Dynamic systems and SLA: The wood and the trees

A DST (Dynamic Systems Theory) characterization of L2 acquisition as an emergent process marks the coming of age of SLA research. It is an important theoretical maturation in that it brings together the many factors that interact in the complex system of language, learning, and use. It is an approach that has been budding for some time (Elman et al., 1996; Larsen-Freeman, 1997; MacWhinney, 1997; Ellis, 1998, 2003; Herdina and Jessner, 2002; Ellis and Larsen-Freeman, 2006), and recent symposia at AILA 2005, TESOL 2006 and AAAL 2006 conferences, and special issues in Applied Linguistics (2006) and here leave us heady with the scent of its blossom. What of fruition; what harvest shall we reap?

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