Review

Liu+Chang

【Abstract】Introductory books on second language acquisition abound in recent years， aiming to introduce the landscape of SLA research to interested or novice readers by providing key concepts， current research agendas and research methods in an accessible way.However， merits our attention in that it is distinguished by several shining characteristics of its own， such as the framework of the book etc.

【Key words】second language acquisition； key concepts； current research agendas；

The book is divided into two parts， including ten chapters plus a short conclusion： Part I consists of three chapters， purporting to give readers an overview of the state-of-the-art of SLA， while Part II comprises seven chapters by leading scholars， in which the possible links between two concepts or domains in SLA are examined in detail， meaning to provide readers some fine food for thought.

In Chapter 1， Macaro explains the origins of SLA study， books on SLA， and the purposes of the companion briefly， outlines general trends in L2 research by examining recent publications in five major SLA journals， and offer readers valuable advice on how to read SLA literature for the purpose of helping them become discerning consumers of SLA literature.Chapter 2 is one of defining characteristics of the volume for it provides a list of SLA key terms， which are more than glossaries usually attached to the appendices in most introductory books on SLA.The aim of this compendium is to enable readers to have easy access to accumulated knowledge of SLA because key concepts or constructs are important carriers of a disciplines knowledge.After briefly discussing research paradigms in SLA， Macaro and Cohen in Chapter 3 take stock of the current research practices by reviewing and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of research instruments adopted in research articles published in five major SLA journals， and propose some measures to enhance their effectiveness， thus helping novice researchers make appropriate decisions in choosing research instruments if need be.

Articles in Part II not only inform readers of a summary of the possible connections between two concepts in SLA but also propose new methods or frameworks for researching these relationships.By demonstrating SLAs historical indebtedness to FLA， Vivian Cook in Chapter 4 argues convincingly that the relationship between FLA and SLA should be reconsidered and reconstituted in the interest of SLA.Currently， theories originating from L1 research continue to influence and shape SLA study such as theories of mind upheld by Tomasello， Hallidays social theories of language and Chomskys theory of knowledge of language， whereas FLA research seems impervious to SLA study.Cook warns that SLA researchers should be cautious when borrowing ideas and research techniques FLA study because there exist fundamental differences between L1 and L2 acquisition in terms of initial states， learning situations， ultimate attainments etc.Chapter 5 is related to the previous chapter because it is believed that age is a critical factor related to some variables influencing learning outcomes in both FLA and SLA.After reviewing the debate concerning the CPH in L1 and L2 literature， Victoria A.Murphy in Chapter 5 explores the relationship between age and child second language learning by comparing young L2 learners in three different contexts—language minority context， EFL context and immersion context.endprint

The relationship between L2 vocabulary knowledge and L2 vocabulary use is investigated by Paul Meara in Chapter 6.After describing Richards vocabulary knowledge framework and its attendant problems， the author introduces Paul Nations Vocabulary Levels Test and Mearas Yes/No tests for measuring vocabulary breadth， and Vocabulary Knowledge Scale and Word Association format to tap vocabulary depth.However， there exist some problems with these testing tools in one way or another， so Meara offers another two approaches： one is the rough idea proposed by the author， the other is a dimensional approach developed by Henriksen， and both of them need to be refined further.Similarly， there is some space for improvement in measures for assessing vocabulary use such as Laufer and Nations Productive Levels Tests， TTR， D-value， and Lexical Frequency Profile.

Both input and output are important constructs in SLA literature， which are often dealt with separately in L2 literature.However， Susan Gass tries to establish possible links between L2 input and L2 output by relating the definitions， functions of them， current SLA approaches to them， ending up with concluding that output is complex and the input-output relationship is even more complex.Gass seems to suggest that new framework or paradigm must be adopted to advance input-output relationship research.Paul Seedhouse shift our attention from input and output to classroom interaction in Chapter 8， in which the relationship between pedagogical focus and L2 classroom interaction are examined in detail.After demonstrating how to determine the pedagogical focus in a L2 lesson， the author shows readers the evolution of research methodologies in dealing with L2 classroom interaction： observation or coding schemes from the 1960s， discourse analysis from the 1970s， ethnography from the 1980s， and conversation analysis from the 1990s.After criticizing the so-called ‘pedagogical landing-ground perspective， Seedhouse argues that it is important to consider the “interactional architecture of the language classroom when planning activities because it transforms task-as-workplan into task-in-process， intended pedagogy into actual pedagogy.”（p.234）

There exist a large body of research on language aptitude and L2 learning motivation in L2 literature.After outlining a brief history of these two ID variables， Zoltán D?rnyei points out that the modular view of ID variables must be given up to boost the development of relevant research in Chapter 9.Flow theory， motivational task processing， the ideal L2 self are considered as potential frameworks for motivation research because these theoretical perspectives can help lessen the interaction between cognition and motivation.Ernesto Macaro in Chapter 10 reviews the relationship between strategic behavior and language learning success， which has occupied researchers attention for decades.

Despite the fact that the book is introductory in nature， it tries to shed light on the complexities of SLA research by both explaining basic facts and research methods and presenting reasonable challenges for interested readers through linking two concepts or constructs in the field.Through thorough reviews and discussions， leading experts provide readers future directions and prospects in SLA research by acquainting readers with the cutting-edge L2 research.

References：

[1]Ellis， R.（2008）.The study of second language acquisition （2nd ed.） Oxford： Oxford University Press.

[2]Gass， S.& Selinker， L.（2008）.Second language acquisition： An introductory course （3rd ed.）.London： Routledge.

[3]Ortega， L.（2009）. Understanding second language acquisition.London： Hodder Education.

[4]VanPatten， B.& Benati， A.G.（2010）.Key terms in second language acquisition.London： Continuum.endprint