SECOND LANGUAGE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION IN CHILDREN: A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Second language acquisition is an extensively researched topic that gained much recognition in the past three decades. The number of empirical studies conducted on this topic by researchers in the fields of neurolinguistics and psychology surged, and their contribution to existing and emerging theoretical models helped gain a deeper understanding of the linguistic processes underlying second language acquisition. This paper aims to provide a brief review of the major empirical studies and theoretical models concerning second language vocabulary acquisition in children, and to emphasize on its methodological advantages and limitations.

Keywords

• second language
• vocabulary acquisition
• phonemic awareness
• incidental learning
• language immersion