Second Language Acquisition

Learning new languages is a common human experience. Whether we are required to learn a language at school, or whether the need is driven by economic opportunity, survival, ancestral connection or even love, the human capacity to learn new languages raises many questions. How do humans manage the complex task of learning new linguistic structures? Why are some people better at language learning than others? What is the relationship in the mind between established and new language patterns? How can we learn languages more effectively? This course offers insight into these and other questions through examining theoretical approaches, empirical methods and findings in second language acquisition research. Topics include features of language learners and their learning processes (e.g., age, crosslinguistic influences), individual influences on language development (e.g., motivation, aptitude) and social dimensions (e.g., identity, community). Students will be encouraged to reflect critically on their own experiences as language learners and/or their experiences in relevant professional capacities. Students will have an opportunity to carry out a small research project on an aspect of language learning that interests them.