Research on second language acquisition (SLA) has identified language aptitude and age of onset (AO), i.e., the age at which learners are first meaningfully exposed to the L2, as robust predictors of rate of classroom language learning and level of ultimate L2 attainment in naturalistic settings, respectively. It is not surprising, therefore, that recent years have witnessed a surge of interest in the combination of age and aptitude as a powerful explanatory factor in SLA, and central to a viable SLA theory. The chapters in this volume provide new studies and reviews of research findings on...

Research on second language acquisition (SLA) has identified language aptitude and age of onset (AO), i.e., the age at which learners are first meaningfully exposed to the L2, as robust predictors of rate of classroom language learning and level of ultimate L2 attainment in naturalistic settings, respectively. It is not surprising, therefore, that recent years have witnessed a surge of interest in the combination of age and aptitude as a powerful explanatory factor in SLA, and central to a viable SLA theory. The chapters in this volume provide new studies and reviews of research findings on...

This book argues that, to teach languages well, one needs to know how people learn them, and that current English Language teaching (ELT) practice largely ignores this vital question. It offers an up-to-date, accessible discussion of recent developments in knowledge about second and foreign language learning, as well as implications for language teaching. It then provides a critical analysis of the current ELT industry, arguing that its increasing commercialization has led to poor teaching, dull materials, inadequate second language teaching education, and testing procedures that are unfit...