Book contents
- Linguistic Foundations for Second Language Teaching and Learning
- Linguistic Foundations for Second Language Teaching and Learning
- Copyright page
- Dedications
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Setting the Stage
- 1Where Are We Now? The Status of Linguistics in US Master’s-Level L2 Teacher Training Programs
- 2The Strengths of Functional-Typological Linguistics in L2 Perspective
- 3Form Follows Function: Systemic Functional Linguistics for L2 Teaching and Learning
- 4Incorporating Formal Language Analysis in the Language Teacher Curriculum
- 5Linguistic Foundations for L2 Pronunciation Teaching
- 6Why Morphosyntax Matters to Second Language Teaching and Learning
- 7Discourse and Pragmatics: An L2 Affair to Remember
- 8Why Conversation Analysis Matters to L2 Teaching and Learning
- 9Sociolinguistics and Second Language Teaching and Learning
- 10Why Corpus Linguistics Matters to L2 Teaching and Learning
- 11The Critical Role of Linguistics in Teacher Preparation
- 12Why Linguistics Matters to Second Language Teaching in K-12
- 13Why Teach Linguistics to L2 Learners? Evidence from the Western Washington University Spanish Language Program
- 14Why Second Language Acquisition Should Be a Part of Linguistics Education
- Conclusion: Where Do We Go from Here?
- Index
- References
2 - The Strengths of Functional-Typological Linguistics in L2 Perspective
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 February 2026
Book contents
- Linguistic Foundations for Second Language Teaching and Learning
- Linguistic Foundations for Second Language Teaching and Learning
- Copyright page
- Dedications
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Setting the Stage
- 1Where Are We Now? The Status of Linguistics in US Master’s-Level L2 Teacher Training Programs
- 2The Strengths of Functional-Typological Linguistics in L2 Perspective
- 3Form Follows Function: Systemic Functional Linguistics for L2 Teaching and Learning
- 4Incorporating Formal Language Analysis in the Language Teacher Curriculum
- 5Linguistic Foundations for L2 Pronunciation Teaching
- 6Why Morphosyntax Matters to Second Language Teaching and Learning
- 7Discourse and Pragmatics: An L2 Affair to Remember
- 8Why Conversation Analysis Matters to L2 Teaching and Learning
- 9Sociolinguistics and Second Language Teaching and Learning
- 10Why Corpus Linguistics Matters to L2 Teaching and Learning
- 11The Critical Role of Linguistics in Teacher Preparation
- 12Why Linguistics Matters to Second Language Teaching in K-12
- 13Why Teach Linguistics to L2 Learners? Evidence from the Western Washington University Spanish Language Program
- 14Why Second Language Acquisition Should Be a Part of Linguistics Education
- Conclusion: Where Do We Go from Here?
- Index
- References
Summary
The functional-typological approach to language recognizes that language features are shaped by functional forces: the strengths and limitations of human cognition and perception in creative tension with communitive needs. The results of this tension are evident in the phonology as well as in the morphosyntax. A functional-typological understanding of language reveals what features are likely to be common to different languages, as well as what features are likely to co-occur in the same language. This predictive knowledge prepares the teacher for what she will encounter in students L1, and helps her prepare students for what they will encounter in L2. Awareness of typologically less common features in particular will help the teacher to know where special effort may be needed to help students meet the challenge. An understanding of functional forces such as iconicity, metaphorical extension and language change also allows the L2 teacher to explain how a particular feature is motivated and not merely arbitrary, helping the learner to see how those facts make sense and thereby making them easier to learn.
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- Linguistic Foundations for Second Language Teaching and LearningBridging the Disciplinary Divide, pp. 29 - 49Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
Recommended Reading
This book summarizes forty years of functional-typological and cognitive linguistics and builds upon that tradition to present a usage-based theory of language. Language is shown as a complex adaptive system in which linguistic structures emerge over time through language use and are derived from general cognitive processes also used outside of language.
This two-volume set is a comprehensive introduction to morphology and syntax in a functional-typological perspective. Volume I focuses on grammar within the clause, Volume II on multi-clausal constructions, although it is shown that the morphosyntax of simple clauses is mostly explainable only in terms of the larger discourse-pragmatic context. Chapter 1 of the first volume introduces the essential concepts of a functional-typological approach.
In this revised and updated version of his hard-hitting 1979 polemic against the reigning Chomskyan paradigm, Givon argues for an approach to language that takes into account facts from communication, language acquisition, cognition, neurology, and diachrony. Drawing connections to logic, biology, evolutionary theory, and philosophy, he supports his arguments with a wealth of empirical data from multiple languages and all areas of the grammar.
This volume, containing contributions by fifteen authors, explores how the functional-typological approach can be useful for SLA, by leading to predictions regarding acquisition, or clarifying problems L2 learners face. Notions that are current in functional typology, such as markedness or prototypicality, are shown to be explanatory of L2-learner data. Some of the chapters also suggest ways in which SLA research can contribute to linguistic theory by serving as a testing ground for theoretical linguistics.
This classic two-volume edition reproduces the original 1998 edition, which brought together twenty of the foremost linguists working in the field of functional and cognitive linguistics. Each of them focuses on a particular aspect of human linguistic competence, showing how language is grounded in cognitive processes and formed by social interaction over time. Together these chapters provide convincing evidence that the cognitive and functional approach is the most useful in second language acquisition.
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