Situating instructed language acquisition
Abstract
What is the relationship between instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) and more general second language acquisition? To what extent is the former informed by the latter? In this essay, I review five facts about second language acquisition involving the nature of mental representation, the slow and ordered acquisition over time, the nature of internal constraints and mechanisms, the role of input, and the observation that most acquisition results in some kind of non-nativeness. I use these facts to ponder underlying assumptions and unasked questions in the research on ISLA. I conclude with some queries regarding the scope and purpose of ISLA.
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L2 learners, especially adult learners, struggle in acquiring features that are non-salient in input.
“Research suggests that L2 learners, especially adult learners, struggle in acquiring features that are non-salient in input (e.g.VanPatten 1990VanPatten , 2017a)).”
From Interaction and instructed second language acquisition (2018) · cites this paper as VanPatten 2017a
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- Authors
- VanPatten, B.
- Affiliations
- Michigan State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- VanPatten, Bill
- Venue
- Instructed Second Language Acquisition
- Published
- 2017-07-04
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 45-60
- ISSN
- 2398-4155 (ISSN-L)
- 2398-4163
- OpenAlex
- W2968277198
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5
- FWCI
- 20.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Instructed Second Language Acquisition (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- 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
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Second Language Learning and Teaching
- Keywords
- second language acquisition, mental representation, acquisition order, internal constraints, input
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