Understanding Second Language Acquisition

by Lourdes Ortega

Whether we grow up with one, two, or several languages during our early years of life, many of us will learn a second, foreign, or heritage language in later years. The field of Second language acquisition (SLA, for short) investigates the human capacity to learn additional languages in late childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, after the first language --in the case of monolinguals-- or languages --in the case of bilinguals-- have already been acquired. Understanding Second Language Acquisition offers a wide-encompassing survey of this burgeoning field, its accumulated findings and proposed theories, its developed research paradigms, and its pending questions for the future. The book zooms in and out of universal, individual, and social forces, in each case evaluating the research findings that have been generated across diverse naturalistic and formal contexts for second language acquisition. It assumes no background in SLA and provides helpful chapter-by-chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading.
Ideal as a textbook for students of applied linguistics, foreign language education, TESOL, and education, it is also recommended for students of linguistics, developmental psycholinguistics, psychology, and cognitive science.

Supporting resources for tutors are available free at www.routledge.com/ortega.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, Language, Education, Textbooks, Academic, France

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2007

Reviews

[Oumaima . · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen better days..
I don't think the memory of being obliged to struggle with this book for four months straight, is going to be a lovely recollection in the future. But i have to admit, it helped me quite a lot with SLA studies, although at one point, I almost ripped my hair off trying to cover the shedload of findings and studies documented here.

[Daniel Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read several other books in the Understanding Language Series for my major in Linguistics, but this one seems more dense than the others. I found the examples provided weren't explained very well. Rather, they were just given and the reader is allowed to make of it what they will. A standard format for this book is to give a term, a vague definition, and then an example with no explanation of how the term is exemplified by the example. Sometimes it can be obvious, but large sections of the book seem to just be almost like a glossary of terms without really describing how they fit into the larger field of SLA. Along with those terms, the author often just lists papers that would show whatever point is supposed to be being made, but the problem is that there is no discussion of even what is the content of the papers, which makes it ineffective. Without the ability to go immediately find and read those journal articles, there's no point really being made. While the other books in this series are decent texts that can be mostly understood even without the guidance of a class, instructor, or supplemental readings, this one needs external resources to get the most out of it. I'm still interested in SLA, but I don't feel like I've learned as much as I'd hoped from this.

[Merry Packard Gravett]

This was such a good book about acquisition. I think that it might have made me much more interested in being a researcher, rather than just a teacher.

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent intro to the study of SLA. It's theory-heavy, but not practice-oriented, so folks hoping to teach a second language might want to use this text to build up academic knowledge, then supplement with a text like "50 Strategies for Teaching a Second Language."

[Alecia Amezcua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book with so much information about SLA. Very well written.

[Karinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is like a novel about SLA.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive introduction to the topic, research has improved since 2013 though

[Emkoshka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was prescribed reading for a university subject I've been studying since July called 'Principles of Second Language Learning'. And it's going into my 2020 list because I had to read every single chapter (one a week) and then write four 500-word responses based on topics that sparked my interest. For the record, I wrote about the impacts of multilingualism on language learning and L1; the impacts of technology on learning vocabulary; language learning motivation in a conflict setting; and personality, gender and language. This book is an extremely comprehensive review of the field of second language acquisition, and I was constantly in awe of Ortega's simultaneous depth and breadth of knowledge. There were times when my eyes glazed over and times when I read with ease; the final 12 pages, which covered identity theory, were a riveting finish. She strikes a good balance between introducing an area of research and its key contributors and discussing research studies, which is often the best bit. An excellent slab of theory for any language teacher looking to add some critical reflection and an empirical base to their teaching practice.

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020 prompt: A book on a subject you know nothing about

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020 prompt: A book on a subject you know nothing about

[Michael A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would agree with the others here. This is actually pretty informative and comprehensive about second language acquisition. It covers a balance of the important theories and research studies related to each topic it addresses in its ten chapters. And it covers a lot in those ten chapters -- everything from interlanguage development, to age effects, to cognitive processing theories, to motivation, and socialization theories.

Despite my dislike of SLA in some of its facets, this is consequently a decent introduction to the field in general and can help you decide if you want to get involved in actual applied linguistics research. Sadly, I have to report much more positive experiences with this text than the actual instructor I had using the book.

Anyhow, if I had to nitpick, I would say that Ortegas sometimes tries to cover too much and doesn't elaborate enough about important theories and concepts on occasion. On the whole, though, I enjoyed reading the book and that isn't how I feel about most TESOL literature.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Typically, second language acquisition (SLA) courses at university only have time for one primary text alongside supplementary research articles to illuminate the chapter topics. As a result, many students never read beyond one or two introductory books on the subject. I think it’s easy to assume that once you’ve read one primer, you’ve read them all, but that would be a mistake, especially in the case of Ortega’s introduction to SLA. Not only is it straightforward and approachable, but the content is so thoughtfully explored that I found myself reading new information on nearly every page, despite having already worked through another excellent introduction to SLA (VanPatten and Williams’ Theories in Second Language Acquisition: An Introduction).

[Shunsuke Matsui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Routledge
time=12/22/2012=100minutes, 12/23=60minutes
7word summary second language acquisition native target bilingual education
Discussion Question
1,What do you think about second language acquisition?
It is imperative for English teachers!
2,Do you like to learn languages?
Yes, I would like to use them which I remembered

I strongly reccomend you to read it. You need to know knowleage about this study if you want to be a great English teacher.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for class and it gives a detailed view of the SLA field and some current questions being explored. Highly technically but does have some examples to aid comprehension. We were assigned chapters out of order, but I would recommend not skipping around, as the chapters do refer to previous explanations.

[Shelby Werner Thayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may have been the best textbook I have had in the field of ESL/TESOL. The chapters were dense, but accessible and incredibly informative. I will keep this and use it as a reference for the rest of my career.

[Mamoizelle Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best textbook of my university career. Well-written, descriptive, full of external sources but not heavy and difficult. Good balance of relevant information, length of chapters, insight on what is discussed in the field. The 1st textbook I will read from cover to cover.