26.1325, Review: Applied Ling; Lang Acq; Socioling: Geeslin, Long (2014)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-26-1325. Mon Mar 09 2015. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 26.1325, Review: Applied Ling; Lang Acq; Socioling: Geeslin, Long (2014)

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Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2015 17:32:18
From: Valeria Buttini-Bailey [valeria.buttini at unibas.ch]
Subject: Sociolinguistics and Second Language Acquisition

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/25/25-2638.html

AUTHOR: Kimberly L. Geeslin
AUTHOR: Avizia  Long
TITLE: Sociolinguistics and Second Language Acquisition
SUBTITLE: Learning to Use Language in Context
PUBLISHER: Routledge (Taylor and Francis)
YEAR: 2014

REVIEWER: Valeria Buttini-Bailey, Universität Basel

Review's Editor: Helen Aristar-Dry

INTRODUCTION

Geeslin and Yim Long’s textbook explores the intersection of sociolinguistics
and second language acquisition, offering a precious contribution that
complements traditional cognitive and pedagogical approaches. It consists of
ten chapters distributed in three sections; it also includes a preface, a list
of tables, a list of figures, a list of examples, references and an index. 

SUMMARY

Section I, ''Principles of Sociolinguistic Variation and Second Language
Acquisition'', consists of three introductory chapters that review the most
central issues in second language acquisition and sociolinguistics.

Chapter One begins ''with a discussion of why sociolinguistics matters for the
second language learner and why we, as researchers and language teachers,
should seek to understand the impact of social factors on the language learner
more fully'' (p. 3). Central issues in second language acquisition are then
reviewed: what is input and what does it do, how can learner grammars be
characterized, how does acquisition proceed, what is linguistic knowledge and
where do we store it, what role does the first language play, can
metalinguistic knowledge help.

Chapter Two explores the definition of sociolinguistic variation in greater
depth and provides an overview of the most important principles of
sociolinguistics as well as the recent developments in the field that have had
a significant impact on research on variation in second languages. Several
examples of language variation at differing levels of the grammar are also
given: i.e. an example of phonological variation in the Arabic of Saudi
Arabia, an example of morphological variation in Spanish, an example of
syntactic variation in Chinese, an example of pragmatic variation in Spanish,
and an example of lexical variation in American English. 

Chapter Three explores both identity and social factors that are linked to
variation, i.e. gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic factors, level of
education and discourse context. The chapter also offers a handful of examples
that demonstrate how variation is conditioned by these factors, and it ends
with a brief discussion on what these sociolinguistic findings mean for second
language acquisition.  

With section Two, ''Approaches to the study of sociolinguistics and second
language acquisition'', the volume turns its attention to second language
learners. This section consists of five chapters.

Chapter Four deals with the social approaches to second language acquisition,
i.e. ''approaches that place social elements of language learning and language
use at the forefront and prioritize the examination of the influence of social
context on language'' (p. 78). The approaches discussed are the Acculturation
Model, the Accommodation Theory, the Sociocultural Theory, the Identity
Approach, the Language Socialization Approach, the Conversation-Analytic
Approach, and the Sociocognitive Approach. For each approach, the chapter
provides an overview that identifies the ways in which that model accounts for
the impact of social factors and the claims made regarding the role of social
factors in learning a second language. The chapter also briefly describes the
manner in which research on second language acquisition was conducted under
each approach, and it offers a critical evaluation of the models. 

Chapter Five explores the cognitive approaches to second language acquisition,
i.e. theories which have their focus on mental activities or cognition. The
approaches discussed are Optimality Theory, Connectionism, Usage-Based Models,
and System-Based Theories. As in Chapter Four, the manner in which research on
second language acquisition was conducted under each approach is described,
and a critical evaluation of the models is offered. 

