Language Learning: A Lifelong Process (review)

What does it mean to learn language(s)? Does language learning end when school ends? Aiming at extending the existing literature on language, Joseph Foley and Linda Thompson address these questions and propose an account of language development as a continuous process that goes on throughout a lifespan. Written in an accessible and lively style, the book provides an excellent introductory text to students of language and linguistics.

The book consists of eleven chapters. Ch. 1, ‘What is language?’ (1–20), establishes a conceptual framework for later chapters by introducing the definitions of language and language development. The authors note that in this increasingly multilingual world, language development tends to be multilingual rather than monolingual. Ch. 2, ‘What we know about language learning’ (21–42), presents an overview of the most significant contributions to child language development by drawing upon the works of philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists, as well as linguists. Looking beyond the structural elements of children’s utterances, Ch. 3, ‘Learning to communicate’ (43–63), focuses on child language learning through interaction and communication. Ch. 4, ‘A social view of language learning’ (64–86), traces the origins of social accounts of language learning in the tradition of systemic functional linguistics (SFL), with particular reference to the work of Michael Halliday. Ch. 5, ‘Learning how to “get things done” in the first two years of life’ (87–113), illustrates how children learn to act by employing the tool of language. Ch. 6, ‘Language as a resource for learning’ (114–44), proposes that language is not only a tool of communication, but also a resource of cognitive development.

In Ch. 7, ‘Language development in the school’ (145–72), F&T look closely at the transition from commonsense knowledge in the home environment to the more formal educational knowledge in the school setting, emphasizing the use of spoken language in the classroom. Ch. 8, ‘Developing language through writing’ (173–204), explores how children learn language through writing by outlining a genre-based approach to text and enumerating the most common text types. Ch. 9, ‘Critical language awareness’ (205–25), highlights the importance of a critical approach to language awareness, arguing that the teaching of how language is being used should become an integral part of any educational program. Ch. 10, ‘Multiliteracies’ (226–47), argues that, with the changing of the communication landscape and the emerging of a multisemiotic society, any discussion of language development and literacy would be insufficient without taking into consideration other forms of multimedia communication besides the spoken and written language. Ch. 11, ‘Learning language(s): Creating a linguistic biography’ (248–67), suggests that the process of language development can best be viewed as the creation of an individual ‘linguistic biography’, which is not only unique and dynamic but also recognizes the ‘primacy’ of social and cultural contexts (248).

This book, with its many and varied thought-provoking ‘Points to ponder’ and well-prepared ‘Further reading’ lists, is a welcome addition to the existing descriptions of language development and will contribute to our understanding of the process of language learning in a meaningful way.