The Many Faces of Imitation in Language Learning

The Many Faces of Imitation in Language Learning takes a fresh look at imitation in the wake of more than twenty years of highly productive research on child language acquisition. The book presents recent work in language acquisition by experts in first language acquistion, cognitive child development, and related fields. The chapters, many of which contain data not yet published, reflect diverse approaches to imitation and to the study of language learning. Imitation is examined from infancy through all stages of language development and many sides of imitation functions are discussed: cognitive, information processing, social, learning and biological. Individual differences among children in their use of imitation and the forms and functions of parent imitation are examined. Second language acquisition is studied alongside first language acquisition. These new approaches to imitation show how this concept can help us to further understand the social, information processing, learning, and biological processes in language acquisition, in language delay and in second language acquisition. This book is intended for researchers who are interested in the processes of language development.