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Dr. Jon Aske 
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Second Language Acquisition Second Language Learning, and Second Language Teaching |
Introduction
Second language acquisition and second language teaching are two major areas of applied linguistics.
What is the study of second language acquisition? In the words of Susan Gass and Larry Selinker, authors of a recent textbook on the topic (Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course):
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 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 only some learners appear to achieve native-like proficiency in more than one language. Additionally, second language acquisition 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 second language acquisition impacts on and draws from many other areas of study, among them linguistics, psychology, psycholinguistics, sociology, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, conversational analysis, and education, to name a few.
The reasons why "it might be important for us to understand how second languages are learned" are varied and impinge on a number of disciplines, such as Linguistics, Language Pedagogy, Cross-cultural communication, Language Policy and Language Planning.
Up to the topMethods courses
- Linguistics 445/545: Second language teaching methods at the University of Oregon
- Language Methodology, Culture competence (Rice University)
- A Communications Technology Module for the Foreign Language Methods Course
Bibliography
Bialystok, Ellen and Hakuta, Kenji. 1995. In other words: The science and psychology of second language acquisition. BasicBooks (HarperCollins).
Language 71.1; ISBN: 0465032818
McCarthy, Michael. 1991. Discourse analysis for language teachers (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Note: "Discourse analysis is an area of immediate interest to language teachers because it involves the way people use language in real situations. Different models of spoken and written language are outlined and evaluated in this text in terms of their usefulness."
Nunan, David, ed. 1992. Collaborative language learning and teaching (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Note: note in Language 70.2 ; http://www.cup.org/Titles/416/0521416876.html ; Hardback 0-521-41687-6 $51.95 ; Paperback 0-521-42701-0 $20.95
Abstract: "The aim of this book is to present, in an accessible manner, current theory and resources relating to cooperative learning. Collaborated research team teaching, experiential learning, teacher research, learner-centered classrooms, and learning how to learn are some of the topics discussed. The book is written for teachers, learners, educators, and researchers who are interested in experimenting with alternative ways of organizing teaching and learning, or who are concerned with promoting a philosophy of cooperation, and who wish to create an environment in which teachers, learners and researchers can work together and learn from one another.
Contributors: What is Collaborative Language Learning and Teaching? D. Nunan / Focus on Learning: Experiential Language Learning--Towards Second Language Learning as Learner Education V. Kohonen / Literacy or Literate Skills? Considerations for ESL/EFL Learners S.B. Heath / Collaboration and Co-Constructing a Shared Understanding of a Second Language Classroom D. Freeman / Context and Cooperation in Academic Tasks B. Mohan and S. Smith / Collaborative Writing as a Literacy Event D. Murray / Focus on Teaching: Collaborative Language Teaching--a Co-Investigation N. Shannon and B. Meath-Lang / Team Teaching in Koto-ku P. Sturmon / Reflections on Collaborative Language Teaching K. Bailey and T. Dale / The Power of Observation J. Gebhard and A. Ueda / A Case Study of a Teacher Research Group in Action S. Schechter and R. Ramirez / Putting a Process Syllabus into Practice R. Budd and T. Wright / A Collaborative Approach to Curriculum Renewal D. Nunan."
Krashen, Stephen D. and Terrell, Tracy D. 1983. The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Hayward, CA: The Alemany Press; Oxford: The Pergamon Press.
Note: Our Price: $20.95; ISBN: 0136099343 ; Paperback Revised edition (September 1996). Prentice Hall Press
Richards, Jack C. and Rodgers, Theodore S. 1986. Approaches and methods in language teaching: A description and analysis (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/32/0521320933.html; Hardback 0-521-32093-3 $44.95 ; Paperback 0-521-31255-8 $17.95Abstract: "An overview and analysis of the major approaches and methods used in second and foreign language teaching. Using a single analytical model throughout the book, each method is examined at three levels: approach, design and procedure. "
Valdes, Joyce Merrill, ed. 1986. Culture bound: Bridging the cultural gap in language teaching(Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/31/0521310458.html; Paperback 0-521-31045-8 ; $19.95Abstract: "This collection of selected essays attempts to provide language teachers with a basis for introducing a cultural component into their teaching. It includes essays written especially for the volume, as well some which have been previously published."
