Advances in Second/Foreign Language Acquisition

This book includes studies that employ a variety of research techniques from diverse fields targeting a better understanding of the second language (L2)/foreign language (FL) acquisition process including issues of heritage language (HL) learning. Specifically, the chapters discuss matters such as speech perception and production patterns in a second/foreign language, factors that facilitate second language acquisition, acquisition of heritage languages, teaching of a second/foreign language, and acquisition of second/foreign language grammatical and other structures, among others. The investigation of L2/FL and HLs is of paramount importance for updating the existing theories in the field and maximizing learning outcomes for the sake of effective communication, cultivation of intercultural understanding, career advancement, and personal development. The book is of interest to a wide range of disciplinary audiences, including linguists, psychologists, educators, and social scientists.

Chapter 1: Does Musical Training Influence Perceptual Learning of Japanese Pitch Accent? The Case of Native Italian Speakers - Yuka Naito.- Chapter 2: Multisensory Pronunciation Training in a Video Conference-Based Foreign Language Classroom - Katharina S. Schuhmann, Sarah Schaech, and Cain Catto.- Chapter 3: Word Stress Prosody in the Spontaneous Declarative Utterances of Threshold Level Hungarian Learners of Spanish - Kata Baditzné Pálvölgyi.- Chapter 4: Use of Listening Strategies: Does It Improve Listening Performance Tasks? - Safi Eldeen Alzi’abi and Ghiyath Alshaikh Ibrahim.- Chapter 5: Word Order with Transitives and the Interface Hypothesis in L2 Greek and L2 Spanish - Panagiota Margaza and Anna Gavarró.- Chapter 6: L1-L2 Transfer in Ditransitive Construction: A Usage-based Replication Study with Turkish Speakers of English - Tan Arda Gedik and Fatima Uslu.- Chapter: 7: Encouraging Children’s Development of Discourse Repertoires in EAL Classrooms - Andry Sophocleous.- Chapter 8: The Role of Motivation in Learning Cypriot Maronite Arabic - Constantina Fotiou and Natalia Pavlou.- Chapter 9: Heritage Language Education and Ethnolinguistic Vitality: Community Initiatives to Support Greek Learners in Canada - Themistoklis Aravossitas.