Researchers in applied linguistics have paid considerable attention to many variables that influence second language learning. However, most of the studies examining these variables are conducted with second language learners studying in native environments or in monolingual countries where another language is learned as a foreign language, such as the learning of English in Japan or Saudi Arabia or the learning of French or German in the United States. Such studies ignore or leave out the vast majority of second language learners in multilingual countries like India. This book presents empirical studies on the various factors that influence English language learning and teaching in India. In particular, the author examines whether and to what extent the variables which have been shown to influence second language learning in monolingual countries also apply to the Indian situation which is characterized by multilingualism and multiculturalism. Among the various aspects discussed in this book are Indian students’ (and their teachers’) "theories" about learning English; their preferences or styles for language learning; the learning and reading strategies they use to enhance their competence in English; the degree of language learning anxiety they experience; and their attitudes toward, and motivation for, learning English. Ravi Sheorey also explores Indian teachers’ judgements of the errors they come across in the writings of their students. The results are compared to studies with subjects from other countries and the implications for the learning and teaching of English are discussed in each chapter. Overall, this book expands the database on which theories of second language acquisition are based and thus contributes to enhancing the explanatory power of those theories. The book is a welcome addition to the field of applied linguistics and will be especially useful to teachers and scholars of English and second language learning and teaching.
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