Rod Ellis(2008).The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Abstract: Second language acquisition was established as a field of enquiry in the 1960s. There are three developments that had taken place: one is the scope of the field of enquiry; a second one is the increasing attention paid by SLA researchers to linguistic theory, in particular the theory of language associated with Chomsky’s model of grammar: Universal Grammar; the third one is the marked increase in theory-led research.
The contents of this book have been organized in accordance with a general conceptual framework that takes account of (1) a general distinction between the ‘description ’ and ‘explanation’ of L2 acquisition, and (2) the various subfields that have developed over the years. The following are the main sections with a brief summary of their contents.
Part one: Background
This section contains one chapter that introduces some of the key issues in SLA and outlines the conceptual framework of the whole book.
Part two: The description of learner language
This section reports some of the main finding regarding the nature of learner language. It considers learner errors, development patterns, variability, and pragmatic features.
Part three: Explaining second language acquisition: external factors
Part four: Explaining second language acquisition: internal factors
Part five: Explaining individual differences in second language acquisition
Part six: The brain and L2 acquisition
Part seven: Classroom second language acquisition
Part eight: Conclusion
The goal is to be as encyclopaedic as possible so that the book can serve as a source of reference for both those beginning the study SLA and those already members of the SLA community of scholars.
