by proposing an interdisciplinary perspective, as most studies are concentrated on bilingual CS and are grounded just in one approach (mostly sociolinguistic or psycholinguistic); it also presents a new mixed key for CS data analysis, going beyond the traditional neat dichotomies defining CS as "acceptable or grammatical vs unacceptable or ungrammatical". A brand-new model, the Integrated Model of Plurilingual Code-Switching (IMPCS), which recommends the use of five-graded scales in informants' judgments, is proposed. It includes socio-psycholinguistics (social status and prestige of the languages in contact, official status of minority language, symmetrical/bi- or pluridirectional or asymmetrical/unidirectional kind of contact, language mode, claimed CS practice, explicit attitudes and acceptability judgements) and lexicalist variables.

This edited book presents and discusses theoretical, practical, and research developments in English pronunciation in order to establish evidence-based directions and recommendations for best practices in English speech assessment, research, and training. It features leading pronunciation experts from diverse contexts who share cutting-edge research and valuable insights. The collection consists of six parts. Part 1 introduces the aims, focus, and structure of the book, and describes its intended audience. Part 2 reviews, provides empirical evidence, and offers critical analyses guiding different aspects of English speech assessment. Parts 3 and 4 report empirical findings and research perspectives on the perception and production of English speech. Part 5 shares current practices in phonetic training and their effect on learners and listeners. Part 6 presents theoretical perspectives on the acquisition of phonology in multilinguals.

This book explains a well-known puzzle that helped catalyze the establishment of generative syntax: how children tease apart the different syntactic structures associated with sentences like John is easy/eager to please. The answer lies in animacy: taking the premise that subjects are animate, the book argues that children can exploit the occurrence of an inanimate subject as a cue to a non-canonical structure, in which that subject is displaced (the book is easy/*eager to read). The author uses evidence from a range of linguistic subfields, including syntactic theory, typology, language processing, conceptual development, language acquisition, and computational modeling, exposing readers to these different kinds of data in an accessible way. The theoretical claims of the book expand the well-known hypotheses of syntactic and semantic bootstrapping, resulting in greater coverage of the core principles of language acquisition. This is a must-read for researchers in language acquisition, syntax, psycholinguistics and computational linguistics.

The past two decades have created quantitatively higher and qualitatively different demands for foreign language skills. Learners' needs, expectations and contexts of language use have undergone radical and far-reaching transformations. This collection of essays by experienced educators, teacher trainers and researchers from diverse linguistic, cultural and professional settings offers a fresh perspective on the aspects and ways of teaching skills which are crucial to contemporary language instruction, especially at the more advanced stages, but which have oftentimes been unjustly neglected in the classroom. The book discusses issues ranging from approaches to teaching, contexts of instruction, testing and assessment to curriculum development and technology in the classroom.

This study deals with the frequency and use of clausal complementation in the oral production of two different Spanish learner groups (i.e. Galician/Spanish learners and Spanish learners) as compared with a further learner group (i.e. German learners) and with native speakers (British students). By using corpus and learner linguistic approaches, this research aims to find out and explain the similarities and differences regarding the use of clausal complementation structures in the oral English of several groups of non-native and native speakers. In addition, this study also depicts the process of collection of the oral corpus VICOLSE, which contains transcripts of spoken English data produced by bilingual Galician/Spanish learners. The identification of variation in the use of clausal complementation across the data sheds light on the particular characteristics of spoken learner language syntax/structuring.

An essential companion for IELTS writing instructors and students, Developing Writing Skills for IELTS provides IELTS test-takers with the necessary skills to succeed in the two academic writing tasks in IELTS. Adopting an original exemplar-based writing instructional approach, this text offers an in-depth and reader-friendly analysis of the assessment standards of the two academic writing tasks in IELTS. Authentic exemplars written by EFL university students are included to illustrate high (Bands 8-9), average (Bands 6-7), and low (Bands 4-5) performances in IELTS writing. Key Features: * Diagrammatical representation of assessment standards of the two academic writing tasks by experienced IELTS writing examiners and instructors. * 100 writing questions modelled after the IELTS format, designed by the authors, and categorised according to question types and topics that emerge from an analysis of over 400 IELTS writing questions. * Over 100 writing exemplars by EFL university students, accompanied by guided activities and suggested answers. Designed as a classroom text, a resource for workshops and consultations, or a self-study material, Developing Writing Skills for IELTS: A Research-based Approach will support IELTS writing instructors and test-takers with a variety of writing proficiencies.

Learning a foreign language in its cultural context has a significant effect on the subjective mind, ranging from the unsettling to the inspirational. The complex interplay between native and foreign languages, their cultural conceptualisations and discourses and the mind and body of the learner results in the subjective construction of individual positionings located "in between" the languages and cultures involved. These processes are not restricted to the cognitive level of learning but also involve deep-seated habits, values and beliefs. These habits, values and beliefs are to a certain extent the result of subjective experiences and feelings; however, they are also embedded in a socio-cultural network of concepts, norms, traditions and life-worlds, so that they are characterised both by the learner's subjectivity and by the sociality and (inter-)culturality of their environment. The essays in this volume explore the subjective dimension of intercultural language learning, ranging from theoretical considerations to empirical studies and providing stimulating insights into this important area of study.

