Key Questions in Second Language Acquisition An Introduction

This chapter covers three different ideas about nativelikeness in L2 acquisition. The first is that learners can become nativelike in all domains of language and language processing. The opposite idea we will cover is that learners cannot become nativelike in any area of L2 acquisition. The final idea we will treat is that learners can become nativelike in some domains of language but not others. We discuss what “nativelike” means and what kinds of measures are used to assess learner knowledge and ability. We also review key hypotheses and constructs such as the Fundamental Difference Hypothesis, the Shallow Structure Hypothesis, Full Transfer/Full Access, the critical period, and others.