Comprehension Strategies in the Acquiring of a Second Language

This book provides a critical analysis and account of the development of the Comprehension Approach as a method for language learning. The author draws on interrelated sub-fields - including linguistic theory, child language acquisition, and educational technology - to examine how a comprehension-based strategy could have pedagogical potential for adult second language learning. While second language pedagogy has to date been dominated by production models, this book takes another look at the Comprehension Approach as a possible alternative, presenting results from both child first language and adult second language contexts. It will be of interest to psycholinguistics and applied linguistics scholars, particularly those with an interest in second language teaching and learning.

Explores the relationship between child language learning and adult second language learning

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Our Magical Language.- Chapter 3: Development of the Comprehension Approach as a Method of Second Language Instruction.- Chapter 4: Models of Implicit Language Processing.- Chapter 5: Language Acquisition in Children: The Development of Syntax.- Chapter 6: Vocabulary Development.- Chapter 7: The Relationship Between Comprehension and Production.- Chapter 8: Word Segmentation and Intelligibility, Parental Simplification, and Frequency and Amount of Language Input.- Chapter 9: The Role of Conversational Interchanges in First and Second Language Learning.- Chapter 10: Consideration of the Advanced Stages of Instruction Using the Comprehension Approach.- Chapter 11: Instructional Principles Applied to the Several Stages of Comprehension Learning.- Chapter 12: Consideration of the Advanced Stages of Instruction Using the Comprehension Approach. Chapter 13:Evaluation of the Comprehension Approach and Related Considerations in Acquiring a Second Language