L3 phonology

Regardless of the reasons for which L3 phonology has not received its due attention in acquisition research in the past, its growth over the last few years has been significant. Notwithstanding, what we know within this domain thus far barely scratches the surface of what we endeavor to uncover. The purpose of this chapter, therefore, is to provide an overview of existing research coupled with a critical discussion of the theoretical and methodological hurdles to overcome as the field grows, as well as to outline the directions that generative L3 phonological research can take and what such directions can yield not only for L3 acquisition specifically, but also for language acquisition theory more generally.