Using a cognitive meta-theory to analyze second language acquisition theories

This paper uses the cognitive model of mental symmetry as a meta-theory to integrate a number of theories within second language acquisition (SLA), as well as provide a framework for neurological research in linguistics. Mental symmetry has been used to analyze several fields and systems, but it applies especially well to SLA. That is because learning a language means mentally acquiring a structure that is capable of describing all aspects of human thought and experience, and acquiring a new language has a similarly universal impact. Thus, SLA really needs an integrated theory of cognition. In most fields there is a large gap between the technical specialization of that field and a meta-theory. This gap is unusually small within the field of SLA, making it possible to present a meta-theory as an integrated theory of the specialization.