What do you think?
Rate this book
Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course
This book is a thorough revision of the highly successful 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 or graduate students. The research is updated throughout and there are new sections and chapters in this second edition as well. New chapters cover child language acquisition (first and second), Universal Grammar, and instructed language learning; new sections address issues, such as what data analysis doesn't show, replication of research findings, interlanguage transfer (multilingual acquisition and transfer), the aspect hypothesis, general nativism, connectionist approaches, and implicit/explicit knowledge. Major updates include nonlanguage influences and the lexicon.
The workbook, Second Language Learning Data Analysis, Second Edition, makes an ideal accompaniment to the text.
The workbook, Second Language Learning Data Analysis, Second Edition, makes an ideal accompaniment to the text.
504 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1993
24 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Susan M. Gass
43ÌýbooksSusan Gass is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages at Michigan State University. Her research is in Second Language Acquisition and includes the areas of Input and Interaction, Language Universals and Language Transfer.
More recently she has become interested in the area of attention and how it relates to acquisition. She has written/edited a number of books on second language acquisition and has taught and lectured in various parts of the world. She co-edits Second Language Acquisition Research with Alison Mackey - published by Routledge
Currently at MSU, she is the Director of the English Language Center, Co-Director of the Center for Language Education And Research, co-Director of the Center for Language Teaching Advancement and Director of the Second Language Studies Ph.D. Program. She recently served as President of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (2002-2008) and is Associate Editor of Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
She has been invited to give lectures in Europe (most recently, Greece and Germany) and in Asia (most recently, Japan, S. Korea, China).
More recently she has become interested in the area of attention and how it relates to acquisition. She has written/edited a number of books on second language acquisition and has taught and lectured in various parts of the world. She co-edits Second Language Acquisition Research with Alison Mackey - published by Routledge
Currently at MSU, she is the Director of the English Language Center, Co-Director of the Center for Language Education And Research, co-Director of the Center for Language Teaching Advancement and Director of the Second Language Studies Ph.D. Program. She recently served as President of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (2002-2008) and is Associate Editor of Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
She has been invited to give lectures in Europe (most recently, Greece and Germany) and in Asia (most recently, Japan, S. Korea, China).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 4, 2012
This is a long, complex book. It is an introduction, and unlike most introductions, it does an in-depth job of introducing the reader to the controversies in the field. The problem is that SLA is mostly problems, with very few concrete solutions. As such, the beginning reader is probably going to feel lost in the midst of a thousand competing theories. What is really important? Which ideas are winning, at least for now? Those are key questions that I would like to see answered. Some of the information was not as well organized as I thought and there was a lot of extraneous information. I didn't really notice until I tried to write summaries of the chapters. Wow! This book needs a nice, thorough rewrite. I feel like if the author were really disciplined and thoughtful, she could cut out 100-150 pages and this book would be a real gem.
Side Note: I thought it was strange that Gass kept setting up Krasher's view on input-centric language learning and knocking it down. His view was the only one that was treated in more than one chapter, and his was treated in at least 3! Strange.
Side Note: I thought it was strange that Gass kept setting up Krasher's view on input-centric language learning and knocking it down. His view was the only one that was treated in more than one chapter, and his was treated in at least 3! Strange.
June 22, 2011
according to my linguistics professor, there isn't really a better option for this sort of textbook... which is too bad, because this book lacks clarity and/or specificity in multiple instances.
May 22, 2014
This was awful -- an absolutely terrible textbook. Of course, I only read it because it was required, but the author managed to take a somewhat interesting topic and make it boring.
August 16, 2017
Read while I was in graduate school. Language acquisition is fascinating. The focus of my dissertation was on bilingual education, so this was an important read for me.
May 15, 2018
If you get your kicks reading literature reviews, this 400-page textbook is for you.
November 28, 2015
This topic does not have very many options when looking at texts. However, this provides the most thorough discussion of the field. Though some of the text is drawn out, it could use more explanations in certain areas. The examples were thoroughly refreshing!
May 15, 2016
Plot: C
Writing: A
Vocabulary: B
Level: Intermediate-College
Rating: G
Themes: How do people learn another language?
This textbook is written with considerably clear language and explanations targeted for a beginning student of SLA. I highly recommend it!
Writing: A
Vocabulary: B
Level: Intermediate-College
Rating: G
Themes: How do people learn another language?
This textbook is written with considerably clear language and explanations targeted for a beginning student of SLA. I highly recommend it!
August 23, 2009
I will read what i really interested in .
May 8, 2010
Great overview textbook from my class at University of Washington.
April 10, 2012
Gass and Selinker (2008) delineate foundations of SLA from a historical perspective as well as more modern approaches to understanding SLA. Full of basic and useful terms!
December 31, 2012
A laundry list of second language acquisition studies with a few adjectives peppered in between.
April 17, 2009
Fairly dry, but well organized introduction to SLA.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.