As linguists who work in both linguistics and second language (L2) teaching and learning, we see how the strengths and tools of the science of language contribute greatly to pedagogical effectiveness in the second language classroom. This itself is unsurprising, as the scientific study of language would be expected to provide an essential foundation for language-related endeavors. What is striking, however, is that linguistics has not been well integrated into these applications. In particular, we note that linguistics and the applied area of L2 teaching and learning have developed as separate disciplines largely independent of one another, with little professional overlap. Even so, at the core, the human activities of studying language scientifically and teaching and learning a new language have much in common, with substantial contributions to offer the other. Drawing on an international team of twenty-three scholars from various linguistics areas, theoretical viewpoints, and educational contexts, this book makes the case for strengthening the role of linguistics in L2 teaching and learning and argues for the place of L2 theory and data in linguistic inquiry and linguistics education. The aim of this collection is to bring disparate professional realms together around the realities of language itself as seen when humans acquire new languages.
The book opens with a lay of the land for the reader as to the status of linguistics in master’s degree L2 teacher training programs (Chapter 1). It moves from there to several chapters presenting the case for linguistics in L2 studies from various theoretical viewpoints (functional-typological, systemic functional, and structural, Chapters 2–4) and into the core of the book, a series of chapters that demonstrate how various linguistic areas bear upon L2 teaching and learning (pronunciation; morphosyntax; discourse and pragmatics; discourse analysis and conversation analysis; sociolinguistics; and corpus linguistics, Chapters 5–10). Linguistics in various L2 educational contexts is showcased in Chapters 11–13 (general education, K-12, a university Spanish language program). As the final chapter of the book, Chapter 14 presents the case for why second language acquisition should be part of a linguistics education. Accessibly written for readers from both disciplines, the chapters lay out the strengths and tools of linguistics for L2 applications with examples, case studies, research, anecdotal evidence, illustrations, and sample activities for the L2 classroom. Each chapter includes recommended readings and discussion questions intended to spark conversation across the disciplines.
With the breadth of topics in one volume, and the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives represented by the international team of authors, combined with the unique focus on making the case for linguistic foundations in L2 applications as well as the place of L2 data and process in linguistic theory and education, the book appeals to a broad audience. We anticipate this book will be of interest to scholars in language-related disciplines (particularly linguistics and L2 studies), doctoral and master’s candidates in language-related disciplines, academics engaged in L2 teacher education, and university-level and PK-12 language teachers in the classroom, as well as administrators, curriculum design professionals, and similar stakeholders who oversee L2 teacher education at more programmatic levels.
Each chapter speaks to both disciplines, linguists and second language professionals alike, since both are needed to bridge the disciplinary gap and reap mutual benefits. Chapters from the linguistics world make an appeal to second language professionals to consider more fully how the strengths and tools of linguistics can contribute to the success of L2 teacher training programs and their graduates. These chapters also make an appeal to linguists to consider how their linguistic expertise can uniquely undergird and strengthen language-related endeavors and perhaps is part and parcel of a linguistics career. Chapter 14 drives home this latter point, citing the place of L2 data in linguistic theory building among other reasons for engagement.
This book provides professionals who are stakeholders in program development and decision-makers in curricula with a profound awareness of how linguistics informs the teaching and acquisition of a new language, to enable adequate assessment of the place of linguistics in those contexts and of the training needs of teachers. The book is particularly oriented to (but not limited to) language teacher training programs in higher education at the undergraduate and graduate level. Current L2 teachers will find this book helpful for professional development.
As linguists (and linguistics programs) likewise consider the place of second language data in the field of linguistics, and what strengths linguistics can bring to second language teaching and learning, a larger body of linguistically well-grounded L2 resources can emerge for interested professionals to draw on. Linguistics courses tailored for the specific linguistics challenges that second language teachers encounter in the classroom (cf. courses designed to prepare students for Ph.D. programs in linguistics) can make experientially clear the considerable strength of linguistics for L2 endeavors, as can a growing collection of linguistically and pedagogically well-grounded textbooks for L2. This requires a creative nimbleness in the field of linguistics to adapt to and embrace the demands of second language teaching and learning, as well as linguists who see reason to engage a second language context in the course of building their careers. The increased interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning in linguistics, and in novel collaborations, may inspire a fresh consideration of teaching linguistics in an L2 context. Additionally, an understanding of the pedagogical and theoretical contributions of other fields to second language studies is necessary for linguists to be able to connect with colleagues across these two disciplines.
While this volume focuses on the linguistic foundations for language learning and teaching, the editors acknowledge that these linguistic aspects of language learning do not form a complete picture of learning a new language. In order to bridge the current gap between linguistics and language teaching, it is crucial that all those involved understand something about the process of acquiring a second language as well as the field of second language acquisition (SLA), which studies this acquisition. Linguists and language teachers should be familiar with a number of aspects of the field to orient themselves to working with language educators:
1. SLA is multidisciplinary;
2. theories of SLA come from many different perspectives;
3. methods of studying SLA are informed by different disciplines;
4. the process of SLA is influenced by many factors;
5. the needs of language teachers do not necessarily intersect with those of researchers.
