Complexity Theory and Language Development

This volume is both a state-of-the-art display of current thinking on second language development as a complex system. It is also a tribute to Diane Larsen-Freeman for her decades of intellectual leadership in the academic disciplines of applied linguistics and second language acquisition. The chapters therein range from theoretical expositions to methodological analyses, pedagogical proposals, and conceptual frameworks for future research. In a balanced and in-depth manner, the authors provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of second language development, with a wealth of insights that promise to break the status-quo of current research and take it to exciting new territory. The book will appeal to both seasoned and novice researchers in applied linguistics, second language acquisition, bilingualism, cognitive psychology, and education, as well as to practitioners in second or foreign language teaching of any language.

Achilleas I. Kostoulas, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, on Linguist List 30.162 (11 January 2019):
Overall, this collection achieves two important aims, which are close to the heart of all scholars working in the complexity paradigm. Firstly, it invites readers to reflect on the “range of questions, methods and answers” that Complexity Theory generates when applied to linguistic inquiry (p. 9). The contributions that make up this chapter do this in ways that consistently engage the readers’ intellect, even if they do not always prompt unconditional agreement. Secondly, it pays a very fitting tribute to the scholarship of Diane Larsen-Freeman, in whose honour and celebration the volume was compiled.