PREFACE; SECTION 1; Survey; 1. L2 acquisition; What is 'second language acquisition'?; What are the goals of SLA?; 2. The nature of learner language; Errors and error analysis; Developmental patterns; Variability in learner language; Summary; 3. Interlanguage; Behaviourist learning theory; A mentalist theory of language learning; What is 'interlanguage'?; A computational model of L2 acquisition; 4. Social aspects of interlanguage; Interlanguage as a stylistic continuum; The acculturation model of L2 acquisition; Social identity and investment in L2 learning; 5. Discourse aspects of interlanguage; Acquiring discourse rules; The role of input and interaction in L2 acquisition; The role of output in L2 acquisition; Summary; 6. Psycholinguistic aspects of interlanguage; L1 transfer; The role of consciousness in L2 acquisition; Processing operations; Communication strategies; Two types of computational model; 7. Linguistic aspects of interlanguage; Typological universals: relative clauses; Universal Grammar; Learnability; The critical period hypothesis; Access to UG; Markedness; Cognitive versus linguistic explanations; 8. Individual differences in L2 acquisition; Language aptitude; Motivation; Learning strategies; 9. Instruction and L2 acquisition; Form-focused instruction; Learner-instruction matching; Strategy training; Summary; 10. Conclusion: multiple perspectives in SLA; SECTION 2; Readings; SECTION 3; References; SECTION 4; Glossary

In the age of the global village and the world wide web, understanding the way in which people learn languages is of ever increasing importance. This book makes the essentials of this rapidly expanding area of study accessible to readers encountering it for the first time.