ABSTRACT
The goal of this chapter is to survey and evaluate what is known about the linguistic, socio-affective, neurobiological and cognitive underpinnings of the L2 learning process in older individuals (newly arrived migrants, migrants aging in place, or retirees undertaking new challenges), the extent to which L2 acquisition may be seen as contributing to healthy and active aging, and how these phenomena are to be approached scientifically, methodologically, and pedagogically. It is shown that a developmental enterprise as complex as L2 learning in senior adulthood and its effects in later life cannot be explained by a single theory or set of principles. To illustrate this, the chapter juxtaposes the results of (a) intervention studies focusing on the effects of L2 learning on older adults who begin the relevant language learning process in old age vs. studies that involve participants who have already had years of linguistic experience with an L2; (b) longitudinal studies vs. studies that present snapshots of states; and (c) intervention studies conducted in naturalistic settings vs. school contexts.
