Tag: second language acquisition
16 posts tagged "second language acquisition".
Language of Thought: What It Means for Language Learners
Your brain uses a pre-linguistic code called mentalese, and knowing this changes how to learn vocab, grammar, and finally think in a foreign language.
The Ideal L2 Self: How You See Yourself Drives Language Learning
The strongest predictor of sticking with a language isn't your study habits or your app — it's how vividly you can picture yourself actually speaking it.
What Is Communicative Competence? 4 Skills That Make You Fluent
Grammar is just one piece. Communicative competence explains what real fluency requires — and why most learners only ever develop part of it.
Interaction Hypothesis: Why Talking Helps Language Learning
The Interaction Hypothesis says negotiating meaning in real conversation does something passive input can't. What the research shows and how to use it.
Willingness to Communicate: Why You Go Silent Mid-Sentence
Willingness to communicate explains why when learning a language you hesitate to speak. What the science says, and how to change it.
Second Lanuage Vocabulary Acquisition: How Words Actually Stick
Vocabulary acquisition research explains why words you've studied three times still vanish on demand — and how to get better at retaining vocab.
Does Grammar Study Work? Implicit vs. Explicit Learning
'Just immerse yourself, like a child' pitch is too good to be true. What 3 decades of research says about explicit grammar instruction.
Written Corrective Feedback: Does Correcting Mistakes Help?
Not all language learning feedback is equal. The science on written corrective feedback: what works, what wastes time, and how to learn faster.
Interlanguage: Why Language Errors Follow Rules (And The Fix)
Interlanguage is the strange system your brain creates when learning a new language, and how understanding interlanguage helps you study better.
Focus on Form: The Science of Noticing Grammar As You Talk
Learn how focus on form helps grammar stick during real communication, what research supports, and how to use it.
Critical Period Hypothesis: Are Adults Too Late to Learn?
Learning a language as an adult is harder, but what does age really change and should you learn differently as an adult? What the research actually says.
Language Transfer: How Your First Language Helps and Hurts
Learn how language transfer makes a new language easier in some places, harder in others, and how to use your first language well.
What Is Second Language Acquisition? Theories, Research & Tips
What researchers actually mean by second language acquisition, how the major theories connect, and what that picture means for your next practice session.
Language Attrition: What It Is, and How to Keep Your Progress
Language attrition explains why a second language fades after disuse. What memory research shows, and how to keep what you've learned.
Language Fossilization: Why Some Learning Mistakes Harden
Learn what language fossilization is, why some second-language mistakes stop improving, and how to fix stubborn errors.
What the Latest Language Learning Research Really Shows
Nine recent meta-analyses on how humans actually learn a second language — and what that means for your next thirty minutes of practice.