Our own experience in teaching and learning second languages has been that language learning entails imagination, involvement, and interaction. Focusing on individual skills, while certainly worthwhile and necessary, sometimes tends to sidetrack the learner - the learner is often not able to use the skills he or she has acquired in isolation. The purpose of this text is to present many necessary skills in integrated units, with the units always being directed toward atransition to language production. All lessons in Listening Transitions are based on functional dialogs, and a variety of practices are included to promote listening and interaction skills.
Research Methods in Language LearningThis introduction to research methods is designed to help students of applied linguistics, education researchers, classroom teachers, and teachers in training understand and critique published studies in the field of language learning. The book is highly accessible and does not assume specialist or technical knowledge. It presents a balanced and objective view of a range of methods including formal experiments, introspective methods (diaries, logs, journals, and stimulated recall), interaction and transcript analysis, ethnography, and case studies. Other topics covered are elicitation techniques, program evaluation, and action research.
This book investigates the nature and properties of roots, the core elements of word meaning. In particular, chapters examine the interaction of roots with syntactic structure, and the role of their semantic and morpho-phonological properties in that interaction. Issues addressed in the book include the semantics and phonology of roots in isolation and in context; the categorial specification of roots; and the role of phases in word formation.
Functional Grammar (FG) as set out by Simon Dik is the ambitious combination of a functionalist approach to the study of language with a consistent formalization of the underlying structures which it recognizes as relevant. The present volume represents the attempts made within the FG framework to expand the theory so as to cover a wider empirical domain than is usual for highly formalized linguistic theories, namely that of written and spoken discourse, while retaining its methodological precision.
Interactionist and Input Theories of Second Language Acquisition
This paper discusses social interaction theory and the interaction hypothesis and how they deal with the significance of interaction in a learning environment which contrasts with the nativist theories of language acquisition like the input hypothesis espoused by Krashen. According to interaction theorists such as Long and Vygotsky, environmental factors play a critical role in second language acquisition.
