Book ReviewJia Wang, Interfaces and features in Second Language Acquisition
What is it about?
As globalization continues to progress and countries engage in more extensive exchanges and collaborations, the study of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has garnered increasing interest globally. Currently, the academic spotlight in this domain has moved towards investigating the interfaces between various linguistic modules and the features associated with lexical items. Notably, the Interface Hypothesis and the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis are two prominent theories that address these complex interactions. However, current research tends to focus on either interface or feature-related aspects of SLA, often overlooking the potential synergies between these two perspectives. Interfaces and features in Second Language Acquisition: A study on the acquisition of Chinese negation by English speakers and Korean speakers bridges this gap by examining how English and Korean native learners acquire Chinese negation. By integrating the Interface Hypothesis with the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis, this research broadens the theoretical testing framework, addresses a significant gap in the literature and offers fresh insights into the underlying causes of variability in SLA. Furthermore, it provides practical guidance for educators in the field of international Chinese language teaching.