34.1635, Review: Cognitive Science, Language Acquisition: Rothman, González Alonso, Mayenco (2022)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-34-1635. Thu May 25 2023. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 34.1635, Review: Cognitive Science, Language Acquisition: Rothman, González Alonso, Mayenco (2022)

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Date: 04-Mar-2023
From: Ellie Passmore [elliejpassmore at gmail.com]
Subject:  Cognitive Science, Language Acquisition: Rothman, González Alonso, Mayenco (2022)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/33.2738

AUTHOR: Ellie Passmore
TITLE: Third Language Acquisition and Linguistic Transfer
SERIES TITLE: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics   163
PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press
YEAR: 2022

REVIEWER: Ellie Passmore

SUMMARY

“Third Language Acquisition and Linguistic Transfer,” by Jason
Rothman, Jorge González, and Eloi Puig-Mayenco, is a monograph that
explores how third language acquisition differs from that of second
language acquisition (SLA). The book is primarily aimed at people with
a background in SLA and multilingualism, though definitions and
explanations are provided for specific terminology and methodologies
mentioned throughout the text.

The book is divided into six chapters, starting with an introduction
to the fields of adult SLA, third language (L3) acquisition, and
language transfer. Chapter 2 goes over theoretical approaches to
sequential multilingualism, dividing them into the general categories
of cognitive, sociolinguistic, and educational approaches. Chapter 3
focuses on multilingual acquisition, processing, and phonology.
Chapter 4 examines language transfer in multilingual morphosyntax,
largely focusing on current transfer models and the Typological
Primacy Model (TPM). Chapters 5 and 6 close out the book, with Chapter
5 providing an overview of the literature and Chapter 6 discussing
where the research can go from here.

In Chapter 1, the authors give a brief introduction to the book before
providing an overview of current research and research questions in
adult SLA and multilingualism. Section 1.1 is used to push the idea
that the acquisition processes for second language (L2) and L3 and
beyond (the authors refer to this as L3/n) are different enough to
warrant a distinction. Section 1.2 further explores adult SLA, with
the section split between a discussion of first language (L1)
crosslinguistic influence in a second or third language and a
discussion of the validity of critical periods for language
acquisition. The authors then explore the difficulties in defining
‘multilingualism,’ and how the definition may change depending on the
theoretical framework and research methodology being used. In Section
1.4 the authors provide a working definition for ‘language transfer’
as an initial (underlying) hypothesis of linguistic representation
copied from a previously acquired linguistic representation (p. 24).
They further clarify this definition by distinguishing ‘transfer’ as
crosslinguistic influence at the representational level and
cross-language effects (CLE) as crosslinguistic influence at other
levels (p. 24). Section 1.5 addresses the difference between
metalinguistic knowledge and language experience, as well as some
potential effects of the two. Sections 1.6 and 1.7 both address
aspects of building a SLA theory, and Section 1.8 provides a
conclusion to the chapter and a brief overview of the rest of the
book.

Chapter 2 is dedicated to theoretical approaches to sequential
multilingualism, or multilingualism that occurs after learning one’s
native language(s). The authors first address cognitive approaches and
provide an overview to generative approaches, usage-based approaches,
multi-competence, and Dynamic Systems Theory (DST). They then explore
sociolinguistic approaches to multilingualism, providing a brief
introduction to the concept of poly- and diglossia. They close out the
chapter with a discussion on educational approaches to
multilingualism, providing real-world examples from Canada and Spain.

Chapter 3 focuses entirely on multilingual acquisition and processing
and explores both hypotheses and published studies on the topic. The
first part of the chapter touches on how multiple languages are stored
and codified in the brain, walking readers through early concepts of
each language being stored separately to more contemporary ones that
propose similar storage/codification but different activation levels.
Section 3.2 addresses lexical processing and access and is the focal
point of the chapter. The first part of 3.2 explores how one language
is selected, or not, and describes several studies that seek to answer
this question using the lexical decision task (LDT) or picture-word
interference (PWI) task. Subsection 3.2.2 then turns to multilingual
lexical representation. In this section the authors mix theoretical
explanations with experimental studies, paying particular attention to
the models used to describe lexical representation and, in particular,
the interaction of L1 and L2 representations with that of L3/n.
Section 3.2 closes out the chapter with an overview of verbal fluency
and processing speed, with particular attention to how processing
speed differs between mono- and multilinguals. The authors then
discuss the role of ‘lexical interventions’ in L3/n acquisition and
language transfer. Chapter 3 concludes with a description of the
rapidly growing subfield of phonology in language acquisition.

Chapter 4 is the focal point of the book and as such covers the most
material. The aim of the chapter is to describe the theoretical issues
and models that have been prominent in generative L3/n acquisition
studies. Section 4.1 first tackles the overall concept of transfer in
L2 acquisition and ends with a list of four a priori hypotheses: no
transfer, transfer exclusively from L1, transfer exclusively from L2,
and transfer can occur from either language or both at the same time
(p. 120). The remainder of the chapter is split fairly evenly between
Sections 4.2 and 4.3.