O'Malley, J. Michael and Chamot, Anna Uhl. 1990. Learning strategies in second language acquisition (The Cambridge applied linguistics series). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Abstract: Based on current research in second language acquisition and cognitive theory, this study reviews the literature on learning strategies and presents instructional models for teaching applications.
Rivers, Wilga M. 1981/1968. Teaching foreign-language skills (Second edition). Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.
Oller, John W., Jr. and Richard-Amato, Patricia A., eds. 1983. Methods that work: A smorgasbord of ideas for language teachers. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Di Pietro, Robert J. 1987. Strategic interaction: Learning languages through scenarios (New directions in language teaching). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Byram, Michael and Fleming, Michael, eds. 1998. Language Learning in Intercultural Perspective: Approaches through Drama and Ethnography (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
At the SSC Library: Educ. Res. P 53.45 .L357 1998
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/62/0521623766.html; Hardback 0-521-62376-6 $59.95* ; Paperback 0-521-62559-9 $21.95Abstract: "This book addresses the ways in which language learning is related to learning about other cultures and to acquiring an ability to communicate across cultural frontiers. It argues that language learners need to develop sensitivity to cultural difference and its impact on communication, and to acquire the skills of discovering and interpreting other cultures, other values, beliefs and behaviors that lie beneath the surface of cross-cultural communication. Contributors show how drama can be used to develop cultural awareness and how learners can acquire ethnographic skills to help them investigate and understand other cultures and societies."
Williams, Marion and Burden Bob. 1997. Psychology for Language Teachers: A Social Constructivist Approach (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/49/0521495288.html; Hardback 0-521-49528-8 $49.95 ; Paperback 0-521-49880-5 $19.95Abstract: "This book examines the field of educational psychology and considers how insights from the discipline may be of some use in language teaching. Areas considered in the book include approaches to learning, motivation, attribution, mediation, the role of the individual, the cognitive demands of tasks and the learning environment.
Contents: 1. An introduction to educational psychology: behaviourism and cognitive psychology; 2. Further schools of thought in psychology: humanism and social interactionism; 3. What do teachers bring to the teaching-learning process?; 4. What can teachers do to promote learning?; 5. The contribution of the individual student to the learning process; 6. What makes a person want to learn? Motivation in language learning; 7. How does the learner deal with the process of learning?; 8. The place of tasks in the language classroom; 9. The learning context; 10. Putting it all together"
Tudor, Ian. 1997. Learner Centredness as Language Education (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
At the SSC Library: Educ. Res. P 51 .T83 1996
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/48/0521480973.html; Hardback 0-521-48097-3 $51.95 ; Paperback 0-521-48560-6 $20.95Abstract: "This book provides a framework of theory, discussion, and practical guidelines to help language teachers implement principles of learner centeredness in a sensitive and flexible manner in response to the specific features of both their students and of the wider context of learning."
Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Learner training; 3. Objective needs analysis; 4. Subjective needs; 5. The contextual dimension; 6. Self-assessment; 7. Fostering learner involvement; 8. The teacher's perspective"
Hatch, Evelyn and Brown, Cheryl. 1995. Vocabulary, Semantics, and Language Education (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
At the SSC Library: P 123 .H313 1995
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/47/0521474094.html; Hardback 0-521-47409-4 $54.95 ; Paperback 0-521-47942-8 $23.95Abstract: "Learning the vocabulary of a new language requires learning its semantic and lexical systems. The focus of this book is the exploration of semantic and lexical theory and its application to language teaching and language learning. Following the format of its companion volume, Discourse and Language Education, winner of the Modern Language Association's Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize, each chapter contains a wide variety of hands-on practice activities as well as suggestions for application and research."
