Redefining Second Language Acquisition: Multimodal Theory and Practice

Dear Colleagues,

Language teaching approaches and methods are constantly evolving. As our knowledge about language and the mechanisms of language acquisition grows, adapting to these new developments presents great opportunities for SLA researchers as well as foreign language teachers. In this fast-changing world, more than ever, theories and practices need to be informed and supported by empirical findings.

For instance, the importance of the body in human communication is now widely acknowledged. In particular, researchers have demonstrated the role of gestures in language development, communicating meaning and structuring discourse, as well as its close association with prosody. Such an embodied vision of language, involving seeing and making movements, and touching and interacting with the world, makes way for many applications in the field of second language acquisition—a natural offspring of the embodied cognition paradigm. Another example of recent research which has relevant implications for second language acquisition is concerned with the impact of music on linguistic abilities. In view of the many similarities between music and language and the attested positive effect of music aptitude and experience on phonological skills, there is much space for exploration in the potential applications of music in the field of second language acquisition.

The goal of this Special Issue is to gather empirical research on theoretical and practical aspects of second language teaching and learning concerning any dimension of language. It should reflect on innovative linguistic and cognitive theories, which may not be restricted to the examples mentioned above, and propose and test new practical solutions.

Please submit your expression of interest with a title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing your intended contribution to the guest editors (fbaills@uni-koeln.de, bradford-lee@fukui-ut.ac.jp). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purpose of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review via third-party experts in the relevant fields.

Dr. Florence Baills
Dr. Bradford J. Lee 
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• second language acquisition
• cognitive-based teaching methodologies
• cognitive linguistics
• embodied cognition
• music and language
• technology in L2 teaching and learning