Second Language Processing: An Analysis of Theories, Problems and Possible Solutions

Drawing on theories of input processing and input enhancement, Lee (Spanish and Latin American studies, U. of New South Wales, Australia) and Benati (second language acquisition, U. of Greenwich, UK) examine a variety of grammatical items that generally present processing problems for second language learners. They then devise structured input activities to enhance the input, and develop additional input enhancement techniques to address the processing problems. The text includes case studies involving Italian, Spanish, and Japanese, which focus on adjective agreement, future tense, past tense, and subjunctive. Through the case studies, the authors investigate whether enhanced structured input activities lead to students making greater improvements in learning a second language. For graduate-level students and academics in second language acquisition and applied linguistics. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Alessandro G. Benati is Professor in Second Language Acquisition and Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Greenwich, UK.