The Neuroscientific perspective in second language acquisition research: a critical synopsis

The question of whether the findings coming out of the research in the neurosciences have produced any valuable insights for applied linguistics has been a topic of considerable debate in the last few decades. Such findings have been enlisted to examine such important issues as, for instance, the existence of differences between primary language acquisition and secondary language acquisition, the notion of a "critical period" for the acquisition of languages, and the role of experimental vs. Analytical processes in second language acquisition (Sl,A). The purpose of this review essay is to provide an overview of the main issues that the neuroscience /SLA interface has dealt with, including how neuroscientifically-shaped SLA, theories have been translated into specific instructional proposals and models. The present synopsis will attempt to answer, in effect, if the foray into the territory of neuroscience has produced any insighs of value for applied linguistics