The article surveys the general areas of language learning and language teaching. For language learning, it covers concepts such as focus-on-form, the nature of representation in language learning, and the stages learners pass through. Major approaches such as Universal Grammar and interaction-based approaches are surveyed, as are significant individual difference variables in learning such as aptitude, strategies, and motivation. Within the language teaching section, after a brief review of evidence on teaching effectiveness, there is discussion of syllabus, methodology, and course book issues, as well as consideration of contemporary debates on process syllabuses, task-based instruction, and methodology–context interactions.