Second Language Acquisition

Second language acquisition (SLA) research investigates how individuals learn new languages, aiming to understand the cognitive processes and linguistic factors involved. Current research employs diverse methodologies, including longitudinal multimodal datasets capturing the entire learning process and sophisticated analyses of learner corpora to assess lexical diversity and identify patterns of cross-linguistic transfer. Researchers are leveraging neural language models, such as BERT, to simulate SLA and explore the impact of factors like native language and training data on L2 acquisition, informing both pedagogical approaches and the development of AI-powered language learning tools. These advancements offer valuable insights for improving language teaching and assessment, as well as advancing our understanding of human language learning.