The Acquisition of L2 Phonology is a wide-ranging new collection which focuses on various aspects of the acquisition of an L2 phonological system. The authors are researchers and practitioners from five different countries. The volume has been divided into three major sections. Phonetic Analysis presents five studies of language learners in both naturalistic and formal-educational settings, which illustrate aspects of L2 production and perception. In Phonological Analysis a more abstract and comparative perspective is taken, in order to use recent theories modeling the route of L1/L2 pronunciation and reading ability development to account for observable tendencies in learner behavior. Pedagogical Perspectives consists of four contributions of high practical value, which look at the mastery of native-like or highly intelligible pronunciation as an important component of L2 education.

This volume presents an innovative approach to understanding the language socialization process of second language learners in study abroad programs, focusing on the case of study abroad programs in Japan. Study abroad experiences are so diverse that both macro and micro viewpoints are needed to capture such complexity. This book looks for a way forward by adopting a novel approach which integrates social network analysis and conversation nalysis and allows for a fuller, more nuanced understanding of varying experiences of study abroad participants. Chapters draw on data from a wide range of sources, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, social network surveys, and audio and visual recordings, to demonstrate the ways in which broader social forces, environmental factors, and individuals' dispositions interact in myriad social contexts within the study abroad experience. Taken together, the volume offers readers a comprehensive portrait of social processes in study abroad programs and their implications for language development, making this key reading for students and scholars in second language acquisition, pragmatics, and applied linguistics.

This volume features the latest research findings on L2 interactional competence to demonstrate the potential for developing and implementing research-based pedagogy that targets interactional competence (IC) in early instruction in a variety of L2 learning and teaching contexts. Incorporating contributions from both leading and emerging researchers in the area, the book is organized into four sections to provide a systematic account of interactional competence, defined as a set of skills required to co-construct an effective interaction with a variety of interlocutors in a variety of settings, and advocates for IC to be part of a well-rounded curriculum of L2 instruction. The volume provides a comprehensive overview of the different theoretical perspectives on IC within Conversation Analysis, and moves into a discussion of conversation-analytic research findings from a variety of contexts and of their pedagogical implications.The book then presents examples of pedagogy in practice and also illustrates the potential for implementing IC in testing settings. This volume makes a valuable contribution to the growing literature on interactional competence and will be of particular interest to graduate students and researchers in applied linguistics, SLA, language education, curriculum and instruction studies, and educational linguistics. Chapter 13 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license: https://tandfbis.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9781138038998_oachapter13.pdf

This title offers cutting-edge overview of current research and innovations in corpus-based and corpus-driven language teaching and learning. This book provides an up-to-date snapshot of recent research and developments in the use of corpora for language learning and teaching. It is divided into three parts. Part I focusses on innovative uses of corpora by language teachers and learners. These cover the world's first corpus-based TV program for the teaching of English conversation, as well as corpus-based approaches to the teaching of EAP, cultural studies and translation. Part II focuses on new corpus-based tools for LSP learning. Part III illustrates research findings from corpora consisting of language learner data and discusses their implications for language teaching and learning. It will appeal to scholars in both language teaching and learning and corpus and computational linguistics. "The Corpus and Discourse" series consists of two strands. The first, "Research in Corpus and Discourse", features innovative contributions to various aspects of corpus linguistics and a wide range of applications, from language technology via the teaching of a second language to a history of mentalities. The second strand, "Studies in Corpus and Discourse", is comprised of key texts bridging the gap between social studies and linguistics. Although equally academically rigorous, this strand will be aimed at a wider audience of academics and postgraduate students working in both disciplines.

Native and Non-Native Teacher Talk in the EFL Classroom explores and compares the linguistic features of native and non-native English teacher talk with the aid of corpus linguistics. Setting aside the wide range of audio and video materials available, the EFL teacher is in many instances the main model of English to which students are exposed in secondary-level education. The basis of this book is to work towards a framework for the language that teachers of English need to be proficient in, based on an empirical study of language used in the ELT classroom by both native and expert non-native users. Presenting a corpus-informed treatment of the precise linguistic features used by EFL teachers within the framework of their most common teaching functions, this book: * Relates directly to the teacher talk of secondary-level EFL teachers; * Combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to data analysis; * Looks into pedagogical implications for ELT and proposes a flexible language development model based on evidence from the teacher training classroom; * Provides a corpus-based repertoire of language for the classroom which is of relevance to native and non-native student-teachers and practising teachers. Highlighting the need for much greater awareness of the impact of language use in both learning and teaching, this book is a major resource for advanced students and researchers of TESOL, classroom discourse, corpus linguistics, ELT, English for professional purposes, and teaching placement preparation.