Section 4.2 provides an overview and an exemplar study for five
current L3/n transfer models. Each of the five models is addressed in
its own subsection, at the end of which the authors provide an
exemplar study for that subsection’s model. Section 4.2.1 looks at a
model that proposes that transfer in L3/n comes solely from L1. The
model is explained using several examples and backed up with a study
from 2010. The next subsection addresses the L2 Status Factor (L2SF)
hypothesis, which suggests that the L2 is preferred as the source of
transfer in L3/n. Section 4.2.3 examines the Cumulative Enhancement
Model (CEM), which the authors suggest has had a marked impact on L3
acquisition studies. The CEM proposes that language learning has a
cumulative effect and that this effect — and the knowledge gained from
learning a previous language — is what distinguishes L2 and L3/n
acquisition. The next model, the Linguistic Proximity Model (LPM),
suggests that language transfer is not restricted to the L1 or L2 but
rather occurs domain-by-domain as needed (p. 141) and both languages
may show influence simultaneously. The Scalpel Model is the final
model addressed in Section 4.2 and hypothesizes that several factors
impact L3/n transfer in a domain-by-domain manner but that it is done
in a precise manner in order to facilitate language acquisition, with
errors the result of confounding factors related to the specific
feature being transferred.

Section 4.3 focuses wholly on the Typological Primacy Model (TPM),
which is a model the authors themselves have worked on. The TPM
proposes that transfer can occur from either the L1 or L2, though not
both simultaneously, but that one language is initially selected as
the transfer source for all domains before allowing transfer from the
other language as needed to fill gaps. It also suggests that transfer
is at the level of grammatical representations. The remainder of the
section is dedicated to explaining the theoretical and empirical
rationale, the role of consciousness in the TPM, and how the speaker
determines typological proximity. The authors close out the section by
providing empirical support and an exemplar study, though unlike the
other models, more than one exemplar is provided for this section.

Chapter 5 provides an in-depth look into the authors’ literature
review and methods for coding the studies they mention throughout the
book. The first two sections provide an introduction and explanation
for their study method and Sections 5.2–5.4 provide information on
inclusion criteria, demographics, and coding procedures. The bulk of
the chapter is spent reporting and interpreting the data, followed by
a brief section on the implications of the authors’ findings.

In the final chapter of the book the authors focus on future
directions in L3/n acquisition research. They first address research
on whether transfer in L3 is the same for all bilingual types and
provide a recent study they suggest may signal a shift in the field.
They then consider research looking into whether the L3 affects the
learner’s L1 and L2 in the same manner before moving into a discussion
on research into whether L1 or L2 transfer is easier to overcome in L3
development. The final two sections of the chapter look at evidence
that converges in a cross-modular fashion and complementary evidence
from neurolinguistic methods..

EVALUATION

The aim of this book is to explore, review, and challenge current
research and models in adult L3/n acquisition and the role of transfer
in L2 acquisition and beyond. To accomplish this, the authors focus
mainly on discussing theoretical approaches in the field and the
studies and models that either support those approaches or that have
come out of them.

This volume provides an in-depth view of L3/n acquisition research to
date and the impacts of the major acquisition models in the field.
Each section within the book includes a multitude of studies the
authors use to illustrate their points, thus providing not just
explanations but real-world examples for readers to learn from. This
is particularly helpful for professionals and higher-level students in
the field, as the book can serve as an accessible literature review
for L3/n acquisition and language transfer.

Chapter 4 is the strongest section of the book, though most of the
models mentioned in Section 4.2 are compared to the Typological
Primacy Model (TPM), which is not explained until Section 4.3 and
which the authors have a clear inclination toward. A slight reordering
of the sections could have easily remedied this, had each of the
sections in question not presented a somewhat circular argument, with
Section 4.2 comparing models to TPM and Section 4.3 in turn comparing
TPM to other models. The authors might have better explained the
models of L3/n transfer had they simply separated the explanations of
the models from the ‘in-context’ comparisons and included the latter
as a separate section.

 An additional chronological issue arises in Chapter 5, the literature
review, which feels out of place when situated as the penultimate
chapter. The review of the literature is more of a warm up to the
contents of the rest of the book and thus belongs within the first
couple of chapters, or perhaps even in the preface if the author(s) is
particularly succinct.

 Despite the organizational oversights, this book provides an in-depth
view of L3/n acquisition and transfer that serves not only to raise
recent research in the field but also poses, and answers, relevant
questions. The overall text is well-researched and serves as a good
base for future research.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

After earning her bachelor's in 2022 with an honors thesis on
commonalities and barriers in Indigenous language revitalization,
Ellie Passmore is currently taking a gap year prior to starting a
graduate program. Her research interests primarily center around
second language acquisition, bilingualism, phonetics, and language
revitalization.



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