Second language

A second language is a language learned in addition to a person’s first language. It may be learned in a community where it is widely used or in a foreign-language setting.

First language: A language acquired earliest in life, often through sustained exposure in the home or community. It is the language against which a language learned later is called second.
Comprehensible input: Language exposure that learners can understand despite encountering some unfamiliar forms. Understanding messages in the target language can support acquisition.
Second-language acquisition: The study of how people learn languages after acquiring a first language. It examines the processes and outcomes central to learning a second language.
Foreign language: A language learned in a setting where it is not the surrounding community’s main language. A second language is often distinguished from a foreign language by its local use.
Bilingualism: The ability to use two languages, with proficiency varying across speakers and situations. Learning a second language can lead to bilingual language use.
Interaction hypothesis: The proposal that conversational interaction helps language learning by making input clearer and prompting adjustment. Negotiating meaning gives learners opportunities to notice and work through gaps.
Communicative language teaching: A language-teaching approach that emphasizes meaningful communication and practical language use. It organizes instruction around using the target language to convey meaning.
Heritage language: A language associated with a person’s family or community that may be weaker than the dominant language. A heritage language can be learned early yet later become less dominant than another language.
Language proficiency: A person’s ability to understand and use a language across tasks and settings. It describes the varied outcomes of learning a second language.
Output hypothesis: The proposal that producing language helps learners notice limits in their knowledge and test forms. Speaking and writing can reveal what input alone has not made usable.

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