With its focus on simplification universals, developmental orders, teachability, and functional-grammatical bases for acquisition, the well-known research on German (L2) language acquisition has contributed much to SLA research in general. At the same time, sociolinguistic investigations focus squarely on the difficult social conditions that accompany non-native language acquisition in Germany. In keeping with emerging approaches in SLA in general, German language acquisition (GLA) research requires a more holistic focus if we hope to account for individual experience as well as universal influences on attainment. This broad survey of the research highlights several significant factors in L2 German: (1) informal contact with native speakers, offering personal, interactive practice; (2) formal instruction, representing targeted practice focused on linguistic accuracy and complexity; and (3) affective orientations, particularly identity and affiliation, as reflections of learner engagement in the process. These aspects of learner experience appear relevant across an array of theoretical and empirical perspectives. I therefore argue that cognitive models of GLA fail to adequately account for the constraints on both input and contact experienced by most non-native acquirers of German, and that only a purposeful integration of methodologies can capture the complex relationships between cognitive, social and psychological factors inherent in the process. (Contains 9 notes.)