Now in its second edition, this highly accessible introductory textbook establishes the fundamentals driving the field of second language (L2) acquisition research, including its historical foundations. Intended for the novice in the field with no background in linguistics or psycholinguistics, it explains important linguistic concepts, and how and why they are relevant to second language acquisition. Topics are presented via a 'key questions' structure that enables the reader to understand how these questions have motivated research in the field, and the problems to which researchers are seeking solutions. This edition has been fully updated to incorporate new research, with a new chapter focusing on language transfer, and new sections on the growing field of third and subsequent language acquisition, and how the acquisition of phonology reflects the key questions. With discussion questions and project ideas as well as a glossary, this is a complete package for an introductory course on second language acquisition.

Bill VanPatten has had a long and distinguished academic career. The recipient of numerous local and national awards for his teaching, mentoring, and scholarship, he has published widely in the fields of second language acquisition and second language teaching. Megan Smith is Associate Professor of Linguistics and Director of the TESOL Program at Mississippi State University. She has published in the fields of second language acquisition. Alessandro Benati is Professor and Head of the School of Education at University College Dublin in Ireland. He has extensively researched and taught in second language acquisition. He is a co-author of various books and papers on the effects of the processing instruction pedagogical model.