First Language Acquisition: The Essential Readings is a collection of pioneering classics that provide a framework for understanding current work in each of the basic areas of language acquisition: morphology, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

• Collects classic works that provide the foundation for current research in the field of first language acquisition.
• Includes selections from Noam Chomsky, Jean Piaget, Eric Lenneberg and Roman Jakobson, as well as others who contributed groundbreaking discoveries, insights, concepts, and methods.
• Presents framework for understanding current work in each of the basic areas of language acquisition: morphology, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
• Provides valuable resource for students and scholars of language acquisition, cognitive development, and cognitive science.

Barbara C. Lust is Professor in the Department of Human Development at Cornell University. She is one of the foremost researchers in first language acquisition and the author of numerous books and articles, including The Growth of Language.

Claire Foley is Visiting Scientist in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has published numerous papers on theoretical and empirical aspects of language acquisition.