This module provides an up-to-date overview of key topics in the area of additional language learning across the lifespan.
We will look at theories of language learning that broadly take a usage-based perspective and compare and contrast these with more traditional formalist approaches in order to highlight changes and new points of emphasis in current theorising in the field.
We will consider the role of explicit (conscious) and implicit (non-conscious) knowledge and processes in additional language learning and how these interact with characteristics of the individual learner, the learning context, and the linguistic input that constitutes the learning target. Importantly, we will look at the influence of these factors across the lifespan to pinpoint if and how language development differs in children, younger adults and older adults. In this way, we will capture current research trends that move beyond the traditional sample population of educated young adults and include hitherto under-researched groups such as third-age learners and low-educated learners.
In order to facilitate your own research endeavours that are expected as part of your MA course, we will also consider methodological questions such as the ways in which different types of knowledge and developmental processes can be measured in learners of different ages and abilities.
- Module Supervisor: Louise Rolland