Contemporary Approaches to Second Language Acquisition -- Editorial page -- Title page -- LCC data -- Dedication page -- Table of contents -- Acknowledgments -- Foreword -- Introduction -- References -- Chapter 1. What is easy and what is hard to acquire in a second language -- Introduction -- Language architecture and the location of functional morphology -- Syntax is easier than functional morphology -- Relative difficulty of syntax for native and non-native speakers -- The syntax-semantics interfaces -- The syntax-discourse interface -- The semantics-pragmatics interface -- Taking stock -- Implications for teaching -- References -- Chapter 2. Systemic Functional approaches to second language acquisition in school settings* -- The role of Systemic Functional linguistics (SFL) in second/foreign language acquisition -- Applications of SFL to the study of foreign language acquisition and development in school contexts -- Applying Halliday's protolanguage taxonomy to second language learners' functional language at an early age -- SFL approaches to EFL writing development in secondary schools -- SFL and CLIL classrooms -- Combining SFL and other approaches to SLA -- Conclusion: Implications for research and pedagogy -- References -- Chapter 3. From input, output and comprehension to negotiation, evidence, and attention -- Introduction: Learner interaction: Theoretical perspectives, distinctions and relevance -- Learner interaction: Empirical perspectives, questions, and findings -- Modified interaction: Distinctions and contributions to SLA -- Negotiation of meaning -- Negotiation of form -- Recasts -- Form-focused intervention -- Form-focused instruction -- Output production and modification -- Learner interaction and readiness -- Task-based interaction: Theoretical and empirical perspectives -- Task-based interaction in the classroom.

Conclusion and implications -- References -- Chapter 4. Skill Acquisition Theory and the role of practice in L2 development -- Introduction -- Proceduralization, automaticity, and L2 acquisition -- Fluency, speed of retrieval, and implicit knowledge -- The interplay between declarative and procedural knowledge -- Types of practice -- Practice and feedback -- Concluding remarks -- References -- Chapter 5. The Input Processing Theory in second language acquisition -- Introduction -- The Input Processing Theory -- Processing Principles and Sub-Principles -- The Primacy of Meaning Principle (P1) -- The Primacy of Content Words Principle (P1a) -- Lexical Preference Principle (P1b) -- The Preference for Non-redundancy Principle (P1c) and The Meaning-Before-Non-meaning Principle (P1d) -- The Availability of Resources Principle (P1e) -- The Sentence Location Principle (P1f) -- The First Noun Principle (P2) -- The Lexical Semantics Principle (P2a) -- The Event Probabilities Principle (P2b) -- The Contextual Constraint Principle (P2c) -- Implications -- Implications for pedagogy -- Implications for theory and research -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 6. Processability Theory -- Introduction -- Processability Theory -- Data and the emergence criterion -- Cross-linguistic validity and empirical evidence -- The role of transfer in developmental sequences -- Measuring language development by profiling -- Profiling bilingual development -- Concluding remarks -- References -- Chapter 7. Sociocultural Theory and second language development -- Introduction -- SCT: Main tenets -- On the nature of L2 knowledge -- Theoretical foundations -- Insights from research -- On the nature of L2 learning and development -- Theoretical foundations -- Insights from research -- Verbalisation -- Gesture -- Internalisation -- Assessing development.

On the L2 learner and the linguistic environment -- Theoretical foundations -- Insights from research -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Chapter 8. Investigating L2 spoken syntax -- Introduction -- Spoken language: From data to analysis and model -- Properties of spoken language -- Cognitive, construction and usage-based grammars -- Researching spoken language: Corpus transcription and units of analysis -- Implications and applications of spoken language research -- Investigating native and L2 spoken language -- Subordination and clause complexes in native speaker usage -- Independent speech-act clauses -- Syntactic complexity in a second language -- Native and L2 spoken adverbial clauses -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Appendix -- Chapter 9. Connectionist models of second language acquisition -- Introduction -- The theory -- What is connectionism? -- Connectionist models of multiple languages -- DevLex-II: A scalable connectionist model of bilingual language learning -- A sketch of the model -- Linguistic realism of the model -- Performance of the model -- Concluding remarks -- References -- Chapter 10. Dynamic Systems Theory as a comprehensive theory of second language development -- Introduction -- DST principles at different levels of granularity across time -- DST and social theories -- DST and language theories -- DST and SLD theories -- End states versus steady states -- Things versus processes -- Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 11. Electrophysiology of second language processing -- Introduction -- An introduction to ERPs -- The use of ERPs in second language acquisition (SLA) research -- ERPs and L2 speech perception -- ERPs and L2 lexical processing -- ERPs and L2 sentence processing -- Conclusions -- References -- Afterword. On multiplicity and mutual exclusivity -- Getting the bigger picture.

References -- List of contributors -- Index.