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Abstract
Language is a complex phenomenon. Humans have been endowed with this capability which is used by them to communicate with each other. Quite a number of people are monolingual, a substantial number of speakers are bilingual, and yet others are multilingual who know more than two languages. Motivation of a learner as well as the learning environment available to a learner are the two prime factors which decide the success rate of the learner in learning the target language. Studies by linguists have shown that age also is a major deciding factor as far as the proficiency of the target language is concerned. Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has been a matter of debate and discussion since the last century. Various linguists have tried to figure out the exact blueprint of the process behind second language acquisition. Some have given prominence to the language environment available to the language learners. Others have brought to the fore an innate capacity in human beings to acquire language through complex cognitive activity. Still others have given importance to a filter and monitoring process in language learning. All said and done, language learning is a highly complex phenomenon amongst humans. It is a precious gift to humankind. Linguists are still on the lookout for a psychologically optimal syllabus of SLA which would result in one hundred percent language proficiency as is the case in First Language Acquisition. In this paper I have tried to provide a critical overview of the various theories surrounding SLA.