Chaos/Complexity Science and Second Language Acquisition
Abstract
There are many striking similarities between the new science of chaos/complexity and second language acquisition (SLA) Chaos/complexity scientists study complex nonlinear systems They are interested in how disorder gives way to order, of how complexity arises in nature ‘To some physicists chaos is a science of process rather than state, of becoming rather than being’ (Gleick 1987 5) It will be argued that the study of dynamic, complex nonlinear systems is meaningful in SLA as well Although the new science of chaos/complexity has been hailed as a major breakthrough in the physical sciences, some believe its impact on the more human disciplines will be as immense ( Waldrop 1992) This belief will be affirmed by demonstrating how the study of complex nonlinear systems casts several enduring SLA conundrums in a new light
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Critical applied linguists need another kind of CDA than the one pioneered by Norman Fairclough; they need to draw on complexity theory and ecological approaches to language and culture.
“For this they need another kind of CDA than the one pioneered by Norman Fairclough (for a post-modern critique of Fairclough, see Blommaert 2005, Ch.2).They need to draw on complexity theory (e.g., Larsen-Freeman 1997;Morin 2005) and ecological approaches to language and culture (Kramsch 2002).”
From Language and Culture (2014) · cites this paper as Larsen-Freeman 1997
Cited by
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Ellis, N. C. (2002) · Studies in Second Language Acquisition · doi:10.1017/s0272263102002024 · Cited by 2,230 · see citing works
Kramsch, C. (2014) · AILA Review · doi:10.1075/aila.27.02kra · Cited by 1,539 · see citing works
AT THE INTERFACE: DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS OF EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE
Ellis, N. C. (2005) · Studies in Second Language Acquisition · doi:10.1017/s027226310505014x · Cited by 893 · see citing works
Language Ecology in Multilingual Settings. Towards a Theory of Symbolic Competence
Kramsch, C., & Whiteside, A. (2008) · Applied Linguistics · doi:10.1093/applin/amn022 · Cited by 542 · see citing works
Own-language use in language teaching and learning
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Toward Transdisciplinarity in Computer-Assisted Language Learning
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Typological characteristics of interlanguage: Across native language types and L2 proficiency levels
Hao, Y., Wang, X., & Yu, Q. (2021) · Lingua · doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2021.103085 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
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Hao, Y., Wang, X., Wu, M., & Liu, H. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.643120 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Moreover, they view L2 learning as a dynamic process (Larsen-Freeman, 1997; Ellis, 1998; De Bot et al., 2007; Larsen-Freeman and Cameron, 2008).”
Background
- Authors
- LARSEN-FREEMAN, D.
- Venue
- Applied Linguistics
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1997-06-01
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 141-165
- ISSN
- 0142-6001 (ISSN-L)
- 1477-450X
- OpenAlex
- W2167797778
- Cited by
- 1,484
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 65 · 2025: 82 · 2024: 94 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 88 · 2021: 83 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 113 · 2018: 74 · 2017: 67 · 2016: 65 · 2015: 69 · 2014: 72 · 2013: 63 · 2012: 155
- FWCI
- 4.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Applied Linguistics (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computational Theory and Mathematics › Chaos, Complexity, and Education
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
- Keywords
- chaos theory, complexity science, second language acquisition, nonlinear dynamical systems
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