How Second Languages are Learned An Introduction

Second language (L2) words are initially learned through association with words in a speaker’s first language (L1), but in later stages of learning are associated with their own conceptual representations. How L2 words are stored in the mental lexicon is considered. A distinction is drawn between forms with a meaning-modifying function and those with a dependency-marking function. Optionality in the use of these forms is characteristic of L2 development. L2 learners may have innately-determined predispositions for identifying dependency-marking forms and the range of meanings that can be involved in dependencies.