Each of these aspects of SLA study and research will be introduced briefly below.
SLA is multidisciplinary. It draws from theories and insights from education, linguistics, social psychology, cognitive psychology, sociology, critical theory, and more. No human can become proficient in all these fields. Scholars can, however, learn about how their chosen field intersects with SLA and be open to learning from those in other fields. In addition, they can work together with those who specialize in these fields to integrate their knowledge to better understand how language acquisition works. In doing so, they can help the fields of linguistics and SLA become transdisciplinary (Douglas Fir Group 2016). Both linguists and language educators should recognize the field as multidisciplinary and move toward education that facilitates a transdisciplinary approach to language learning.
Not only is SLA multidisciplinary, it also approaches the task of detailing and understanding how languages are learned from many different theoretical stances and approaches. These various perspectives can be seen in different chapters in this volume, including functional analyses (Andvik, Chapter 2; Chappell & Reed, Chapter 3), structural analysis (O’Neill & Martohardjono, Chapter 5; Connally et al., Chapter 12), sociocultural approaches (Zhu, Chapter 7; Hellermann & Thorne, Chapter 8), sociolinguistic approaches (Guy, Chapter 9), usage-based approaches (Hellermann & Thorne, Chapter 8), and data-driven learning (Lin, Chapter 10).Footnote 1 This plethora of theories and approaches has advantages and drawbacks. By examining language learning from many different perspectives, we gain a fuller picture of the many complex issues that are involved in second language learning (Mitchell, Myles & Marsden Reference Mitchell, Myles and Marsden2013). At the same time, there is, as yet, a lack of cohesion in the field. Linguists and language educators may be best served by remaining open to multiple theoretical perspectives when seeking to know more about second language teaching and learning.
In addition to, or perhaps because of, multiple theoretical perspectives, the field of SLA employs diverse methodologies for studying how new languages are acquired. At the broadest level, a division can be made between quantitative research that comes from positivist research in psychology and education and observational research that has its roots in sociology and anthropology. Which methodology is chosen will depend, of course, on the research focus and the theoretical assumptions about the nature of language and language learning the scholars adopt. For linguists and language educators, this means that they need to be able to read and interpret results from a range of research traditions, including experimental, case studies, surveys, observational, interview, and ethnographic data (see Mackey & Gass Reference Mackey and Gass2012; Whong & Wright Reference Whong, Wright, Herschensohn and Young-Scholten2012 for examples).
Perhaps one of the most widely acknowledged facts about L2 learning is that it is complex. It is influenced by linguistic processes, psychological factors (both cognitive and social), social factors, and larger societal structures. As the Douglas Fir Group (2016: 39) notes: “we recognize that language inextricably involves cognition, emotions, consciousness, experience, embodiment, brain, self, human interaction, society, culture, mediation, instruction, and history in rich, complex, and dynamic ways.” Second language teachers and linguists alike should beware of overly facile explanations of how language is learned.
Finally, we must acknowledge that there is a gap between SLA research and language teachers/teaching. Language educators must be concerned, first and foremost, with the success of their students in learning a target language. Most practitioners are not wedded to specific theories or approaches and are, instead, interested in insights that can help them make their own praxis more effective and help their students learn. Thus, they make use of concepts that scholars in the field see as coming from potentially incompatible theories. For example, students have cited in their teaching philosophiesFootnote 2 ideas from Krashen’s (Reference Krashen and Gingras (ed.)1978) Affective Filter, the Zone of Proximal Development from sociocultural theory (Vygostsky Reference Vygostsky1978; Lantolf & Thorne Reference Lantolf and Thorne2005), and Skill Acquisition Theory (Lyster & Sato Reference Lyster, Sato, del Pilar, Mayo, Gutierrez-Mangado and Adrián2013; DeKeyser Reference DeKeyser, VanPatten and Williams2015). While referring to both might seem incompatible to SLA researchers, language teachers do not view this as a conflict as they are looking for ideas to help them make sense of multifaceted social, emotional, cultural, cognitive, and experiential factors that comprise L2 learning and teaching. We hope that the chapters in this book can address part of this need for practical, hands-on ways to use the knowledge of linguistics to aid in learning and teaching language and open the door for collaborative research between practitioners and linguists.
By focusing on the myriad ways linguistics can be used in language teaching and learning and by presenting exemplary studies on how educators are using linguistics knowledge, we anticipate this volume will spark conversation, collaboration, and the development of communities of practice that involve language teachers, linguists, and second language researchers. Together, we can promote our love of language and language learning.
As editors for this labor of love, we look forward to our readers enjoying the work of our authors as much as we have, and conversations happening across the disciplines, to the strengthening of both. Linguistics has much to offer L2, and L2 has much to offer to linguistics. We hope our passion for these ideas and applications is infectious and yields mutually beneficial changes in the disciplines we hold dear. It is time to bridge the disciplinary gap.
