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On the predicaments of the E nglish L 1 language learner: a conceptual article
Author(s) -
Lanvers Ursula
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal of applied linguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.712
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1473-4192
pISSN - 0802-6106
DOI - 10.1111/ijal.12082
Subject(s) - second language acquisition , phenomenon , disadvantaged , linguistics , commodity , second language , psychology , language acquisition , sociology , mathematics education , political science , epistemology , business , philosophy , finance , law
The unparalleled rise of E nglish has led native speakers ( L 1) to becoming increasingly outnumbered by L 2 speakers; E nglish as global commodity has stimulated much research into the learning and teaching of E nglish. Meanwhile, fewer and fewer L 1 E nglish speakers are choosing to learn languages; a phenomenon which has received less attention. This article investigates both phenomena in the light of two recent theoretical developments in A pplied L inguistics and second language acquisition ( SLA ), namely dynamic system theory and the multilingual turn in SLA , scrutinising the effects of the re‐positioning of L 1 E nglish language learners. The conclusion suggests a conceptualisation of this learner group alongside, and yet very different to, other linguistically disadvantaged group. Pedagogical pathways to best support this learner group are also discussed.