Larry Selinker Quick Facts

October 1, 2018

Larry Selinker Quick Facts

Larry Selinker (1937) is an American linguist and the world’s most influential Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theorist.

Profile

Birth Name: Larry Selinker
Date of Birth: September 19, 1937
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Nationality: American
Spouse: Phyllis Selinker
Children: Mike Selinker
Alma Mater: Brandeis University, The American University, Georgetown University.
Larry Selinker is known for: his concept of interlanguage which helped to found the field of Second Language Acquisition.
Larry Selinker is criticized for: limited explanatory power of his interlanguage theory.
Larry Selinker was influenced by: Pit Corder.

Quotes

“[t]he process of learning a second language (L2) is characteristically non-linear and fragmentary, marked by a mixed landscape of rapid progression in certain areas but slow movement, incubation or even permanent stagnation in others. Such a process results in a linguistic system known as ‘interlanguage’.” ― Larry Selinker, “Interlanguage” (1972)

Major Works

“Language Transfer” (1969)
“Interlanguage” (1972)
Workbook in Second Language Acquisition (1984)
Rediscovering Interlanguage (1991)
Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course (1993)
The Current State of Interlanguage: Studies in Honor of William E. Rutherford (1995)
Second Language Learning Data Analysis : Teachers Manual (1998)

Did You Know?

Larry Selinker is chiefly noted for his concept of interlanguage theory, which paved the way for laying the foundation of modern research into SLA.
He proposed his interlanguage theory in his paper “Interlanguage” which appeared in the January 1972 issue of the journal International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching.
His paper, “Language Transfer” first appeared in a 1969 edition of General Linguistics.
His interlanguage theory is also known as compromise system, approximative system, idiosyncratic dialect, learner language, and transitional competence.
Although Selinker has been credited for postulating the interlanguage theory, in essence, he based it upon Pit Corder's previous work on the nature of language learners' errors.
Selinker’s interlanguage focuses on the linguistic and psychological aspects of SLA research.
Selinker earned his doctorate degree from Georgetown University in 1966.
He was the assistant professor of linguistics and the director of English for foreign students from 1966 to 1975 in the University of Washington.
Selinker held the position of director of the University of Michigan’s English Language Institute from 1977 to 1982.
At University of Michigan he designed a course entitled “The Good and Bad Language Learner” which was widely popular amongst undergraduate students.
He was also a Professor of Linguistics in the University of Michigan until his retirement in 1993.
After his retirement the Regents of the University of Michigan awarded Professor Selinker an emeritus title.
His son Mike Selinker is a well-known game designer and puzzle maker.
His wife, Phyllis Selinker is an attorney specializing in pro bono services.

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