Diane Larsen-Freeman

**Diane Larsen-Freeman** (born 1946) is an American linguist. She is now a Professor Emerita in Education and in Linguistics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She works in Applied linguistics. She studies in second language acquisition, English as a second or foreign language, language teaching methods, teacher education, and English grammar. Her work on the complex/dynamic systems approach to second language development is very important and well-known.

## Career

Larsen-Freeman began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer. She taught English in Sabah, Malaysia from 1967 to 1969. She says this experience started her interest in language acquisition. She went on to graduate studies at the University of Michigan, earning her PhD in linguistics in 1975.

Larsen-Freeman worked at the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles and then the SIT Graduate Institute. In 2002, she returned to the University of Michigan to direct the English Language Institute. She was also Professor in the School of Education and the Department of Linguistics. She retired from the University of Michigan in 2012. She has emerita positions at the English Language Institute and in Education and Linguistics at the University of Michigan, and at the SIT Graduate Institute. She is still active in her field, and teaches courses on the structure of English and second language development as a visiting senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

Larsen-Freeman mostly researches second language acquisition. She also studies English grammar. She thinks grammar is not only a set of structural patterns, but also important for making meaning and for changing language to meet a communicative context. She thinks that complexity theory is a new and useful way to understand language, its acquisition, and its use. She sees all three as complex changing processes that do not move neatly in a straight line. She applied this idea to teaching grammar, or “grammaring” as she calls it.  The dynamic approach to second language development includes the idea that students each have their own path to learning, and that teaching is fundamentally a process of managing learning.

Larsen-Freeman was also the editor of the journal _Language Learning_ for five years.

In 1997, she  wrote a leading article applying complex/dynamic systems theory to study second language acquisition. A book of papers in her honor, _Complexity Theory and Language Development_, was published in 2017.

### Books

- Larsen-Freeman, D. (Editor) (1980). _Discourse Analysis in Second Language Research_. Newbury House.
- Celce-Murcia, M., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1983). _The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher's Course_. Newbury House.
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (1986). _Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching_. Oxford University Press.
- Larsen-Freeman, D., & Long, M.H. (1991). _An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research._
- Celce-Murcia, M., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999). _The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher’s Course_ (2nd edition). Heinle & Heinle.
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). _Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching_ (2nd edition). Oxford University Press.
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (Series Director) (2002). _Olympic English_. Mc-Graw Hill.
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). _Teaching Language: From Grammar to Grammaring_. Heinle Cengage.
- Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). _Complex Systems and Applied Linguistics._ Oxford University Press.
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (Series Director) (2008). _Grammar Dimensions: Form, Meaning, and Use_ (Revised edition). National Geographic Learning.http://ngl.cengage.com/search/programOverview.do?N=+200+4294918395&Ntk=NGL|P_EPI&Ntt=PRO0000000012|&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial
- Ellis, N.C., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (Editors) (2009). _Language as a Complex Adaptive System_. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). _Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching_ (3rd edition). Oxford University Press.
- Larsen-Freeman, D., & Celce-Murcia, M. (2015). _The Grammar Book: Form, Meaning and Use for English Language Teachers_ (3rd edition). National Geographic Learning/Cengage Publishing Company.

