On the Necessity of the Ontological Analysis of identity Formation and Its linkage to the Language Acquisition Theories

. Research directed at the relationship between identity and SLA has widely captured the attention of applied linguists since the last two decades. Nonetheless, there has been dearth of research regarding the tracing of the historical and philosophical origins of this multidimensional notion. This study aims to probe the ways that philosophical reflections and historical transformations have influenced the definition of identity and consequently the learning theories and teaching methods of language. The results of this descriptive-analytic research, by drawing on the works of modern and postmodern philosophers and sociologists, revealed that theories of language acquisition and the nature of language were indisputably inspired by the definition of human identity in diverse historical eras (traditional, modern and postmodern). Accordingly, the study showed that without resorting to the philosophical reflections and historical events it is not feasible to profoundly understand the underlying reasons for the noted paradigm shifts in SLA theories.