Chapter Six focuses on one particular approach, i.e. the Variationist
Approach, which ''sought to identify the internal (i.e., linguistic) and
external (i.e., social) factors influencing variability in language'' (p. 138)
and ''represents a viable bridge between the range of theories outlined in the
two preceding chapters'' (p. 138). The chapter introduces the specific models
used by variationist-oriented second language researchers, with a focus on
probabilistic models of language variation. The tools for collecting and
analyzing data (both qualitative and quantitative methods) are discussed, as
well as the factors most commonly examined in this area of research (i.e.,
factors related to the speaker, to the interlocutor and to the speech
context). The chapter also provides an overview of how models of second
language variation were initially conceptualized and gradually modified over
time. The Chameleon Model, the Wave Theory and Dennis Preston’s
psycholinguistic model are described. The chapter ends with a critical
analysis of variationist approaches and their compatibility with other models
that attempt to account for second language variation. 

In Chapter Seven the authors focus on empirical investigations of the
development of sociolinguistic competence in second languages conducted under
the Variationist framework. The discussion begins with an overview of
important developments in inquiry into second language variation and continues
with examples of recent studies of the acquisition of sociolinguistic
competence.

Chapter Eight explores the role of study abroad on the acquisition of
sociolinguistic competence. The authors review research on this topic by areas
of grammar. For each structure, they provide a brief summary of how the
variable structure operates in the language of native speakers prior to
exploring the research on its acquisition by second language learners. The
chapter ends with a discussion of some of the additional factors that have
been shown to influence this development in the study abroad context. 

In Section Three, ''Implications of research on the acquisition of
sociolinguistic competence in second languages'', the authors turn their
attention to the implications of the findings from research on language
variation for second language instruction. This section consists of two
chapters. 

Chapter Nine begins with a discussion of what might be a reasonable norm for
classroom instruction and how this might be identified. By offering some
guidelines for the selection and development of classroom materials, the
authors make a first connection between the research on second language
acquisition and learning explored in previous chapters to the practical issues
faced by language instructors on a daily basis. 

In Chapter Ten the authors describe a few scenarios that demonstrate that
sociolinguistic variation is present in every lesson, making a teacher’s
knowledge of sociolinguistic variation a fundamental support. They then
summarize the most basic concepts about language variation and offer more
practical suggestions in order to provide ideas for incorporating this
knowledge into the second language classroom.

EVALUATION

Geeslin and Yim Long’s book is a very pleasant and interesting read which
suits the intended audience, i.e. ''readers with backgrounds in second
language acquisition, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, speech and hearing
sciences, anthropology, linguistics, and education'' (xix). It will be a
valued resource for all teachers, teachers’ educators, researchers and
students of applied linguistics who wish to rethink and learn more about the
importance of sociolinguistic perspectives in the field of second language
acquisition and instruction, and who have so far lacked such a contribution.

The sequencing of chapters and their internal cohesion is clear, very well
planned and structured. Every chapter begins with a short summary of what has
been explained so far and how it is linked to what follows. When presenting
different research approaches, the authors always underline the points that
the approaches have in common. They also clearly state which information is
the most important to retain and suggest the fields in which there is
potential for future research. This makes this textbook an extremely
accessible read for students. Each chapter also offers suggestions for
additional reading and a list of comprehension and application questions,
which will spark reflection and eventually guide students towards their first
empirical investigations. 

The authors have successfully met their goals of offering ''an appropriate and
accessible text for advanced undergraduate and graduate classes'' (p. xx),
while providing ''a unified account of research on social factors in second
language acquisition'' (pp. xix) and ''a current, detailed account of the most
recent research in the field of second language sociolinguistics'' (p. xx).
The useful suggestions for teachers included in Chapters Nine and Ten make
this book a bridge between not only sociolinguistics and second language
acquisition, but also research and teaching.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Valeria Buttini-Bailey is currently lecturer and postDoc in Italian
linguistics at the University of Basel. Her research interests lie in the
fields of applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, second language acquisition,
text linguistic, and syntax. She also teaches Italian as a second language at
the University of Zurich.





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