Richards, Jack C. 1985. The Context of Language Teaching (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/26/0521265657.html; Hardback 0-521-26565-7 $39.95 ; Paperback 0-521-31952-8 $18.95Abstract: "Clearly presenting and summarizing issues in applied linguistics and exploring their practical implications, this text makes the vital connections between theory and practice in language teaching. Topics covered include syllabus design, methodology and methods, listening, speaking, vocabulary, and grammar."
Freeman, Donald A. and Richards, Jack C., eds. 1996. Teacher Learning in Language Teaching (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/55/0521551218.html; Hardback 0-521-55121-8 $57.95 ; Paperback 0-521-55907-3 $23.95Abstract: "This book introduces a new field of educational research called "teacher learning," as it applies to the teaching of languages. Seventeen original articles, based on studies done in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, provide examples of theory and research into teacher learning and of the role that previous experience, social context, and professional training play in the process.
Contents: SECTION 1 RESEARCH ISSUES IN SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION; 1 The Unstudied Problem: Research in learning to teach second languages; SECTION 2 STUDIES OF TEACHER DECISION-MAKING 2 Teacher decision-making in the adult ESL classroom; 3 Starting all over again: From teaching adults to teaching beginners; SECTION 3 NARRATIVE STUDIES; 4 I'm not typical: Stories of becoming a Spanish teacher; 5 Learning to teach together; teaching to learn together; 6 The language learner's autobiography: Examining the apprenticeship of observation; SECTION 4 LANGUAGE AND DISCOURSE-BASED STUDIES; 7 What's in a Methodology?; 8 The role of collaborative dialogue in teacher education; 9 Renaming experience/reconstructing practice: Developing new understandings of teaching; SECTION 5 TEACHER LEARNING: THE PRESERVICE EXPERIENCE; 10 Learning How to Teach: a case study of teachers in the RSA Cert.; 11 Student foreign language teachers' knowledge growth; 12 multicultural Classrooms and cultural communities of teachers; SECTION 6 TEACHER LEARNING: IN-SCHOOL PRACTICE; 13 The vision vs. the reality: the tensions of the TESOL practicum; 14 Towards reflective teaching: curriculum development and action research; SECTION 7 TEACHER LEARNING: SPECIFIC TEACHER EDUCATION INTERVENTIONS; 15 Learning how to teach ESL writing 16 When input becomes intake: tracing the sources of teachers' attitude change; 17 Theorizing from practice: case studies of training ESL teachers through structural reflection"
Richards, Jack C. and Nunan, David, eds. 1990. Second Language Teacher Education (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
At the SSC Library: Educ. Res. P 53.85 .S43 1990
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/38/0521387795.html; Paperback 0-521-38779-5 $21.95
Abstract: "This collection provides a detailed account of current approaches to the education of teachers of second languages. It offers valuable ideas on the observation and supervision of classrooms, on self evaluation by teachers, and on teaching itself. Its emphasis reflects the shift in orientation from teacher training to teacher education, in which teachers are involved in developing their own theories of teaching, understanding the nature of teacher decision making, and developing strategies for critical self evaluation. The book is aimed at teachers, educators of teachers, and workshop facilitators involved both in pre-service and in-service education of teachers of second and foreign languages."
Nunan, David. 1992. Research Methods in Language Learning (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
At the SSC Library: Educ. Res. P 53 .N87 1992
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/419/0521419379.html; Hardback 0-521-41937-9 $51.95 ; Paperback 0-521-42968-4 $20.95Abstract: "This introduction to research methods is intended to help readers understand and critique research in language learning. It presents a balanced and objective view of a range of methods--including formal experiments, introspective methods (including diaries, logs, journals, and stimulated recall), interaction and transcript analysis, ethnography, and case studies. Other topics covered are elicitation techniques, program evaluation, and action research. The book is highly accessible and does not assume specialist or technical knowledge.
Research Methods in Language Learning will be of interest to students of applied linguistics and educational researchers, in addition to classroom teachers and teachers in training. After reading the book and completing the tasks and exercises included in each chapter, readers should be able to understand and critique published studies in the field of language learning. They should also have acquired sufficient skills and knowledge to formulate research questions, collect relevant data relating to the questions, analyze and interpret the data, and report the results to others.
