ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces readers to the Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Neurolinguistics. First, it describes six of the major research themes and perspectives that have guided brain-based research on second, and additional, language (L2) learning, processing, and use, pursued by researchers working in a wide range of scientific disciplines. Then, the chapter introduces the reader to each of the 34 chapters that comprise this handbook, which range from overviews of theoretical and methodological L2 neurolinguistic approaches to in-depth considerations of a variety of linguistic and cognitive topics related to the neurocognition of L2 learning. Finally, the chapter describes the goals, editorial principles, and organizational structure of the handbook to facilitate its use by researchers and students across various fields of inquiry interested in how humans acquire L2s.
