This manual contains overviews on language acquisition and distinguishes between first- and second-language acquisition. It also deals with Romance languages as foreign languages in the world and with language acquisition in some countries of the Romance-speaking world. This reference work will be helpful for researchers, students, and teachers interested in language acquisition in general and in Romance languages in particular.
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning is an authoritative reference dealing with all aspects of this increasingly important field of study. Offering a comprehensive range of articles on contemporary language teaching and its history, it has been produced specifically for language teaching professionals and as a reference work for academic studies at postgraduate level. In this new edition, every single entry has been reviewed and updated with reference to new developments and publications. Coverage has been expanded to reflect new technological, global and academic developments, with particular attention to areas such as online and distance learning, teacher and learner cognition, testing, assessment and evaluation, global English and teacher education. Themes and disciplines covered include: Methods and materials, including new technologies and materials development Contexts and concepts, such as mediation, risk-taking in language learning and intercomprehension Influential figures from the early days of language teaching to the contemporary Related disciplines, such as psychology, anthropology and corpus linguistics It covers the teaching of specific languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and African languages, as well as English, French, German and Spanish. There are thirty five overview articles dealing with issues such as communicative language teaching, early language learning, teacher education and syllabus and curriculum design. A further 160 entries focus on topics such as bilingualism, language laboratories and study abroad. Numerous shorter items examine language and cultural institutions, professional associations and acronyms. Multiple cross-references enable the user to browse from one entry to another, and there are suggestions for further reading. Written by an international team of specialists, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning is an invaluable resource and reference manual for anyone with a professional or academic interest in the subject.
Since its inception in Canada in 1998 as a method for teaching French as a second language in a school setting, the Neurolinguistic Approach to second-language acquisition (NLA) has expanded to several countries and is now also applied to teaching adults. Based on research in the neurosciences, psychology, and sociology, the NLA focuses on providing learners with the conditions necessary to acquire spontaneous communication skills in a classroom setting. By ensuring the independent development of effective communication and implicit competence in the second language, the NLA allows learners to genuinely express themselves in their new language. In this volume, co-developer of the approach Claude Germain outlines the history of the NLA’s development and provides insights into its principles, its teaching and acquisition strategies applied in the classroom, and the results it has achieved. This is an essential book for all second-language teachers, as well as researchers interested in the transmission of second languages.
Language and literature teaching are a keystone in the age of STEM, especially when dealing with minority communities. Practical methodologies for language learning are essential for bridging the cultural gap. Teaching Language and Literature On and Off-Canon is a critical research publication that provides a multidisciplinary, multimodal, and heterogenous perspectives on the applications of language learning and teaching practices for commonly studied languages, such as Spanish, English, and French, and less-studied languages, such as Latin, Gaelic, and ancient Semitic languages. Highlighting topics such as language acquisition, artistic literature, and minority languages, this book is essential for language teachers, linguists, academicians, curriculum designers, policymakers, administrators, researchers, and students.
This volume addresses the need for a more considered and systematic approach to teacher education and training in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), in all its forms: Technology Enhanced Language Learning, Network-Based Language Learning, Information and Communication Technologies for Language Learning and so on. The 20 chapters of the book are divided into five parts: (1) foundations of teacher education in CALL; (2) CALL degree programs; (3) CALL pre-service courses; (4) CALL in-service projects, courses, and workshops; (5) alternatives to formal CALL training. The chapters cover a broad range of levels, environments, countries, and languages. Rather than simply offering inspired speculation, the chapters provide practical information to readers, reporting on what has actually been done in a wide variety of teacher education programs and courses around the world. In many cases, the chapters describe how programs and courses have evolved, and include either qualitative or quantitative research, or both, to inform the structure of CALL courses, tasks and activities.
This book addresses many of the issues facing language teachers, researchers and policy makers in a world where languages are becoming extinct at an alarming rate and are frequently the focus for dispute and conflict.