Language Transfer: Cross-Linguistic Influence in Language Learning (Cambridge Applied Linguistics) - Tapa dura

"This book is packed with information gleaned from the author's comprehensive review of the literature on the long-controversial topic of language transfer....One need not be a linguist or psychologist to profit from reading the work, as it is written in a very readable, non-technical style, and a glossary is provided for the limited number of technical terms the author does use." Gordon L. Jackson, Polylingua

The author shows how similarities and differences between languages can influence grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation acquisition. Terence Odlin reconsiders a question that many language teachers and educational researchers have addressed: How much influence can a learner's native language have in making the acquisition of a new language easy or difficult? Odlin analyzes and interprets research showing many ways in which similarities and differences between languages can influence the acquisition of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. In addition, he provides a detailed look at work on other areas important for the study of transfer, including discourse, individual variation, and sociolinguistic factors. Language teachers, applied linguists, and educational researchers will find this volume extremely valuable to their work.