Discontinuity in Second Language Acquisition: The Switch between Statistical and Grammatical Learning (Second Language Acquisition, 80)

Stefano Rastelli

ISBN 10: 1783092467 / ISBN 13: 9781783092468

Published by Multilingual Matters, 2014

About this Item

Hardcover, viii + 259 pages, NOT ex-library. Mild handling wear only. Book is clean and bright throughout, with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Issued without a dust jacket. -- This book challenges incrementalist models of second language development by proposing a novel theory of "discontinuity with gemination," arguing that adult L2 morphosyntactic acquisition is a quantized, two-stage process. The core thesis posits a fundamental switch between two distinct cognitive mechanisms: an initial, domain-general Statistical Learning (SL) system and a subsequent, language-specific Grammatical Learning (GL) system. Rather than one replacing the other, the model contends they cohabit in the learner's competence, leading to the "gemination," or dual representation, of the same linguistic items - once as probabilistic chunks and again as computationally derived structures. The work systematically details this process, explaining how SL operates through bottom-up tracking of transitional probabilities in the input, providing the necessary cognitive foundation and raw material (chunks) for the later emergence of GL. This second system engages in top-down, abstract computation, allowing for generalizations beyond frequency and input patterns. This discontinuous framework generates strong, falsifiable predictions about the trajectory of L2 development. It argues that aspects of grammar that cannot be pre-processed or bootstrapped by the SL mechanism - specifically those involving abstract, non-adjacent dependencies such as empty categories, displaced constituents, and "Internal Merge" - are profoundly difficult or impossible for adult learners to acquire. Grounding its claims in neurocognitive evidence, including the declarative/procedural model and ERP data (N400/P600), the book bridges the divide between innatist and general-domain theories, proposing a model where a non-language-specific capacity becomes a necessary prerequisite for the successful engagement of abstract grammatical computation in the maturing brain.

Seller Inventory # 011987

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Discontinuity in Second Language Acquisition: The Switch between Statistical and Grammatical Learning (Second Language Acquisition, 80)
• Publisher: Multilingual Matters
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1783092467
• ISBN 13: 9781783092468
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine

About this title

Synopsis

With a particular focus on the morphosyntactic features of second language, this book discusses the idea that language acquisition is a discontinuous and 'quantized' process and thus that some items might be learned twice, statistically and grammatically. It argues that the switch from one way of learning to another is statistically-driven and grammatically motivated. The volume brings together and discusses insights and evidence from learner corpora analysis and electrophysiological data in an attempt to provide the reader with a unified outlook and it suggests a new, developmentally-oriented interpretation of findings. The topics discussed will be of interest to researchers working in the field of psycho- and neurolinguistics and SLA.

About the Author

Stefano Rastelli teaches Second Language Acquisition at the Universities of Pavia and Verona, Italy. He is an associate member of CAROLE (Center for Advanced Research and Outreach in Language Education), University of Greenwich. His research focuses on second language processing and syntactic theory and he has published numerous research articles in international journals.