This volume brings together for the first time a collection of studies devoted to missionary language learning and retention. Introductory chapters provide historical perspectives on this population and on language teaching philosophy and practice in the LDS tradition. The empirical studies which follow are divided into two sections, the first examining mission language acquisition by English-speaking missionaries abroad, the second focusing on post-mission language attrition. These chapters by internationally known scholars offer cutting-edge research using a number of different target langua. Read more... Second Language Acquisition Abroad; Editorial page; Title page; LCC data; Dedication page; Table of contents; Foreword; Chapter 1 -- Introduction; 1. The missionaries and their language learning experience; 2. Overview of this volume; 3. Conclusion; References; Section I. Acquisition of mission languages; Chapter 2 -- Language learning and teaching in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; 1. Introduction; 2. Language and Learning in the Early Days of the Church; 3. Development of the Deseret Alphabet; 4. Immigrant Language Learning; 5. Early Missionary language learning. 7. Approach to Language Teaching in the LTM and MTC8. Missionary Language Achievement Before and After the Mission; 9. Language Maintenance and Language Attrition Among Returned Missionaries; References; Chapter 3 -- The development of speaking proficiency of LDS missionaries; 1. Missionary language learning experience; 2. Language acquisition considerations; 3. Speaking proficiency assessment; 4. Methodology; 5. Results; 6. Comparisons with Undergraduate Students; 7. Discussion; 8. Conclusion; References. Chapter 4 -- An examination of the effects of input, aptitude, and motivation on the language proficiency of missionaries learning Japanese as a second language1. Individual differences; 2. Language learning aptitude; 3. Motivation; 4. Input; 5. Research questions; 6. Methodology; 6.1 Participants; 6.2 Procedures; 6.3 Proficiency measures; 7. Aptitude; 8. Input; 9. Results; 9.1 Characteristics of the participants; 10. Time in Japan; 11. Proficiency levels; 12. Motivation; 13. Language aptitude and working memory; 14. A more complete regression model; 15. Discussion; References; Appendix A. Part I: Background informationPart 2. Language usage questions; Appendix B Appendix of statistical procedures; Robust correlation; Hierarchical cluster modeling; Regression; Appendix C; Appendix D Selected data; Chapter 5 -- In the beginning was the word; 1. Input; 2. Language distance; 3. Gender; 4. Motivation, attitudes, and beliefs about language learning; 5. Research questions; 6. Method; 6.1 Subjects; 7. Instruments and data collection; 7.1 L2 vocabulary elicitation; 7.2 Survey; 8. Findings; 8.1 L2 input and vocabulary acquisition over time; 9. Language distance; 10. Gender. 11. Affective variables11.1 Regression analysis; 12. Discussion; 13. Future research; References; Appendix 1; Appendix 2; Survey; Section II. Attrition of mission languages; Chapter 6 -- The lost word; 1. Introduction; 1.1 Vocabulary attrition in mission languages; 1.2 Second language input; 2. Language distance; 2.1 Gender; 2.2 Motivation, attitudes, beliefs; 3. Research questions; 4. Method; 4.1 Subjects; 5. Instruments and data collection; 5.1 Survey; 5.2 L2 vocabulary elicitation; 6. Findings; 6.1 L2 input and vocabulary attrition over time; 7. Language distance; 8. Gender