Part I. Introduction: 1. Linguistic progression and regression: an introduction Kenneth Hyltenstam and Åke Viberg; Part II. The Sociological Setting: 2. The role of pidgin and creole languages in languages progression and regression Peter Mühlhaüsler; 3. Structure and practice in language shift Jane Hill; 4. Growing up monolingual in a multilingual community: how language socialisation patterns are leading to language shift in Gapun (Papua New Guinea) Don Kulick; 5. Language change in a creole continuum: decreolisation? Charlene Sato; Part III. Psycho- and Neurolinguistic Aspects: 6. Neurolinguistic aspects of first language acquisition and loss Jean Berko Gleason; 7. Neurolinguistic aspects of second language development and attrition Loraine K. Obler; 8. Second language acquisition as a function of age: research findings and methodological issues; 9. Second language regression Alzheimer's dementia Kenneth Hyltenstam and Christopher Stroud; Part IV. The Linguistic Perspective: 10. Crosslinguistic perspectives on native language acquisition Ruth Berman; 11. Syntactic development in Danish L2 Anne Holmen; 12. The weaker language in bilingual Swedish-French children Suzzane Schlyter; 13. Four operating principles and input distribution as explanations for underdeveloped and mature morphological systems Roger Andersen; 14. Crosslinguistic perspectives on lexical organisation and lexical progression Åke Viberg; 15. Attrition or expansion? changes in the lexicon of Finnish and American adult bilinguals in Sweden Sally Boyd; Part V. The Linguistic Perspective 2: Phonology: 16. The development of phonological abilities Henning Wode; 17. The course of development in second language phonology acquisition: a natural path or strategic choice? Bjorn Hammarberg; 18. Sociolinguistic factors in loss and acquisition of phonology Roy C. Major; Index.