Sensitive periods, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment

Editors

Gisela Granena | University of Maryland

Mike Long | University of Maryland

Hardbound – Available

ISBN 9789027213112 | EUR 99.00 | USD 149.00

Paperback – Available

ISBN 9789027213129 | EUR 36.00 | USD 54.00

e-Book –

ISBN 9789027272065 | EUR 99.00/36.00*
| USD 149.00/54.00*

Research on second language acquisition (SLA) has identified language aptitude and age of onset (AO), i.e., the age at which learners are first meaningfully exposed to the L2, as robust predictors of rate of classroom language learning and level of ultimate L2 attainment in naturalistic settings, respectively. It is not surprising, therefore, that recent years have witnessed a surge of interest in the combination of age and aptitude as a powerful explanatory factor in SLA, and central to a viable SLA theory. The chapters in this volume provide new studies and reviews of research findings on age effects, bilingualism effects, maturational constraints and sensitive periods in SLA, the sub-components of language aptitude and the development of new aptitude measures, the influence of AO and aptitude in combination on SLA, aptitude-treatment interactions, and the implications of the research findings for language education policy and tailored language instruction.

[Language Learning & Language Teaching, 35] 2013. xv, 295 pp.

Publishing status: Available
Published online on 29 March 2013

https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.35

Table of Contents

List of contributors | pp. vii–viii

Introduction and overview

Gisela Granena and Mike Long | pp. ix–xvi

Part I. Age differences and maturational constraints

Maturational constraints on child and adult SLA

Mike Long | pp. 3–42

Maturational constraints on lexical acquisition in a second language

Katherine Spadaro | pp. 43–68

Age of acquisition effects or effects of bilingualism in second language ultimate attainment?

Emanuel Bylund, Kenneth Hyltenstam and Niclas Abrahamsson | pp. 69–102

Part II. Aptitude constructs and measures

Cognitive aptitudes for second language learning and the LLAMA Language Aptitude Test

Gisela Granena | pp. 105–130

New conceptualizations of language aptitude in second language attainment

Judit Kormos | pp. 131–152

Optimizing post-critical-period language learning

Catherine J. Doughty | pp. 153–176

Part III. Age, aptitude and ultimate attainment

Reexamining the robustness of aptitude in second language acquisition

Gisela Granena | pp. 179–204

Memory-based aptitude for nativelike selection: The role of phonological short-term memory

Cylcia Bolibaugh and Pauline Foster | pp. 205–230

High-level proficiency in late L2 acquisition: Relationships between collocational production, language aptitude and personality

Fanny Forsberg Lundell and Maria Sandgren | pp. 231–256

Part IV. Implications for educational policy and language teaching

Some implications of research findings on sensitive periods in language learning for educational policy and practice

Mike Long | pp. 259–272

Aptitude-treatment interaction studies in second language acquisition: Findings and methodology

Karen Vatz, Medha Tare, Scott R. Jackson and Catherine J. Doughty | pp. 273–292

Subject index | pp. 293–296

“In this foundational and timely collection of new empirical studies and state-of -the-art critical reviews, Granena and Long move us several steps forward toward a clearer understanding of the relationship between language aptitude, age effects, and L2 ultimate attainment, and their broader implications for educational policy and language teaching. This invaluable volume is a must-read for language teachers, researchers of second language acquisition and educators.”

Silvina Montrul, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“This important book includes chapters describing up-to-date, and insightful overviews of research on age effects on second language acquisition (SLA), current conceptions of aptitude, and the methodology for constructing aptitude-treatment-interaction (ATI) research, along with carefully reported empirical research into the effects of aptitude on second language learning. It is essential reading for SLA researchers, and for those concerned with the design of effective second language instruction across the lifespan. Ground-breaking, and highly recommended!”

Peter Robinson, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo

“A cornucopia of cutting-edge research on age of learning, aptitudes, and their interaction; a must-read for all those interested in how individual differences in cognitive functioning shape a variety of phenomena in second language learning. Stimulating contributions from both established researchers and recent graduates point to new perspectives for theories of second language acquisition and provide valuable pointers for future empirical research.”

Robert DeKeyser, University of Maryland

“This is a most interesting and timely volume that brings together sensitive periods, ultimate L2 attainment, and language aptitude, while at the same time examining a range of individual and social factors. The result is a rich collection of articles that take the debate of maturational constraints a long way forward and offer significant implications for language teaching. A must read.”

Carmen Munoz, Universitat de Barcelona

“Eleven state-of-the-art chapters explore age-related variables and language aptitude as explanatory factors in second language (L2) development in this carefully edited volume. It presents a refreshing combination of rigorous review chapters and research reports that question current assumptions about maturational constraints and aptitude, break new ground, and propose productive directions for future inquiry. [...]Researchers and educators will welcome this informative and highly focused book as a substantial contribution to our understanding of the dynamic combination of age and aptitude in promoting L2 learning.”

John Hedgcock, Monterey Institute of International Studies, in Studies in Second Language Acquisition 36: 597-600 , 2014

“This volume makes a clear contribution to the field and will be very useful to practitioners, regardless of their level of experience in the field. The breadth and depth of its contents is impressive for an edited volume.”

Jessica G. Cox, Georgetown University, on Linguist List 25.244, 2014

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