ABSTRACT
The field of second-language (L2) phonology attempts to document and explain the pronunciation patterns of non-native learners of a language.1 The purpose of this chapter is to describe this area of study through several steps. The first is to locate L2 phonology within the field of second language acquisition (SLA), and, in turn, to relate it to other disciplines. We will then consider a number of specific aspects of L2 phonology, including how it fits into a historical context, what its major findings have been, where the major questions and issues lie, and what kinds of data it seeks to use in order to test empirically the various hypotheses that one can postulate within the field. Finally, the chapter will take up the question of how the results of research on L2 phonology can be brought to bear on language pedagogy, and outline what some of the major questions are that need to be addressed by future research.
