ABSTRACT
Second language acquisition (SLA) is a relatively young field. We would be hard-pressed to state a “beginning” date, but it is probably fair to say that the study of SLA has expanded and developed significantly in the past 40-45 years. This is not to say that there wasn’t interest in the fields of language teaching and learning before then, for surely there was. It is to say, however, that since that time the body of knowledge of the field has seen increased sophistication.
