1 A brief introduction to some of the main themes in Second Language

languages are learned, is a major area of enquiry in both general and applied linguistics, with its own journals, associations, university courses, and book series. In a detailed review of how the field is construed in a variety of institutional contexts, Claire Kramsch (2000, p. 322) concludes: [SLA] might be called a theory of the practice of [second] language acquisition and use. The theory of [second] language study makes explicit or implicit claims as to how languages can or should be taught in classrooms. The practice of [second] language study reveals models of action that serve to confirm or disconfirm the theory. This approach, from theory to practice and back to theory, is attractive. But it is important to recognise that research in SLA is not always conducted for the purpose of generating implications for the additional language classroom. Indeed, many scholars study SLA for the same purpose that their colleagues down the corridor study first language acquisition: not to “solve ” the practical problem which confronts the prelinguistic child and her caregivers, but to contribute to ou