Bringing together second language acquisition and aphasiology to understand language (re-)learning

Abstract

The understanding of how individuals learn a second language (L2) may be informative to the understanding of how persons with aphasia (PWA) re-learn or rehabilitate impaired language processes. The purpose of this review is to draw connections between knowledge in second language acquisition (SLA) with aphasiology. We first provide a brief overview of SLA and compare the populations of L2 learners and persons with aphasia. We then provide a specific example application of SLA theory to aphasiology in the context of morphology. Finally, we discuss three additional considerations that must be accounted for when bridging SLA and aphasiology research: bi/multilingualism, individual differences in cognition, and language of study.