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A Sociolinguistic Perspective on Second Language Use in Immersion Classrooms
Author(s) -
TARONE ELAINE,
SWAIN MERRILL
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
the modern language journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.486
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1540-4781
pISSN - 0026-7902
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4781.1995.tb05428.x
Subject(s) - phenomenon , immersion (mathematics) , cites , psychology , french immersion , linguistics , ethnography , mathematics education , pedagogy , sociology , mathematics , physics , philosophy , fishery , pure mathematics , quantum mechanics , anthropology , biology
This paper cites observational and interview evidence indicating that immersion students in the U.S. and Canada increasingly avoid using their second language in peer‐peer interactions as they move into higher primary grade levels. Systematic research is called for to explore this reported phenomenon. It is suggested that the phenomenon is actually predictable if one takes a sociolinguistic perspective on immersion classrooms, viewing them as speech communities that become increasingly diglossic over time. The paper ends with a summary of discussions with immersion teachers about possible implications for teaching in immersion settings.