Second Language Acquisition

Oxford Introductions to Language Study

by Rod Ellis, H.G. Widdowson (Editor)

This book clearly outlines the way a second language is learned. It would be extremely helpful to both the first time learner as well as those involved in teaching a second language. It deals with the social, discourse, psycholinguistics, & linguistics of second language learning. The individual aspect of second language learning is also addressed. 147 pp.

Genres: Linguistics, Language, Nonfiction, Academia, Academic, School

147 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 1997

About the author

Professor Rod Ellis is Professor in the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He has worked in Zambia, the UK, Japan, and the U.S.A for extended periods. He has published a number of books on second language acquisition and teacher education. He has also published EFL/ESL textbooks. His main interest lies in the application of second language theory and research to language teaching.

He is co-author of Analysing Learner Language, and author of Second Language Acquisition, SLA Research and Language Teaching, The Study of Language Acquisition, which won the English Speaking Union's Duke of Edinburgh Book Competition, Understanding Second Language Acquisition, which won the BAAL Book Prize, and Task-based Language Learning and Teaching, all published by Oxford University Press.

Reviews

[Lisa]

I liked this best of the two SLA books I'm reading, but still: full of "duh" information.

Still, I suppose we all need a reminder of even the most "duh" of information.

[Ash Moran]

Short, concise overview of topics in second language acquisition. Gave me exactly what I needed - a quick overview of the topic. I would have preferred a longer Survey section (the overview) and less in the Readings section, but that's just me.

[Ufuk Ataş]

A brief introduction to many important aspects of SLA. Good way to refresh what you already know. References are cut out for easy reading, though it would have been better if specific references were included in the main text.

[Jona]

Ellis provide a comprehensive understanding of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories. It is a MUST READ for linguist who specialized in SLA major.

[Casey]

My workplace’s library has this series and I wanted to get a sense of it so I tested the waters w/ this title. As a series, I think it’s pretty good. The survey section lays out a decent foundation. The readings and references sections offer enough options to dig deeper into the subject of interest.

All the above holds true for this specific title too. It’s dated, originally published in 1997–the edition I read published was published in 2012, but has a solid core to it. Probably best to look into current websites, blogs, magazines, journals, and books if your curious about the current state of the field.

[IVellon]

Very short introduction, mostly written from a generative perspective, other theories are not dealt with or not discussed in depth, some information is outdated

[Dominic Neesam]

Essential reading pre-DELTA

[Luna Meurke]

Very informative.

[Toshi]

My learning: There is no best way of Second Language Acquisition that works for everyone. Not a surprise but rather it is understandable and a bit disappointed as a novice educator.

[Shunsuke Matsui]

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
9/27/2013=80minutes
7 word summary=second language acquisition target input studies child
Discussion Question
Why is the study of SLA needed for us?
I think that using more than two languages are important for communication all around the world
because internationalization is expanding now. Moreover, it leads to earn much money finally.
Therefore, the study is useful when learners learn languages.

This book tells you the outline of second language acquisition. There are too many factors in SLA, so this will be introductory book for you

[Mohammad]

A wonderful succinct introduction to a plethora of paramount aspects of SLA. Prof. Ellis has always left me with food for thought; intriguing questions from this gripping book are - I believe - as follows:

1. "Does instruction that emphasises input-processing work better than instruction which emphasises output production?"

2. Does strategy use result in learning or does learning increase learners' ability to employ more strategies?" (p. 78)

3. "... not enough is known about which strategies and which combinations of strategies work best for L2 acquisition" (P. 87).

All the best! :)

[Pam Dise-Moran]

I read this chapter by chapter alongside other articles and tests regarding second language acquisition for a grad course. The other texts enriched the context and expanded on the theories. I enjoyed this concise, clear text that gave an objective introduction to the various theories regarding the study of second language acquisition. This is a good introduction for anyone interested in the study of linguistics, language pedagogy or the sociology of multilingual communities.

[Will]

A good basic overview of theories and approaches to SLA. Chapters 7-9 will be the most applicable to language teachers. the bibliography seemed a little small, and many of the sources were journal articles that most people will be unable to access without paying for them.

[Mohammad]

A good start to SLA

[Shane]

A brief but useful survey of the issues and research into understanding how we learn a second language or why we don't.

[Elizabeth Robinson]

Tough book to read but great for teachers.

[E]

Good, but not the most useful SLA book.

[Melda Sari]

This book give me many knowledge

[Marie Louise]

Good introduction (but no more than an introduction)

[Ivan]

second languages