Throughout the book, theoretical issues are drawn from published studies and reports. The book also emphasizes the professional and practical value to language teachers of reading published research, as well as initiating their own research.
Contents: An Introduction to Research Methods and Traditions / The Experimental Method / Ethnography / Case Study / Classroom Observation and Research / Introspective Methods / Elicitation Techniques / Interaction Analysis / Program Evaluation / Doing Research / Glossary of Key Terms in Research / Cumulative Bibliography"
Hatch, Evelyn. 1992. Discourse and Language Education (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
At the SSC Library: Educ. Res. P 302 .H39 1992
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/415/0521415829.html; Hardback 0-521-41582-9 $54.95 ; Paperback 0-521-42605-7 $21.95
Abstract: "Language educators often talk about "communicative competence"--the ability of learners to use language appropriately in different social settings. Discourse analysis describes how such communication is structured so that it is socially appropriate and linguistically accurate. This book gives practical experience in analyzing discourse. It includes analyses of spoken language--conversations, classroom interactions, the ways we structure social acts such as complaints, advice-giving, and compliments--and the structure of "scripts," such as the jury trial script, the restaurant script, the doctor's office script. Discourse analysis also includes the study of written language--the rhetorical structure of compositions or more informal written material such as personal letters.
The analyses show the ways we use linguistic signals (from lexicon to syntax to intonation or prosody) to carry out our discourse goals. These signals differ across written and spoken language, and these differences are analyzed. The organization of discourse also differs across languages, and Hatch highlights these differences. Example data are drawn from a variety of native speakers and language learners of all ages and all proficiency levels.
Discourse and Language Education can be used as a manual in teacher education courses and linguistics and communications courses. It will be of great interest to teachers of ESL/EFL, foreign language teachers, and special education teachers (especially those involved with the hearing impaired). Its distinctive features are its text plus practice format and the variety of examples from language users and language learners from many different languages, backgrounds, and age groups."
Nunan, David. 1989. Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
At the SSC Library: Educ. Res. P 53 .N86 1989
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/37/0521379156.html; Paperback 0-521-37915-6 $18.95
Abstract: "A balanced introduction to varied aspects of communicative task design integrates recent research and practice to help foreign and second language teachers learn to design their own communicative tasks."
Brumfit, Christopher. 1984. Communicative Methodology in Language Teaching: The Roles of Fluency and Accuracy (Cambridge Language Teaching Library). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Note: http://www.cup.org/Titles/26/0521269687.html; Paperback 0-521-26968-7 $17.95
Abstract: "A detailed examination of the theory and practice of language teaching relates general educational principles to current theories of language acquisition and use. It focuses upon the distinction between fluency and accuracy, the role of group work in establishing a "natural" setting for fluency activity and syllabus design."
Susan M. Gass and Larry Selinker. 1994. Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course. (Topics in Applied Psycholinguistics.)
Paperback: $38.00. http://www.erlbaum.com/html/1723.htm
"...the best textbook available for introductory SLA courses to date...Gass and Selinker describe accurately and in detail all the issues that normally concern students and scholars of SLA....this textbook by two of the most influential linguists working in SLA not only reflects their own extensive contributions but is a broad and fair coverage of the whole field....[they] have done an excellent job of presenting an accessible, accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date picture of SLA research." -- Studies in Second Language Acquisition
Susan M. Gass. 1997. Input, interaction and the second language learner. Erlbaum
http://www.erlbaum.com/html/2489.htm
"This volume provides a definitive view of the relationship between input, interaction, and second language acquisition. In so doing, it should prove useful to those whose major concern is with the acquisition of a second or foreign language as well as for those who are primarily interested in these issues from a pedagogical perspective. The book does not explicate or advocate a particular teaching methodology, but does attempt to lay out some of the underpinnings of what is involved in interaction -- what it is and what purpose it serves."
