Bloomsbury Understanding Silence and Reticence: Ways of Participating in Second Language Acquisition

What is the state of that which is not spoken? This book presents empirical research related to the phenomenon of reticence in the second language classroom, connecting current knowledge and theoretical debates. Why do language learners remain silent or exhibit reticence? Should their silence be respected or should behaviour in the language learning classroom be modified? Can silence in the language learning classroom be justified? Looking at evidence from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Australia, the book presents research data on many internal and external forces that pose obstacles to the adoption of a verbal and outspoken learning style in contemporary education. It explores silence as a thoughtful mode of learning in its own right. Review "Bao's book is a worthy contribution to the literature. Written in a clear style, it stresses the usefulness of silence and engages the reader to reassess his/her view of silence in SLA ... This book offers excellent insights for both the novice SLA student and the seasoned researcher." - Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL About the Author Dat Bao lectures in the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia and has worked closely with universities in the US, the UK, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.