Multilingual Matters Age and the Rate of Foreign Language Learning: 19 (Second Language Acquisition)

This book examines the various ways in which age affects the process and the product of foreign language learning in a school setting. It presents studies that cover a wide range of topics, from phonetics to learning strategies. It will be of interest to students and researchers working in SLA research, language planning and language teaching. Review Apart from exploring questions of rate and attainment in low-proficiency learners, this volume also presents data and findings relevant to SLA in terms of methodology, interlanguage states or learners' perception of their own development. For this reason, it will be helpful not only for professionals in linguistics and FL curriculum planners, but also for researchers and language teachers interested in the description and measurement of the early stages of FL acquisition.--Imma Miralpeix, University of Barcelona "The Journal of Language Teaching, Volume 44/1, 2011" It is fascinating to read a collection of studies conducted over such a long period with a single, large data set.--D. Bradford Marshall The collection provides invaluable guidance for educators and policy makers who must decide when to start L2 instruction in school programs. The volume also includes thorough reviews of previous research and theory on the relationship between age and language acquisition. It is a unique addition to the research on classroom second language learning.--Patsy M. Lightbown, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Concordia University, Montreal. This book is very well-written and edited, and its various chapters provide not only enlightening results and interpretations but also clear and satisfying discussions of the relevant theories, past empirical findings, and research methodology.--Scott Jarvis, Ohio University "Studies in Second Language Acquisition 31 - 2009" Apart from exploring questions of rate and attainment in low-proficiency learners, this volume also presents data and findings relevant to SLA in terms of methodology, interlanguage states or learners' perception of their own development. For this reason, it will be helpful not only for professionals in linguistics and FL curriculum planners, but also for researchers and language teachers interested in the description and measurement of the early stages of FL acquisition. - Imma Miralpeix, University of Barcelona - The Journal of Language Teaching, Volume 44/1, 2011 It is fascinating to read a collection of studies conducted over such a long period with a single, large data set. - D. Bradford Marshall The collection provides invaluable guidance for educators and policy makers who must decide when to start L2 instruction in school programs. The volume also includes thorough reviews of previous research and theory on the relationship between age and language acquisition. It is a unique addition to the research on classroom second language learning. - Patsy M. Lightbown, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Concordia University, Montreal. This book is very well-written and edited, and its various chapters provide not only enlightening results and interpretations but also clear and satisfying discussions of the relevant theories, past empirical findings, and research methodology. - Scott Jarvis, Ohio University - Studies in Second Language Acquisition 31 - 2009 About the Author Carmen Muñoz is Professor of Applied English Linguistics at the University of Barcelona (Spain). Her research interests include the effects of age and context on second language acquisition, young learners in instructed settings, individual differences, bilingual/multilingual education, and multimodality in language learning. She has coordinated a dozen research projects, among them the BAF Project (“Age and the Rate of Foreign Language Learning”, in Multilingual Matters, 2006) and more recently the SUBTiLL Project, on the effects of captions/subtitles on second language learning (“The role of age and proficiency in subtitle readi