Second language acquisition processes in the classroom: Learning Japanese. Amy Snyder Ohta. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2001. Pp. 316.

Extract

In traditional foreign-language classrooms, students are explicitly taught grammar and vocabulary. Language learners' difficulties in conveying their messages in the target language, however, may relate to the development of interactional competence, which is achieved through interactions with peers and teachers within the classroom setting. Unfortunately, the importance of such pragmatic development is not always emphasized in traditional classrooms. To address this inadequacy, Amy Synder Ohta's new book provides an introduction to the complex process of learning a second or foreign language (L2) in a classroom setting.