Introduction: Second Language Development as a Dynamic Process 论文

摘要

In this contribution, some of the basic characteristics of complex adaptive systems, collectively labeled Dynamic Systems Theory (DST), are discussed. Such systems are self‐organizing, dependent on initial conditions, sometimes chaotic, and they show emergent properties. The focus in DST is on development over time. Language is seen as a dynamic system, and language development, both acquisition and attrition, as a dynamic process. A number of examples of possible applications of DST in the field of applied linguistics are mentioned. After a short presentation of each of the individual articles, some possible lines of research are discussed.