Foreign Language Input: Initial Processing presents the most comprehensive study to date of the starting point of second language acquisition. Its focus is on the language input that learners receive and what they actually do with this input. The empirical study detailed in the book follows a methodology in which all of the language input provided to the learners from the moment of first exposure is controlled, recorded and transcribed. This input is then quantitatively compared to the learners' performance on language tasks administered at various time intervals up to 8 hours after first exposure. This in-depth analysis of the input and the learners' performance sheds light on questions still unanswered in second language acquisition literature, such as what knowledge is brought to the acquisition process and how learners use this knowledge to process new linguistic information.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Rast's clearly written exploration of input variables illuminates the nature of word and sentence repetition and word- and sentence-translation tasks for learners given minimal L2 exposure. This work will undoubtedly inspire further studies of first exposure. -- Susanne Carroll, University of Calgary The core matter of this book is central to all theories of acquisition: it explores the relationship between input, intake, and L2 acquisition at the initial state of learning. It will be of top interest to all concerned with the nature of early L2 acquisition. -- Marianne Gullberg, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen Rast's highly original study charts the first few hours of L2 acquisition in both comprehension and production, providing a richer and more complex view of the earliest stages of acquisition than anything hitherto available. Essential reading for acquisitionists! -- Clive Perdue, Structures formelles du langage, CNRS & Universite Paris 8 Rast's book answers the call for research on the initial stages of SLA while distinguishing itself from previous studies in which artificial languages were used. This book makes an important contribution to our understanding of the initial stages of SLA. On a theoretical level, this work is relevant and timely given the detailed discussions of intake, saliency and frequency. -- Eve Zyzik University of California, Santa Cruz * Studies in Second Language Acquisition 5th August 2008 *
Reihe
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Channel View Publications Ltd
Zielgruppe
Produkt-Hinweis
Fadenheftung
Gewebe-Einband
Maße
Höhe: 236 mm
Breite: 157 mm
Dicke: 20 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-84769-042-5 (9781847690425)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Rebekah Rast teaches English and Linguistics at The American University of Paris. She has published in the field of second and third language acquisition and conducts research in collaboration with the interdisciplinary CNRS research team Language, Cognition et Developpement (UMR 7023), based at the Universite Paris VIII. Her research interests include second and additional language acquisition, as well as the interface between language acquisition and teaching.
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part 1: Theoretical Preliminaries
1. Input and Intake Revisited
2. First Exposure Studies
Part 2: The Study
3. Polish-French Contrastive Analysis
4. Research Methodology
5. The Adult's Available Knowledge at First Exposure to an Unknown Language
6. Case Studies: Two Learners with Similar Linguistic Profiles
7. Speech Perception
8. Speech Comprehension
9. Grammatical Analysis
10. Concluding Remarks
References
