Applied Linguistics 2020: 41/2: 320–322 REVIEW This book, a follow-up to the editors’ successful guide to second language (L2) teacher education (Burns and Richards 2009), is a clear and concise introduction to the research and scholarship across 36 topics related to learning English as an L2. Although the title indicates that the focus is on English, because many of the authors discuss L2 learning and second language acquisition (SLA) more generally, the book should find an audience with scholars who are interested in research on learning other languages as well. Also, the book may find a readership with those who might not require the depth of scholarship offered in previous handbooks of SLA (Doughty and Long 2008; Gass and Mackey 2013; Herschensohn and Young-Scholten 2013). The compendium’s 36 chapters are divided into nine sections. Section 1, Learners and Learning English, begins with chapters on learning English as a child, an adolescent, and an adult, respectively. Section 2 focuses on the affective, individual, and social aspects of learning English, such as learner anxiety, motivation, and identity. Section 3 is organized around the social contexts of learning English—from learning through interaction, to learning in the classroom, and to learning beyond the classroom. Section 4 includes chapters on learning English for academic purposes, learning for specific purposes, and learning English for the workplace. Section 5 is organized around learning the systems of English—from pronunciation, to vocabulary, to chunks, and to learning grammar. Section 6 looks at learning the four skills, beginning with listening, followed by speaking, then reading, and, finally, writing. Section 7 focuses on social uses of English, with chapters about learning genres, literacy, pragmatics, and intercultural competence, respectively. Section 8 is about approaches to learning English and includes chapters about learning through tasks, content, translation, textbooks, or a corpus. Section 9, the final section, looks at learning through technology, online learning, and learning through social media. While overseeing the project, the editors stated that they did not impose any particular theoretical perspective on the respective authors; rather, they invited the scholars to apply theory as they saw fit. As a result, the book includes multiple theoretical perspectives to L2 learning, including ‘incidental learning’, ‘scaffolded learning’, ‘learning as socialization’, ‘learning through observation’, ‘autonomous and self-directed learning’, ‘and language learning as the negotiation and development of identities’ (p. 4). ß The Author(s) (2018). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/applij/article-abstract/41/2/320/5197057 by guest on 06 April 2020 Anne Burns and Jack C. Richards (eds): THE CAMBRIDGE GUIDE TO LEARNING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE. Cambridge University Press, 2018. REVIEW 321 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/applij/article-abstract/41/2/320/5197057 by guest on 06 April 2020 Despite their varying perspectives toward L2 learning, the contributions in this volume are unified through the following themes. First, English learners are assumed to be emerging bilingual or multilingual language users. Rather than using native English speakers as the standard, the contributors take the perspective that learners develop by integrating their use of English with the other languages that they have acquired. Second, many of the authors emphasize how agency and identity construction are integral aspects of L2 development. This perspective expands on traditional views of fluency (e.g. speaking or writing skills) to include ideas about becoming members of a community of practice or even ‘reconstructing one’s understanding and view of the world and one’s place in it’ (p. 4). Third, the chapters generally assume that language learning is not only a cognitive or interactive endeavor, rather, that it is situated, occurring in diverse sociocultural contexts. Fourth, rather than a traditional linear and grammatical approach to L2 learning, the authors assume that language acquisition is complex and dynamic, involving multimodal interaction in diverse settings. Fifth, the topics discussed in each chapter come with implications for teaching languages, a point which is helpful for relating this new book to other books in the field. Given the nature of this volume, it finds its niche somewhere between the more theoretically oriented handbooks of SLA (Doughty and Long 2008; Gass and Mackey 2013; Herschensohn and Young-Scholten 2013) and two other more pedagogically oriented handbooks also from Cambridge, the authors’ previous guide to L2 teacher education (Burns and Richards 2009) and The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Nunan and Carter 2001). While this new volume does include implications for L2 pedagogy in each chapter, unlike the previous education-oriented guides, the focus of this new contribution is on the process of learning as opposed to that of teaching (or learning to teach) languages. Indeed, because of this, there is overlap with the aforementioned SLA texts. For instance, the following topics are addressed in this new book and at least one or more handbooks of SLA: the development of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills; learning vocabulary, lexical chunking, and grammatical structures; motivation and anxiety; identity construction; multilingualism; pragmatics; and learning through technology. However, the approach taken in the current book makes it more accessible to interested readers who are looking more for an introduction into the scholarship on these topics than the in-depth coverage of research generally examined in the SLA handbooks. In addition, the volume is worthwhile for its new contributions, for example, in the areas of L2 learning with learning difficulties, learning English for the workplace, and L2 learning through social media. The inclusion of subsequent chapters on learning English as children, adolescents, and adults is also welcome for a concise comparison of the issues associated with L2 learning at different age groups in the same place. One aspect under-discussed in the book is the difference between English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL). Although the 322 REVIEW Reviewed by Ian Moodie Mokpo National University, Republic of Korea E-mail: ianmoodie@gmail.com doi:10.1093/applin/amy047 Advance Access published on 21 November 2018 REFERENCES Burns, A. and J. C. Richards (eds). 2009. The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education. Cambridge University Press. Doughty, C. J. and M. H. Long (eds). 2008. The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. Blackwell. Gass, S. M. and A. Mackey (eds). 2013. The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. Routledge. Herschensohn, J. and M. Young-Scholten (eds). 2013. The Cambridge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge University Press. Nunan, D. and R. Carter (eds). 2001. The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge University Press. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/applij/article-abstract/41/2/320/5197057 by guest on 06 April 2020 literature discussed in this volume comes from both areas, the distinction is not often made even though the implications for teaching and learning English can be quite different depending on the learning context, for example, whether it is the language of an education system (i.e. ESL) or a subject within it (i.e. EFL). Moreover, the dominance of English in the era of globalization seems to be taken as a given, so issues such as the ownership of English and linguistic imperialism are mostly glossed over. Nonetheless, this volume is a fine introductory reference book indicating many specific areas and issues related to learning English. It is an academic text, not a guide to learning English (as the title suggests), so to be clear it is a book for L2 scholars, not learners. As such, it suits the audience that it is intended for—that of English teacher trainees, teacher educators, and graduate and undergraduate students needing an up-to-date introduction to the research literature. The format of the book is consistent across all the chapters. Each begins with an introduction and overview of the research of its given area, followed by key issues for learning English, the implications for teaching and assessment, and each then finishes with discussion questions or follow-up activities. This consistency contributes to the readability of the book, as does the manner in which it is written and edited, which has made it accessible to non-native English users. The consistency also enhances its suitability as a course book, although it is more likely to find its place as a supplementary textbook or as a sourcebook for research or introductory seminars. With this in mind, the coverage of areas—along with the formatting, clarity, and conciseness— makes this volume a welcome addition to the literature on L2 learning.
