Declarative and Procedural Determinants of Second Languages: 40

At a moment when issues of bilingualism assume greater importance in the United States and as neurocognitive techniques rapidly gain terrain in SLA research, an extension of Paradis’s (2004) neurolinguistic theory of bilingualism could hardly be more timely. This volume stands out for its clarity, accessibility, and thought-provoking style. […] this volume will interest psycholinguists, neurolinguists, and SLA researchers. Readers already familiar with Paradis’s (2004 ) work can benefit from the model additions, updated information on diverse topics, new data that claim to bolster central tenets of the theory, and plenty of room for rebuttal. Those less familiar with Paradis’s research and the explicit-implicit distinction and interface debate can read the preface (a synopsis of the 2004 book) and the appendix that summarizes key proposals (giving an overview of the constructs created after 2004) before delving into the individual chapters. — Nuria Sagarra, Pennsylvania State University, in SSLA, 32: 640-642 (2010).

This excellent, lucid and scholarly work is a treatise on the conceptual basis of our understanding of second language appropriation and use, and the neural systems that subserve it. It is an important extension of MP’s seminal work on neurolinguistic theory of bilingualism (Paradis, 2004). […] a rigorous exercise in clearing muddled thinking and in exploring the behavioural and neural bases of second language performance. […] The core thesis is applied to different issues in the different chapters and this means that the chapters can be read somewhat independently. In consequence, readers with different interests can grasp the thesis and its implications for their area of interest efficiently. I think they will find themselves enticed to read further and enjoy, as I did, a book that provides a wide-ranging exploration of a common theme. The thesis that MP eloquently develops […] is open to explicit test. — David W. Green, Cognitive, Perceptual and Brain Sciences, University College London, in Language, 86: 735-738 (2010).

[…] As one works through the treatise, it is clear that despite targeting an expert readership, the book does not completely exclude educated lay readers, much to its credit. This is achieved through the rigorous systematicity with which the arguments of the book are presented […] What particularly strikes me is how the author elucidates some of his points in a way that is wholly comprehensible and intuitive. […] One cannot but be awed by the extent of knowledge the author has on the subject being dealt with, as evident in his exhaustive and critical commentary on the relevant literature. The comprehensiveness of this work makes it a must-read for students and scholars who are interested in bilingualism in general and second language acquisition in particular. — Tong King Lee, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in Babel 57: 239-242, 2011

One cannot but be awed by the extent of knowledge the author has on the subject being dealt with, as evident in his exhaustive and critical commentary on the relevant literature. The comprehensiveness of this work makes it a must-read for students and scholars who are interested in bilingualism in general and second language acquisition in particular. — Tong King Lee, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in Babel 57(2): 239-242, 2011