Sunday, September 30, 2018

Larry Selinker Quick Facts

Larry Selinker (1937) is an American linguist and the world’s most influential Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theorist.


Larry Selinker Quick Facts

Profile

  • Birth Name: Larry Selinker
  • Date of Birth: September 19, 1937
  • Zodiac Sign: Virgo
  • Nationality: American
  • Spouse: Phyllis Selinker
  • Children: Mike Selinker
  • Alma Mater: Brandeis University, The American University, Georgetown University.
  • Larry Selinker is known for: his concept of interlanguage which helped to found the field of Second Language Acquisition.
  • Larry Selinker is criticized for: limited explanatory power of his interlanguage theory.
  • Larry Selinker was influenced by: Pit Corder.

Quotes

“[t]he process of learning a second language (L2) is characteristically non-linear and fragmentary, marked by a mixed landscape of rapid progression in certain areas but slow movement, incubation or even permanent stagnation in others. Such a process results in a linguistic system known as ‘interlanguage’.” ― Larry Selinker, “Interlanguage” (1972)

Major Works

  • “Language Transfer” (1969)
  • “Interlanguage” (1972)
  • Workbook in Second Language Acquisition (1984)
  • Rediscovering Interlanguage (1991)
  • Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course (1993)
  • The Current State of Interlanguage: Studies in Honor of William E. Rutherford (1995)
  • Second Language Learning Data Analysis : Teachers Manual (1998)

Did You Know?

  • Larry Selinker is chiefly noted for his concept of interlanguage theory, which paved the way for laying the foundation of modern research into SLA.
  • He proposed his interlanguage theory in his paper “Interlanguage” which appeared in the January 1972 issue of the journal International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching.
  • His paper, “Language Transfer” first appeared in a 1969 edition of General Linguistics.
  • His interlanguage theory is also known as compromise system, approximative system, idiosyncratic dialect, learner language, and transitional competence.
  • Although Selinker has been credited for postulating the interlanguage theory, in essence, he based it upon Pit Corder's previous work on the nature of language learners' errors.
  • Selinker’s interlanguage focuses on the linguistic and psychological aspects of SLA research.
  • Selinker earned his doctorate degree from Georgetown University in 1966.
  • He was the assistant professor of linguistics and the director of English for foreign students from 1966 to 1975 in the University of Washington.
  • Selinker held the position of director of the University of Michigan’s English Language Institute from 1977 to 1982.
  • At University of Michigan he designed a course entitled “The Good and Bad Language Learner” which was widely popular amongst undergraduate students.
  • He was also a Professor of Linguistics in the University of Michigan until his retirement in 1993.
  • After his retirement the Regents of the University of Michigan awarded Professor Selinker an emeritus title.
  • His son Mike Selinker is a well-known game designer and puzzle maker.
  • His wife, Phyllis Selinker is an attorney specializing in pro bono services.

Media Gallery

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Larry Selinker

Larry Selinker

Larry Selinker
 
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