Editing Second-language acquisition (section)

== Definitions ==
''Second language'' refers to any language learned in addition to a person's [[first language]]; although the concept is called ''second''-language acquisition, it can also incorporate the learning of [[Third language acquisition|third, fourth, or subsequent languages]].{{sfn|Gass|Selinker|2008|p=7}} Second-language acquisition refers to what learners do; it does not refer to practices in [[language teaching]], although teaching can affect acquisition. The term ''acquisition'' was originally used to emphasize the non-conscious nature of the learning process,<ref group="note">{{Harvtxt|Krashen|1982}} made a sharp distinction between ''learning'' and ''acquisition'', using ''learning'' to refer to the conscious aspects of the language learning process and ''acquisition'' to refer to the subconscious aspects. This strict separation of learning and acquisition is widely regarded as an oversimplification by researchers today, but his hypotheses were very influential and the name has stuck.</ref> but in recent years ''learning'' and ''acquisition'' have become largely synonymous.

SLA can incorporate [[heritage language learning]],{{sfn|Gass|Selinker|2008|pp=21–24}} but it does not usually incorporate [[bilingualism]]. Most SLA researchers see bilingualism as being the result of learning a language, not the process itself, and see the term as referring to native-like fluency. Writers in fields such as education and psychology, however, often use bilingualism loosely to refer to all forms of [[multilingualism]].{{sfn|Gass|Selinker|2008|pp=24–25}} SLA is also not to be contrasted with the acquisition of a [[foreign language]]; rather, the learning of second languages and the learning of foreign languages involve the same fundamental processes in different situations.{{sfn|Ellis|1997|p=3}}