Second Language Acquisition and its implications for teaching Korean
Decades of SLA research has shed light on complex processes and mechanisms of L2 learning, and influenced the discussions and directions of L2 teaching. This chapter starts with discussion of how L2 development departs from L1 acquisition, and introduces main interests of SLA research as well as divergent theoretical perspectives and approaches with respect to the nature of knowledge of language and the mechanism by which it develops. Core findings of SLA research in general and research studies of L2 Korean, which have foregrounded developmental sequences and L1 influence, are presented to establish grounds on which to base informed discussion and development of L2 Korean education. In this vein, debates on implicit and explicit instruction in the SLA literature are brought up to foster approaches to L2 Korean instruction that build on solid and comprehensive understanding of L2 development.
