New Trends in Crosslinguistic Influence and Multilingualism Research

This excellent volume provides additional scientific evidence about the role of the previously acquired languages in the study of crosslinguistic influence and multilingualism. The collection also contributes to the theoretical development of the field and should be of interest for all those working on language acquisition, bilingualism and multilingualism.

* Jasone Cenoz, University of the Basque Country, Spain *

This book offers a fresh look at crosslinguistic influence in third language acquisition and multilingualism. It sheds new light on important factors-such as affordances and perceived redundancy-that affect crosslinguistic influence but have received very little attention in past research. It also lays new empirical groundwork in areas such as phonology and tense and aspect, where past research has scarcely before examined crosslinguistic effects between non-native languages.

* Scott Jarvis, Ohio University, USA *

Language transfer is a major topic in the study of language contact. This book presents a welcome contribution to a fast developing field of research and will certainly advance our knowledge on the nature of crosslinguistic interaction in third language acquisition and multilingualism. In several of the chapters the status of the L2 in third language development is discussed and it becomes clear why research on multilingualism needs to go beyond the study of two languages.

* Ulrike Jessner, University of Innsbruck, Austria *

This volume will prove indispensable for anyone interested in multilingual acquisition or in language transfer.

* Terence Odlin, Ohio State University, Multilingua *

This slim volume contributes meaningfully to the field of CLI. The articles contained form a cohesive group, all strongly rooted in the historical and current debates within the field. Perhaps the greatest strength of the volume is the coverage of many distinct language combinations, both European and non-European. Another strength is the way in which all results are considered in terms of their implications for language teaching and curriculum development. The book is most appropriate for readers with a strong background in second language acquisition, although newcomers can also draw insight from the excellent reviews of literature. The volume would make a good addition to a graduate linguistics library, particularly for a program that focuses on bilingualism, language acquisition, or applied linguistics.

* Alicia Pousada, University of Puerto Rico, in the Linguist List 23.15