Difficulty and Complexity of Language Features and Second Language Instruction

Korte inhoud:The question whether some second language (L2) features (forms, items,
structures, patterns, rules) and, if so, which types of features, are more affected
by instruction or are more effectively instructed than others has received
increasing attention in applied linguistics and SLA research since the mid-1990s
(VanPatten, 1994; Spada, 1997). For SLA researchers, knowing how the nature
of the input stimulus interacts with the human cognitive processing and learning
mechanisms is important for constructing a comprehensive theory of language
acquisition. For theoretical, typological and psycho-linguists, knowing which types
of features of language are hard to learn and teach can inform theories of
language and processing complexity (Szmrecsanyi & Kortmann, 2012). For L2
teachers and curriculum and textbook developers, knowing which type of L2
features to select in the typically limited teaching time is important for optimizing
L2 teaching and learning effectiveness (Doughty & Williams, 1998).

ISBN:978-1-4051-9473-0

Jaar van publicatie:2014

Trefwoorden:second language acquisition, second language teaching, complexity, language instruction