This book is an introduction to psycholinguistics, the study of human language processing. It deals with the central areas of this field, the language abilities of the linguistically mature, monolingual adult. Within this scope it offers comprehensive coverage, dealing with both spoken and written language, their comprehension and production, and with the nature of linguistic systems and models of processing. The final chapter looks at the impairment of language processing in aphasia and related disorders, and examines the issues that arise from it. Psycholinguistics will be an essential work for both students and specialists in linguistics and psychology.

The aim of the first edition of Language Acquisition was to provide as comprehensive a description and explanation as possible of the changes in the child's language as he or she grows older. In this second edition Paul Fletcher and Michael Garman have the same fundamental aim. Six years later the field has not changed dramatically, but there have been fruitful theoretical developments -- the learnability hypothesis, in particular, has been influentially expounded -- and empirical work seeking evidence of specific language capacities in children has made notable advances. Equally significant are shifts in emphasis: the growing interest in cross-linguistic studies, for example, or accounts of language development from a social-interactive perspective, or of the development of reading and writing.

All these changes are reflected in the second edition. About half the chapters are entirely new, having been specially commissioned for this edition. The remainder of the book consists of substantially revised versions of chapters from the first edition.

Like its predecessor, this collection is the work of distinguished specialists from many countries and will provide an invaluable resource for students and professionals alike who have an interest in the field of child language acquisition.