Second language acquisition has rapidly grown as a field over the past decade, as our knowledge of the ways in which children and adults learn and use a second language has become crucial for effective language teaching. In addition to this important 'applied' function, research into second language acquisition has also informed the fields of linguistics and psychology in general, as it has shed light on the differences between native and non-native models of human language and cognition. The focus of this accessible new book is second language speech - that is, how speakers perceive, process, understand and pronounce the sounds of a second language. Each chapter includes review questions, and most chapters include 'tutorial' and 'lab' sections with practical exercises based on the University of Toronto Romance Phonetics Database (available online for free). The book also has a companion website, containing illustrated answers to the exercises, scripts for running acoustic analyses and useful weblinks.

This textbook focuses on second language speech - how individuals perceive and produce the sounds of their second language.

About the Author
Laura Colantoni is Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on sound change and categorization and the second language acquisition of variable phonetic parameters. Jeffrey Steele is Associate Professor in the Department of French at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on second and third language acquisition as well as language assessment. Paola Escudero is Associate Professor in the MARCS Institute at the University of Western Sydney. Her research focuses on speech and visual development in diverse populations, including human infants, children and adults, and zebra finches.

Reviews
'A comprehensive book on L2 speech is long overdue and these authors exceed all expectations in terms of quality. This volume will forge a new generation of knowledgeable, well-trained scholars.' Barbara E. Bullock, University of Texas, Austin
'This book combines a well-organized and reader-friendly overview of research on non-native speech with skilfully designed guidance on how to conduct this research. I recommend it as a great resource for anyone, student or teacher, who wants to understand or conduct research on second language speech.' Ocke-Schwen Bohn, Aarhus University
'Colantoni, Steele and Escudero are to be commended for demonstrating that the study of second language speech is not an esoteric academic niche but rather a rich, complex epistemological enterprise necessarily informed by linguistic theory and psycholinguistic method. In this valuable book, they have articulated how a wide swathe of our current knowledge in the field has been constructed, and how we (both current and future researchers) need to proceed to create new knowledge.' John Archibald, University of Victoria
'With its wide coverage and accessible content, Second Language Speech will prove to be an accessible textbook, as well as a helpful and valuable manual or reference book in L2 speech research, for many years to come.' Chunsheng Yang, The Linguist List (www.linguistlist.org)



Book Information
ISBN 9781107655751
Author Laura Colantoni
Format Paperback
Page Count 430
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 840g
Dimensions(mm) 246mm * 175mm * 20mm