Book review on corpus linguistics and second language acquisition: perspectives, issues, and findings

In recent years, there has been a notable surge in the integration of corpus linguistic methods within the domain of second language acquisition (SLA).This trend is evidenced by a growing body of research (e.g., Hunston, 2022; Le Bruyn McEnery et al., 2019), which has underscored the value of corpus-based methods in renovating traditional SLA research.In this context, the publication Corpus Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition: Perspectives, Issues, and Findings by Lu (2023) represents a timely addition to the existing literature.It offers valuable theoretical insights and nuanced methodological guidance for those engaged in corpus-based inquiries of SLA phenomena.This book is poised to serve as an indispensable resource for scholars seeking to advance their understanding of the contributions of corpus linguistics to the field of SLA.The book comprises six chapters that offer a comprehensive and accessible review and discussion of corpus-based SLA research.Chapter 1 serves as the introduction, defining the primary goal of the publication: to explicitly illustrate how corpus linguistic methods have equipped researchers in the field of SLA with new data sources and analytical techniques.These advancements facilitate the examination of longstanding inquiries and the validation of emerging theoretical propositions within SLA.The term "corpus linguistic methods" primarily refers to "native and learner corpora as data sources, automated and semi-automated tools for corpus annotation, as well as methods, measures, and tools developed for analyzing corpus data in various ways" (Lu, 2023, p. 1).The chapter then articulates four principal issues that the ensuing thematic chapters (Chapters 2 to 5) aim to explore: 1) variation in L2 use; 2) factors influencing L2 processing and production; 3) trajectories of L2 development and influencing factors; and 4) variability and variation in L2 development.Moreover, this chapter introduces theoretical frameworks, notably Complex Dynamic System Theory (CDST) and the usage-based approach, through which these issues are investigated.