George Yule. 1997. Referential communication tasks. (Second Language Acquisition Research Series: Theoretical and Methodological Issues.) Erlbaum.
http://www.erlbaum.com/html/2549.htm
"Referential communication is the term given to communicative acts, generally spoken, in which some kind of information is exchanged between one speaker and another. This information exchange is typically dependent on successful acts of reference, whereby entities (human and non-human) are identified (by naming or describing), are located or moved relative to other entities (by giving instructions or directions), or are followed through sequences of locations and events (by recounting an incident or a narrative). These "activities" are examples of events that are more typically described as "tasks" in the area of second language studies. These might be real world tasks encountered in everyday experience or pedagogical tasks specifically designed for second language classroom use."
Elaine E. Tarone; Susan M. Gass; and Andrew D. Cohen, eds. 1994. Research methodology in second-language acquisition. (A Volume in the SLA Research: Theoretical and Methodological Issues Series.) Erlbaum.
http://www.erlbaum.com/html/457.htm
"This volume addresses salient theoretical issues concerning the validity of research methods in second-language acquisition, and provides critical analysis of contextualized versus sentence-level production approaches. The chapter authors present their views of competence vs. performance, the nature of language acquisition data, research design, the relevance of contexualized data collection and interpretation, and the desirability of a particularistic nomothetic theoretical paradigm versus more comprehensive consideration of multiple realities and complex influencing factors. This single book presents varying and antithetical approaches to the issues, bringing together the thinking and approaches of leading researchers in language acquisition, language education, and sociolinguistics in an engaging debate of great currency in the field."
Lourdes M. Torres. 1997. Puerto Rican discourse: A Sociolinguistic Study of a New York Suburb. (Everyday Communication Series.) Erlbaum
http://www.erlbaum.com/html/2501.htm
"This forthcoming volume combines ethnographic, quantitative, and qualitative discourse methodologies to provide a comprehensive and novel analysis of language use and attitudes of the Brentwood Puerto Rican community. Its rich linguistic and ethnographic data will be of interest to researchers and teachers in cultural communication, ethnic (Hispanic-American) studies, sociolinguistics, and TESL."
"Before conclusions about Spanish in the United States can be drawn, individual communities must be studied in their own contexts. That is the goal of Puerto Rican Discourse. One tendency of previous work on Spanish in the United States has been an eagerness to generalize the findings of isolated studies to all Latino communities, but the specific sociocultural contexts in which people -- and languages -- live often demand very different conclusions. The results of Torres' work indicate that the Spanish of Puerto Ricans living in Brentwood continues to survive in a restricted context. Across the population of Brentwood -- for Puerto Ricans of all ages and language proficiencies -- the Spanish language continues to assume an important practical, symbolic, and affective role."
Andrew D. Cohen. 1998. Strategies in Learning and Using a Second Language (Applied Linguistics and Language Study.) Addison-Wesley Pub Co. (At amazon.com: $28.78.)
Joy M. Reid (Editor). 1998. Understanding Learning Styles in the Second Language Classroom. Prentice Hall College Division. (At amazon.com: $31.03.)
Rebecca L. Oxford (Editor). 1996. Language Learning Strategies Around the World : Cross-Cultural Perspectives (National Foreign Language Center Technical Reports Series , No 13). Univ of Hawaii Press. (At amazon.com: $20.00.)
Lightbown, Patsy; Spada, Nina. How languages are learned. (Oxford Handbooks for Language Teachers.) Oxford University Press. 1993
Richard-Amato, Patricia A. Making it happen: Interaction in the second language classroom, from theory to practice. Second edition. Longman. 1996
Arnold, Jane. ed. Affect in language learning. Cambridge University Press.
Anna Uhl Chamot Sarah Barnhardt Pamela Beard El-Dinary Jill Robbins The Learning Strategies Handbook Format: Paperback ISBN: 0201385481 Publisher: Addison Wesley Longman, Incorporated Pub. Date: February 1999. (At Barnes&Noble: $37.55.)
L2 Publishers
McGraw-Hill Teaching Methods
Spanish textbooks
Language Testing
Resources in Language Testing WWW Page
A most comprehensive page of links provided by the University of Surrey (UK).
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
A national organization of professionals involved in foreign language education.
Salem State College | Department of Foreign Languages