Linguistics in your inbox: a review of listservs for second language research

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to give a comparative overview of current listservs for applied linguistics researchers, with particular focus on their relevance to research on second language acquisition and use. Six listservs, based in different locations and targeted at different general audiences were selected and monitored for a simonth period. This review describes each, with particular attention to the volume of messages, the level of interaction among list users, the topics commonly discussed and the quality of information in each. This review is intended to serve both as a comparison of diferent listservs and as an introduction to the use of listservs for researchers and students who may not currently use them. It is not intended to present an exhaustive list of the many local and international listservs.