The Acquisition of Spanish: A Research Overview in Multilingual Learning Contexts

As the first text to present, in one place, a comprehensive and systematic overview of Spanish language acquisition research, The Acquisition of Spanish: A Research Overview in Multilingual Learning Contexts discusses a range of theoretical perspectives that outline issues surrounding language learning and the gaps in its research and teaching. Drawing on classic and current empirical studies on learner cohorts at different proficiency stages all over the world, the authors aim to bring bi-/multilingualism to the forefront to provide readers with a deeper conceptual understanding of the challenges faced by different groups of Spanish learners in various learning contexts.

Eve Zyzik and Melissa A. Bowles expertly synthesize and analyze a range of linguistic features and factors that affect learning, connecting these insights from Spanish to key theoretical and applied questions in SLA research more broadly. The text concludes with observations about research methodology, indicating the gaps in the literature and setting an agenda for future work in Spanish second language acquisition (SLA) to move the field forward.

This unique, cohesive volume will be an invaluable foundational resource to advanced students and researchers in SLA, bilingualism/multilingualism, Hispanic and Romance studies, applied linguistics, education, and related areas, who are interested in LOTEs (languages other than English) and Spanish SLA in particular. It will also be useful to those studying to become Spanish second language educators.

Eve Zyzik is Professor in the Department of Languages and Applied Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has published on a variety of topics related to second language acquisition and heritage language development, as well as issues related to language pedagogy in content-based courses. Her previous books include El espanol y la lingüística aplicada with Robert Blake and Authentic Materials Myths: Applying Second Language Research to Classroom Teaching with Charlene Polio. Her textbook Vivencias: Lengua, cultura y sociedad a través de relatos sonoros is designed for advanced-level Spanish courses that enroll both heritage speakers and second language learners.

Melissa A. Bowles is Co-Director of the National Heritage Language Resource Center (UCLA) and Professor of Spanish, Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition, and Teacher Education (SLATE) and Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on instructed second and heritage language acquisition, particularly the ways in which instruction differentially affects the two populations. Her previous books include The Think-Aloud Controversy in Second Language Acquisition Research and an edited volume titled Outcomes of University Spanish Heritage Language Instruction in the United States.