This inaugural volume in the MLA series Teaching Languages, Literatures, and Cultures provides an overview of second language acquisition research. Is language a system of linguistic forms to be acquired by the study of grammar, or is language a means of communication, where students learn not by studying rules but by engaging straightaway in the use of language to convey meanings? Which approach is better in the classroom? The vibrant field of second language acquisition research is now carefully examining questions like these.

Written for a nonspecialized audience—for readers who share an interest in foreign language teaching and learning—Learning Foreign and Second Languages addresses both theory and methodology. Administrators, department chairs, curriculum and materials developers, teachers, and graduate students will find this collection of essays enlightening.