First and Second Language Acquisition - (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) by J"urgen M Meisel (Hardcover)

Number of Pages: 322
Genre: Language + Art + Disciplines
Sub-Genre: Language Arts
Series Title: Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Age Range: Adult
Book theme: Psycholinguistics
Author: Jürgen M Meisel
Language: English

About the Book

This is the first textbook to systematically compare first and second language acquisition drawing on data from several languages.

Book Synopsis

Infants and very young children develop almost miraculously the ability of speech, without apparent effort, without even being taught - as opposed to the teenager or the adult struggling without, it seems, ever being able to reach the same level of proficiency as five-year olds in their first language. This useful textbook serves as a guide to different types of language acquisition: monolingual and bilingual first language development and child and adult second language acquisition. Unlike other books, it systematically compares first and second language acquisition, drawing on data from several languages. Research questions and findings from various subfields are helpfully summarized to show students how they are related and how they often complement each other. The essential guide to studying first and second language acquisition, it will be used on courses in linguistics, modern languages and developmental psychology.

Review Quotes

" ... an excellent textbook on similarities and differences between first and second language acquisition, but also an insightful and provocative synthesis of research on this topic." --Fred Genesee, Psychology Department, McGill University