Second Language Learning Theories Second Edition ROSAMOND MITCHELL Mode Lane, ai of Shang FLORENCE MYLES Moen Langa Newt Ue @ HODDER ) EDUCATION JN AGHETTE UK COMPANYSemen S30 Boston Hons, Landoe WI 38H ‘eer No pa fh tn my essed {Bly ory ag Se any any, Spier rage on ewe ae neo ‘Sto ace ep emponsay a aby fr ay er oan ‘i i nig Mai Dt es Cain nin De ‘Netaog cud eta ok alta ett of ane ‘To Paul, Francis and David4 Second language lean theo ‘been usefl in desing not only the language prodaced hy lames but ako the language to be aequiced wel asthe fie language of the Iearee “The work cased out by second langsage sequiston researchers win this framework is ako feding into our more general understanding of human lange "This appeoach hs slso been useful, nor oaly in etablihing some ofthe fects abour second language acquis, but also meeting with rome success explaining thse fae. For example, has coal second le trnge researchers to draw up a principled view af langage tamer o¢ ‘rssnguiceinfuene, in terms ofpeincples and parameters. At we ave ‘cen, for example, researchers ve heen abl to tex empiialy whether parameters can be reset 36.4 The Universal Grammer view af the language learner “The Univeral Grate approach is oly interested in the learner asthe possessor of a mind tht contains Imguage; the esumption ie tha ll ‘human being are endowed with such 2 mind sd vaiasons betwee na viduals are of ite concern to Univeral Garamar theorists The emis ‘very much again hereon language a the objet of sod rather than 08 ‘the speaker or leaer as a sci] beings and the focus ion what univer ssl within ind ‘Overal thers lide doubt that he Univeral Grammar approach to s60- ced language reearch meets the entra fora 0d theory ae define in (Chapecr by making clear and explicit statement ofthe ground tains 0 cove and the claims it makes, by having systematic procedures fo theory alain, by asempting a exphin well as describe a et some second Ianguage phenomen, end finally by engaging inceasngly iho tise ries nthe Hl. As one ofthe most active and developing deo, ican be ‘expected co continue to make highly value contributions othe eld 4 Cognitive approaches to second language learning “The sovison of rama te plese! ening of may thosand of easton ad the Fequenc-tsel sri if rues ih (6 Bs, 2003, p67) 4.1 Introduction In Chapuer 3, we outined the work of second language aeqistion researchers wh ate intersted in the development of second language grammars from » purely nguistic pont of Wew. In that view, second Tanguage leaning (SLL is Scena diferent fom exer kinds of learning, snd formal scion ofthe Hnginie sens involved (be they heft uae, the second language or the lene inceianguage) is sen 2s ruil to our understanding ofthe SLL tsk. Universal Grarmmar-based ‘escurchees put the emphasis fly on the language dimension of SLL, and see language asa separate monule ia the mind, distin from oder apes of cognition. Unieral Grammar, a we have discus spi siya property theory, "The second language acquisition rescrchers we are about to consider ‘ow othe edhe hand, put more emphasis cn the loaning component of SLL, that they are intersted in trmnation theories, They view SLL as Just one instantation (Le. working example) of learing among many others, and they belie that we can understand the second Junguage acquision proces bauer by St understanding ow the !auman bain processes snd lars ew information, The focus here til, ‘very much on the leer as an individual (alike the work of social the- forss we will examine late), but, unlike Univeral Grammar theorist two draw their kypotbeses Irom the stidy of nguistic ystems, the