Description
This book is about the acquisition of syntax in a second language. It covers the interactions between the syntactic, processing and functional/discourse approaches, and looks at how and why these different approaches give different results. It also provides a synthesis of the research in the area.
The issue of syntactic development is one central to both linguistics and applied linguistics. This book introduces students to the acquisition of syntax in a second language - a topic which also has important implications for teaching languages. Without assuming a detailed background knowledge of linguistics, the author builds a coherent picture of second language grammatical development by showing the interactions between the syntactic, processing and functional/discourse approaches, looking at how and why these different approaches give different results. A synthesis of the research in the area is provided, and each chapter also looks at the implications of second language syntax research for the classroom. Review: A very competent overview of the literature which will give the reader a fair understanding of the approaches taken and a good knowledge of what sorts of research have and have not been done. Clearly structured, plainly written and includes just enough detail and theory not to misrepresent theories but still remain accessible to its intended readership. Studies in Languages