### Articles

- Larsen-Freeman, D.E. (1975). The acquisition of grammatical morphemes by adult ESL students_. TESOL Quarterly_, _9_(4), 409-419.https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3585625
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (1985). Overviews of theories of language learning and acquisition. In _Issues in English Language Development_, National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. ERIC: ED273145.
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (1989). Pedagogical descriptions of language: Grammar. _Annual Review of Applied Linguistics_, _10_, 187-195.https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S026719050000129X
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (1991). Second language acquisition research: Staking out the territory. _TESOL Quarterly_, _25_(2), 315-350.https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3587466
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity science and second language acquisition. _Applied Linguistics,_ _18_(2), 141-165.https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/18.2.141
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2002). Making sense of frequency. _Studies in Second Language Acquisition_, _24_(2), 275-285. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0272263102002127
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2004). Conversation analysis for second language acquisition? It all depends. _The Modern Language Journal_, _88_(4), 603-607.https://www.jstor.org/stable/3588590
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2006). The emergence of complexity, fluency, and accuracy in the oral and written production of five Chinese learners of English. _Applied Linguistics_, _27_(4), 590-619.https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/aml029
- Ellis, N.C., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (2006). Language emergence: Implications for applied linguistics. _Applied Linguistics_, _27_, 558-589.https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/aml028
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2007). On the complementarity of chaos/complexity theory and dynamic systems theory in understanding the second language acquisition process. _Bilingualism: Language and Cognition_, _10_(1), 35-37.https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S136672890600277X
- Larsen-Freeman, D., & Freeman, D. (2008). Language moves: The place of "foreign" languages in classroom teaching and learning. _Review of Research in Education_, _32_(1), 147-186.https://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0091732X07309426
- Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). Research methodology on language development from a complex systems perspective. _The Modern Language Journal_, _92_(2), 200-213.https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2008.00714.x
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2009). Teaching and testing grammar. In M. Long & C. Doughty (Eds.), _The Handbook of Language Teaching_. Blackwell.https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781444315783
- Ellis, N.C., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (2009). Constructing a second language: Analyses and computational simulations of the emergence of linguistic constructions from usage. _Language Learning_, _59_(s1), 90-125.https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2009.00537.x
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2011). Key concepts in language learning and language education. In J. Simpson (Ed.), _Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics_.https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203835654
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2012). Complex, dynamic systems: A new transdisciplinary theme for applied linguistics? _Language Teaching_, _45_(2), 202-214.https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0261444811000061
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2012). From unity to diversity... to diversity within unity. _English Teaching Forum_, _50_(2), 28-38.https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/50_2_5_reflectionspp21-27.pdf
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2012). On the role of repetition in language teaching and learning. _Applied Linguistics Review_, _3_(2), 195-210.https://dx.doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2012-0009
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2012). The emancipation of the language learner. _Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching_, _2_(3), 297-309.https://dx.doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2012.2.3.2
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2013). Transfer of learning transformed. _Language Learning_, _63_(s1), 107-129.https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2012.00740.x
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2015). Saying what we mean: Making the case for second language acquisition to become second language development. _Language Teaching_, _48_(4), 491-505.https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0261444814000019
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2015). Research into practice: Grammar learning and teaching. _Language Teaching_, _48_(2), 263-280.https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0261444814000408
- The Douglas Fir Group. (2016). A transdisciplinary framework for SLA in a multilingual world. _The Modern Language Journal_, _16_, 19-47.https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/modl.12301
- Larsen-Freeman, D. (2016). Classroom-oriented research from a complex systems perspective. _Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 6_(3), 377-393.https://dx.doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2016.6.3.2

## Awards

- Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize with Lynne Cameron for _Complex Systems and Applied Linguistics_, awarded by the Modern Language Association (2008)
- Distinguished Scholarship and Service Award, awarded by the American Association of Applied Linguistics (2011)
- 50 at 50 Leader in TESOL, selected by TESOL International Association (2016)

## Related pages

List of women linguists

## Other websites

- Larsen-Freeman on the University of Michigan's website

## Infobox (scientist)

- **name**: Diane Larsen-Freeman
- **image**: File:Diane Larsen-Freeman at The New School.jpg
- **image size**: 200px
- **caption**: Diane Larsen-Freeman
- **birth place**: United States
- **thesis year**: 1975
- **doctoral advisor**: H. Douglas Brown
- **thesis title**: The Acquisition of Grammatical Morphemes by Adult Learners of English as a Second Language
- **thesis url**: https://www.proquest.com/docview/302753990
- **spouse**: Elliott Freeman