Ch.+8+by+Alan+Juffs

The definition of formal linguistics in controversial. In this chapter the author explains the formal linguistics as an explicit description of a speaker’s knowledge of his /her languages. It means that all the properties are specified fully and precisely as a system of operations on linguistics categories ( Hall, 1995). The formal linguists seek the answer to the following questions:
 * Chapter 8 **
 * FORMAL LINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVES ON SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUSITION BY** ** ALAN JUFFS **

Many researchers have written on the relationship between formal linguistics and second language acquisition. As it is explained in the chapter, the formal linguistics has contributed to SLA in the following ways:
 * What does it mean to say we “know a language”?
 * How does that knowledge arise in the mind of the speaker, that is, how is it acquired?
 * It provides a detailed information on the principles that underlie human languages as well as help to makes possible claims about the nature of L2.
 * It gives an opportunity for researchers to discover, describe and explain the facts about second language grammar
 * Formal linguistics research has created methodology for evaluating L2 grammar. Some questions that are studied in the frame of formal linguistics led to development of materials used in studies of SLA.