ABSTRACT
How do people learn a second, or a third, or a fourth language? The simple answer is “with great difficulty.” This book considers this basic question from a variety of perspectives.
What is the study of second language acquisition? It is the study of how second languages are learned. It is the study of how learners create a new language system with only limited exposure to a second language. It is the study of what is learned of a second language and, importantly, what is not learned; it is the study of why most second language learners do not achieve the same degree of proficiency in a second language as they do in their native language; it is also the study of why some individuals appear to achieve native-like proficiency in more than one language. Additionally, SLA is concerned with the nature of the hypotheses (whether conscious or unconscious) that learners come up with regarding the rules of the second language. Are the rules like those of the native language? Are they like the rules of the language being learned? Are there patterns that are common to all learners, regardless of the native language and regardless of the language being learned? Do the rules created by second language learners vary according to the context of use? Given these varied questions, the study of SLA impacts on, and draws from, many other areas of study, among them linguistics, psychology, psycholinguistics, sociology, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and education, to name a few.
