Customer Reviews

Second Language Acquisition set: Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course, 3rd Edition

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A serious SLA scholar needs at least three broad introductions to begin with. This one is the first to have. Other ones are Ellis (1994) and Doughty & Long (2003). Needless to plough through articles in libraries because the field of SLA is too dispersed and chaotic.

The book provides a good introduction to the second language acquisition field, as well as the research done in the area. It covers all the major issues, such as first language influence, universal grammar, and classroom learning. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter are particularly useful for students in an SLA introductory class.

I am a graduate student in Michigan State University's MA TESOL program, and have the distinct honour of having Dr. Susan Gass as my advisor. In addition to being a University Distinguished Professor at MSU and President of the International Association of Applied Linguistics, Dr. Gass has published extensively on SLA research. Her textbook "Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course" is required reading as part of the TESOL program at MSU, and is an indispensable condensed guide to the hundreds of research articles on topics such as child language acquisition, interlanguage data and processes, SLA and linguistics, universal grammar, input, interaction and output, instructed L2 learning and nonlanguage influences (Critical Period Hypothesis, aptitude, anxiety, motivation, personality factors).

"SLA: An Introductory Course" is a necessity for all serious SLA/TESOL graduate students. As I am reading the full versions of many of the articles summarized in the book (over 500 pages of unabridged research), I frequently consult Dr. Gass' guide for overviews, charts, and discussions that pertain to the original articles while making the results salient and easier to put in perspective. To give the prospective buyer an idea of the inclusiveness of the book, there are over 35 pages of references (including landmark studies from the 1950s to the present), a handy ten-page glossary, and an author index and subject index for easy retrieval.

To the reviewer who stated : "[the book] is only for college folks (probably graduate students and up), and there is little if any value for the utiltarian teacher. My warning goes out to anyone who thinks the book might help them as teachers or as students of a foreign language. You are not the intended audience," I disagree. As a future ESL/EFL teacher and a language learner (I am trilingual and can understand basic Japanese), I believe that understanding the complicated mechanisms and processes that govern second language acquisition and keeping on top of current research in the field is just as important as being fluent in the language that you are teaching.

I highly recommend "SLA: An Introductory Course" to those who are interested in linguistics and second language acquisition. It is truly an indispensable overview to the myriad of research conducted in second language acquisition. The book is filled with numerous charts, statistics and examples taken directly from the original studies, all of which are seamlessly interwoven into intuitively organized, easy-to-digest chapters.

As a first-year linguistics teacher, I was searching for a complete text. This book is complete, and I have found many supplemental resources online because it is quite popular as a college text. In addition, I have seen the authors cited elsewhere and am confident of the authors' credibility. My only complaint is that the book sometimes defines terms without giving examples and, as far as I know, does not have a teacher's edition.

This book was erroneously selected by my professor for our graduate program class. Many students complained about the book's dry and dull content. The authors seem more interested in showing off their academic prowess and overburdening the student with too much information. The book's chapters lack any sort of crystallization to bring the concepts in the chapter together. So, our professor suggested that we abandon the book--we all overwhelmingly agreed.

This book should not be titled "an introductory course".

I purchased this book on Amazon because it was WAY cheaper than buying it at both local bookstores. Being so cheap I was skeptical that it would be the wrong version or in bad shape (even though the description said otherwise). However, the book came THE NEXT DAY (even though it said give 48-72 hours) and was brand new- still in shrink wrap. MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED. Thanks!

The book is very clearly written and informative. If you are looking for a book that covers Second language acquisition concepts, theories, and studies, I think this book would be a good resource(my opinion).

Having taught this material from the first through this third edition, I must say that it just gets better with age. The material is clearly and logically presented. It gives good examples, and the exercises at the end of each chapter, if one can find the time to do them all, are very useful, especially for those who wish to be language teachers but have never really taken the time to examine exactly what happens during the learning process. Language teachers so often focus on the latest "method" of language teaching without understanding that if we don't study how the learning process functions, no method will be as effective as it is intended to be. I would urge all language teachers to read this book and apply the principles contained therein to their teaching.

This is a nice book and it covers almost every aspect of SLA. Moreover, the languae wriiten in this book is very reader-friendly.

I find the book very convenient for novice student teachers in the applied linguistics area.