Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course

By Susan M. Gass, Larry Selinker, Luke Plonsky, et al.

Book Overview

This work is a revised edition of the text first published in 1994. The authors retain the multidisciplinary approach that presents research from linguistics, sociology, psychology, and education, in a format designed for use in an introductory course for undergraduate of graduate students. New chapters have been added, which cover: child language acquisition; universal grammar; and instructed language learning. New sections address that data analysis does not show, replication of research findings, interlanguage transfer, the aspect hypothesis, general nativism, connectionist approaches, and implicit/explicit knowledge.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080583527X
• ISBN13: 9780805835274
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 504 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

excellent

The book is very clearly written and informative. If you are looking for a book that covers Second language acquisition concepts, theories, and studies, I think this book would be a good resource(my opinion).

an excellent book

This is a nice book and it covers almost every aspect of SLA. Moreover, the languae wriiten in this book is very reader-friendly.

SLA. An Introductory Course

A serious SLA scholar needs at least three broad introductions to begin with. This one is the first to have. Other ones are Ellis (1994) and Doughty & Long (2003). Needless to plough through articles in libraries because the field of SLA is too dispersed and chaotic.

A necessity for all serious SLA/TESOL students

I am a graduate student in Michigan State University's MA TESOL program, and have the distinct honour of having Dr. Susan Gass as my advisor. In addition to being a University Distinguished Professor at MSU and President of the International Association of Applied Linguistics, Dr. Gass has published extensively on SLA research. Her textbook "Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course" is required reading as part of the TESOL program at MSU, and is an indispensable condensed guide to the hundreds of research articles on topics such as child language acquisition, interlanguage data and processes, SLA and linguistics, universal grammar, input, interaction and output, instructed L2 learning and nonlanguage influences (Critical Period Hypothesis, aptitude, anxiety, motivation, personality factors). "SLA: An Introductory Course" is a necessity for all serious SLA/TESOL graduate students. As I am reading the full versions of many of the articles summarized in the book (over 500 pages of unabridged research), I frequently consult Dr. Gass' guide for overviews, charts, and discussions that pertain to the original articles while making the results salient and easier to put in perspective. To give the prospective buyer an idea of the inclusiveness of the book, there are over 35 pages of references (including landmark studies from the 1950s to the present), a handy ten-page glossary, and an author index and subject index for easy retrieval. To the reviewer who stated : "[the book] is only for college folks (probably graduate students and up), and there is little if any value for the utiltarian teacher. My warning goes out to anyone who thinks the book might help them as teachers or as students of a foreign language. You are not the intended audience," I disagree. As a future ESL/EFL teacher and a language learner (I am trilingual and can understand basic Japanese), I believe that understanding the complicated mechanisms and processes that govern second language acquisition and keeping on top of current research in the field is just as important as being fluent in the language that you are teaching. I highly recommend "SLA: An Introductory Course" to those who are interested in linguistics and second language acquisition. It is truly an indispensable overview to the myriad of research conducted in second language acquisition. The book is filled with numerous charts, statistics and examples taken directly from the original studies, all of which are seamlessly interwoven into intuitively organized, easy-to-digest chapters.

Great for introducing students to the field.

The book provides a good introduction to the second language acquisition field, as well as the research done in the area. It covers all the major issues, such as first language influence, universal grammar, and classroom learning. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter are particularly useful for students in an SLA introductory class.